Dr Maria Rosa Gallego is a chief physician at the Vila Franca Xira Health Care Centre in Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, and also serves as the consultant for primary healthcare and diabetes at the General Directorate of Health. Since 1987, she has been responsible for a diabetes mini-clinic at Vila Franca Xira's Primary Health Care Centre. Dr Gallego has been involved in several study groups of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and most recently became a founding member of the EASD's Health Economics and Diabetes Care Delivery (DECADE) Study Group. She also served on the board of the Portuguese Society of Diabetes from 1996 to 1999 and has been a member of that organization since 1989.

Over the past 12 years, Dr Gallego has worked tirelessly to keep general practitioners informed about diabetes. As a member of the Portuguese Association of General Practitioners (Associação Portuguesa dos Médicos de Clínica Geral, or APMCG) Diabetes Study Group since 1991, she has been responsible for providing continuous information about diabetes to primary healthcare providers in Portugal. She was an active member of numerous Portuguese and international associations, including the Portuguese Society of Diabetes, the Portuguese National Committee for Diabetes, the National Task Force to implement a National Diabetes Programme, the World Health Organization-International Diabetes Federation Vincent Declaration Movement from 1991 to 1999, and the Health Region Administration Council. Moreover, her efforts to inform her primary care colleagues include her roles as the member of the National Association of General Practitioners responsible for the diabetes study group and as an active collaborative member with numerous general practitioner magazines since 1991.

Dr Gallego believes that diabetes care is an important and increasing responsibility for family physicians. These practitioners must provide improved patient education on the use of new therapies and new technologies as well as help their patients better understand the treatment of chronic conditions, diabetes comorbidities, and overall disease management.