Diabetes Dialogue: ADCES DTC 22, with Jennifer Okemah, RD, and Gary Scheiner, MS
In their final episode from the ADCES 2nd Annual Diabetes Technology Conference, our hosts are joined by Gary Scheiner, MS, and Jennifer Okemah, RD, to discuss their businesses, a glimpse into their personal journeys into becoming diabetes care and education specialists, and how they have seen their role in improving care transform in recent years.
The burden of diabetes on public health and health systems over the last several decades has been undeniable. As the number of providers specializing in endocrinology stayed stagnant or shrank, the rate of diabetes among the population skyrocketed. Recognizing the burden of diabetes on overall health and seeking to mitigate the impact of the ballooning rates of diabetes juxtaposed against a shortage of endocrinologists, a new form of diabetes care and education specialists began to emerge.
A now integral part of major health systems and private practices, diabetes care and education specialists have taken up the mantle of disseminating and educating providers as well as people with diabetes on the latest advancements in care and how they can be applied to their own treatment algorithms. Leading this charge is the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES). Founded in 1973 as the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the organization has had a hand in shaping the care of people with diabetes for 5 decades and instituted a name change in 2020 to its current title to better reflect the role of the organization and its members.
Both members of the ADCES, hosts of Diabetes Dialogue: Technology, Therapeutics, and Real-World Perspectives, Diana Isaacs, PharmD, an endocrine clinical pharmacy specialist and coordinator of the Continuous Glucose Monitoring program at the Cleveland Clinic, and Natalie Bellini, DNP, an endocrine nurse practitioner with R&B Medical Group, are representative of the diversity in title and roles seen within the organization.
In their final episode from the ADCES 2nd Annual Diabetes Technology Conference, our hosts are joined by Gary Scheiner, MS, owner and clinical director of Integrated Diabetes Services, and Jennifer Okemah, RD, owner and clinical director of Salute Nutrition, to discuss their businesses, which provided services to practices educating providers and improve the care offered to people with diabetes. In the episode, the guests offer the hosts a glimpse into their personal journeys into becoming diabetes care and education specialists as well as how they have seen their role in improving care fluctuate based on the needs of the community in recent years.
All episodes of Diabetes Dialogue: Technology, Therapeutics, & Real-World Perspectives are available in an audio-only format on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
