Honoring the struggles and celebrating the triumphs of diabetes in everyday life

Erika B. Emerson is Chief Policy Officer of the Diabetes Leadership Council. She has more than 20 years of health policy and advocacy experience, including health care and pharmaceutical public policy, issues management, strategic communications and stakeholder relations.

Her biopharmaceutical industry experience and understanding of the U.S. health care system lend unique insight to state and federal policies impacting access, quality and value of care and coverage for people with chronic conditions. Erika’s health policy and patient advocacy experience is rooted in behavioral and mental health. A serendipitous introduction to the diabetes community sparked a heart-and-mind connection that expanded her policy interests and personal passion for patient-centered, individualized approach to chronic disease care and coverage. Erika holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
 

Amanda Kaufman is a Policy Associate with the Diabetes Leadership Council (DLC), a national non-profit organization driving state and federal policy to improve the lives of people with diabetes. Amanda provides a critical voice for young people living with diabetes, influencing DLC’s advocacy initiatives, content creation and stakeholder communications. She also leads data analytics supporting DLC’s evidence-based diabetes policy initiatives: employer outreach and education on effective plan design for diabetes management; and policymaker education on insulin affordability, prescription drug rebate reform, access to diabetes technology and other important diabetes community issues.

Amanda holds a Master of Science degree in Healthcare Management from The Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and a bachelor’s degree in International Studies, with a minor in Psychological and Brain Studies, from The Johns Hopkins University.

Edward T. Hawthorne served as ADA Chair of the Board from 1999 – 2000. He is currently the COO, Managing Director and Partner of CE3 Solutions. Hawthorne has a dynamic professional background, having held various positions within Bank of America. Most recently, he served as West Regional executive for the Customer Service & Solutions organization where he was responsible for providing a world-class experience to Consumer and Small Business customers. Prior to that, he led the Credit Card Contact Center Servicing & Operations organization, a broad team composed of 5,500 associates operating in 12 contact centers and four vendor locations across the U.S. and Canada. He has also been responsible for the Consumer East Region call centers within the Deposits Contact Center organization in addition to the bank’s Intellectual Capital and Property program and has served as Technology Operational Risk executive. During his tenure in this role, the team developed a comprehensive system and corresponding methods for identifying and managing Operational Risk Assessments and Control, for which they were awarded a U.S. Patent.
Hawthorne has also headed Technology Solutions Support, which included Enterprise Technology Support Centers, Technical Training for end-users and IT professionals, Business Management Services, Problem and Change Management. He also led Support Services, which included Information Security, Disaster Recovery, Facilities Management, Systems Evaluation and Control, Advanced Technology, Communications Service Center, and Compliance. In addition, he served as Business Support executive to the Vice Chairman of Bank of America.
Hawthorne and his family reside in California. He is actively engaged in serving his community and currently sits on the Emeritus Council for the American Diabetes Association. He has served on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Museum of African Diaspora, Advisory Board for Meris Consulting, Chairman of the National Board of Directors for the American Diabetes Association, Chairman of the Board for the of Directors of the California Affiliate of the American Diabetes Association, and Chairman and Director Emeritus of the Strategic Advisory Board for the International Help Desk Institute. He has also served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross of the Bay Area and Chairman of the Contra Costa March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Hawthorne has been a member of the National Nominating Committee of the American Red Cross, the Board of Directors for the March of Dimes for the Bay Area, and the Advisory Boards for Digital Fuel, Convergys, LivePerson, and the Risk Management Association IT Committee. He was recognized by the American Diabetes Association with the Charles H. Best Medal for Leadership and Service. He is an avid music lover who also enjoys golf and spending time traveling abroad with his family. Hawthorne is fluent in Italian and maintains a residence in Sarone, Italy.

Raj Sundar was born in Chennai, India, and grew up loving feasts of Dosa & Appam (with grandma’s homemade coconut milk). After eight years in India, I came to the US via a solo trip on a Lufthansa flight and joined my parents on the east coast. I spent most of my childhood in North Carolina, where my loyalty to the UNC Tarheels grew. I came to Seattle, WA, to join Group Health for residency join 2016 and have remained in staff since then. My fight in life is to work with others to create systems that treat each person with dignity, respect their histories, celebrate their joys, and honor their hopes. My leadership vision is to create conditions that enable others to achieve a shared purpose. It’s a leadership based on enabling, facilitating, and sharing power

Avantika Waring, MD (she/her) is an endocrinologist with a focus on the health and wellness of people living with diabetes and other co-conditions. As the Chief Medical Officer of 9amHealth,
she works with the clinical, business, and product development teams to bring a high-quality, affordable, and delightful experience to patients and customers. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania, and fellowship in Endocrinology at the University of California San Francisco. Although she grew up in New Jersey, she now considers herself a West Coaster. She lives in Seattle, WA with her family where, in addition to her role with 9amHealth, she continues clinical work as a staff endocrinologist at Kaiser Permanente Washington.

About 9amHealth
9amHealth is committed to providing compassionate care, affordable medications, and custom healthcare plans to people living with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. We are dedicated to a care model where you only pay for what you need and have access to medical professionals whenever you need them. Founded in 2021 by the team behind mySugr, 9amHealth offers
affordable monthly subscriptions that connect people with a Care Team of licensed providers, pharmacists, diabetes care specialists, and nutritionists. From at-home lab tests to speedy
prescription delivery to tools for whole health, 9amHealth offers a wide range of support for every kind of patient—no insurance required. Headquartered in San Diego, 9am is backed by
7Wire Ventures, Human Capital, Founders Fund, Define Ventures, Speedinvest, and iSeed Ventures. To learn more, please visit www.join9am.com.

Constance Brown-Riggs— an award-winning registered dietitian nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist is the author of several diabetes books. Two of which received Hermès Gold Creative Awards: Living Well with Diabetes 14 Day Devotional and The Diabetes Guide to Enjoying Foods of the World.

Over the course of her career, Constance has established herself as an expert in nutrition, diabetes, and the cultural issues that impact the health and health care of people of color. Her work has appeared in books for health professionals and health care consumers. Constance is a former member of the board of directors for the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and a past chair of the Diabetes Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You can learn more about her at www.eatingsoulfully.com

Gazania is the founder and owner of Naturally Gazania Acupuncture and Wellness Center in the San Francisco Bay Area and a proud Oakland, CA Native. She is a California Board Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist and holds a Master's Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences. In spring 2023, she will be continuing her education to obtain her doctoral degree in acupuncture and integrative medicine. Her clinical focus is treating women’s health, pain management, and diabetes support. Gazania is certified to teach diabetes education classes from Scripps Diabetes Institute Project Dolce and has a diabetes professional certificate from Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists. For 2 years she taught and navigated patients with diabetes in Oakland, Ca at Roots community Health Center. In her practice she understands healing to be a collaboration between patient and practitioner.  Her wellness Center was started with a vision to help promote wellness and provide quality holistic integrative medicine via the use of acupuncture, Chinese herbal formulas, nutrition and movement in her community. She uses this amazing medicine as a catalyst for patients' health and harmony. Gazania is passionate about motivating, educating, and helping  patients to become more empowered. During her free time, she loves dancing, traveling, spending time with her family, relaxing by the beach, and reading self-help books.

My Bio:
Megan Muñoz is the creator and host of Type2andYou with Meg, the first podcast by a Certified
Diabetes Care & Education Specialist dedicated to people living with type 2 diabetes. Her
passion to reduce diabetes stigmas is evident in her podcasting, content contributions, and live
presentations. Megan holds a bachelor's and master's degree in nursing, along with
certifications in medical surgical nursing and diabetes education.  She works with people living
with all types of diabetes in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.

My Philosophy as a CDCES:
I believe when you are a CDCES, the most important thing to remember is you’re helping
someone on their journey with diabetes, not yours.  They’ve given you the privilege to come
into their story, even for a brief moment of time. Be respectful and gracious with this invitation.
Your job is to guide, support, challenge, empower, inform, and advocate so they have the tools
and skills to be successful WITHOUT you.

Kylene was misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes in August 2010. In May 2011, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I became an advocate in the diabetes community, focusing on the diversity and inclusion of people with diabetes in the Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Indigenous communities. Missing representation I wanted to create items that would allow women to express themselves.

I am a speaker, the founder of Blackdiabetic Girl, Girl Chat, and is the Dope Diabetic Girls Club's co-founder.

I am also pursuing my degree in Social Work. You can connect with Kylene on social media, Instagram @blackdiabeticgirl, Twitter
@blkdiabeticgirl

Khamila Opiotennione-Renshaw and her family’s history with diabetes is extensive and intricate. Khamila’s father was diagnosed with an undefined type of diabetes in early adulthood. Additionally, Khamila was diagnosed at age 16 and has been coping with the same chronic condition as her father. This resulted in no effective treatment plan and no medical assistance for her and her family. 

Since then, she has spent her time engaging in thought therapy, advocacy work, and other life-altering pursuits to become intellectually, physically, and emotionally well to make a difference in her life and throughout the diabetic community. Khamila, a native Washingtonian, is currently a nursing student at the University of the District of Columbia. She is thankful for the university’s nursing program for allowing her the opportunity to learn and grow along with faculty and peers. Khamila plans to get her doctorate in nursing and become a certified diabetic educator. For Khamila, the real journey now begins.

Mariah’s work promotes and invites the educational system to redesign its purposes with the role of the contemporary artists at the forefront of how young people can develop the capacity for imagination, innovation, perception, and critical thought that will bridge and build a society that we all deserve. She has been living with Type 1 diabetes for 32 years. She is a supporter of the Diabetic Youth Foundation in California and Camp Yellow Bird, Jamaica.

Matthew Tarro, lives in San Diego, CA and is originally from Rhode Island. Has lived with Type 1 diabetes for 18 years, diagnosed at 16 years old before heading to college. Matt recently decided to focus on personal diabetes care and pursue a life-long passion of adventure and travel. As an artist, photographer, videographer, and graphic designer - Matt enjoys being creative and thinking outside the box. Diabetes can't stop Matt from doing his favorite things like snowboarding, mountain biking, and running with his dog on the beach.

Liz Cambron has type 2 diabetes and a passion for all things biology. As a first generation Mexican-American, Liz learned first hand on how to care for people with type 2 diabetes with her mother and a majority of her family having diabetes. This motivated her to pursue a PhD studying insulin signaling to better understand the role insulin plays in other processes in the body. Years later she was also diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes at the age of 23 and struggled with the stigmas and associated mental health struggles that many diabetics face. For the past 6 years, Liz has fought through her own health journey and has shared her experience and knowledge with others to help them become their own advocate too.

Shay has had T1D for 15 years and is a current graduate student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington majoring in Clinical Research and Product Development and researching barriers that influence modern technology usage amongst African Americans. She has served as the Founding Vice President of the campus’ College Diabetes Network Chapter, Dubs 4 Diabetes, in addition to serving as a research assistant focusing on the type 1 diabetic student’s transition to college. She has served in various organization leadership positions and currently serves on the North Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council, a governor appointed council that promotes the philosophy of independent living to maximize opportunities for individuals with disabilities in addition to the integration and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into mainstream society. She also currently serves as council member for the American Diabetes Association People with Diabetes (PWD) board. Shay has always viewed her diabetes as an avenue for advocacy and has served as an advocate, mentor, and ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and NextGen Fellow with The Diabetes Link. Shay has a true passion for serving others and is excited to educate the community with the integration of Greek life about life with diabetes. 

Dr. Phyllisa Deroze is the Director of Content Strategy at dQ&A and was an Assistant Professor of English for 10 years. Along with her experience teaching at two historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and as a Fulbright Scholar and Professor at United Arab Emirates University, she is a global diabetes patient advocate, who offered lectures, addresses, and support groups throughout the Middle Eastern and North African region, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the United States. She has published extensively on the intersectionality of health, black women, and literature. Dr. Deroze is also the founder and writer of DiagnosednotDefeated.com a blog she started from the hospital when she was diagnosed with diabetes and Black Diabetic Info a website, she founded a year after being diagnosed. As a global diabetes patient advocate from Florida. She's been featured on the cover of Health Monitor magazine and had articles appear in Diabetic Living, Diabetes Focus, and other magazines and newsletters. Her passion for lifestyle advocacy around diabetes can be seen in her YouTube vlogs, social media posts, in-person workshops, published essays, and keynote speeches. Her motto "Diagnosed Not Defeated," is an inspiration for anyone diagnosed with diabetes. She was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2011 and lived eight years misdiagnosed. In 2019, she was correctly diagnosed with Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA). 

Cameron J. Hall is a higher education advancement and development professional who specializes in marketing strategies. He has more than 10 years of nonprofit management experience and higher education and fundraising experience. Cameron was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1999. As a Black American, Cameron has experienced first-hand barriers to appropriate diabetes care and access to insulin within the U.S. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for T1International. 

Donn Kirk is a Communication Strategist specializing in content strategy, marketing and development creating visual imagery that identifies with brands and conveys a message for created content. He has been living with diabetes since 2002 and hid it nearly 14 years and not living healthy. Once being open he wanted to make positive changes to how he live. Donn graduated from Lincoln University (PA) with a B.S. in Mass Communications, an M.S. in Multimedia Communications and currently getting his PhD in Strategic Media. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha and became a member in Fall 15.

May Mosier is a multiethnic bilingual Trauma Psychotherapist, advocate and speaker from Southern California. She has a clinical practice speacializing in trauma, inner child healing and sel love. May has lived with type 1 diabetes since the age of 3. 

Mary was drawn to therapy by her innate interest in how our experiences effect our sense of self, and her passion for helping people grow, step out of their pain and into their light and understand their value. Mary's mission is to help folks believe their life is worth living and deserve to be loved in spite of what they have been told. 

Mary has extensive expereincec in working with crisis, high acuity mental health needs and complex trauma. Mary has dedicated her career to working with communitites who have been marginalized: Spanish speaking, POC, youth, LGBTQIA+, individuals with Autism &/or Neurodivergent indentifed, those living with diabetes and other medical conditions, and providing therapy in both English and Spanish to help children, youth and their families find their voice, heal, repair relationships and eliminate the stigma of mental health treatment in Spanish speaking communities. 

May completed her BA in communicative Disorders at California State University Fullerton and her MS in Clinical Psychology at Vanguard University. Mary is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. 

Brandon is a business owner and diabetes advocate. A graduate and former walk-on star linebacker At Michigan State University, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. After graduation, Brandon played for three years in the Arena, Canadian, and National Football League and went on to become an Assistant Defensive Coordinator at Detroit’s Voyageur College Prep before pursuing a professional career in community engagement and entrepreneurial ventures.  Living with type 1 diabetes as a professional athlete motivated him to show others how they too can overcome the challenges associated with the disease.

 Lucy has been living with type I diabetes for 30 years. She is a lawyer and has dual Spanish and Argentine nationality, residing in the latter country, where she is an active part of the online diabetes community.

 She is an expert chronic disease patient with a specialization in cardio-metabolic and LGBTQ + rights activist. She is happily (and legally!) married to Lidia, her wife, and is currently part of the team behind Beyond Type 1's Hispanic properties.

You can connect with Lucy on social media, Instagram @angelusamato, Twitter @falucy and Facebook @azucarfairy (Azúcar HADA)

Biography 

Dr. Nana Ama Quansah is a pharmacist, a diabetes functional medicine practitioner, and a business  owner. She graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry  and the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. 

As the founder and CEO of NAQ Pharmacy Consulting , she has empowered focused driven women  living with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes to regain control of their health and be less dependent on  prescription medications through lifestyle intervention, gain confidence in their ability to lose weight , and learn what to eat without being on a restrictive diet through her DITCH DIABETES ACADEMY  program. 

Her pharmacy consulting practice was established with the sole purpose of bringing a human touch to  patient care and offering healthcare solutions to private clinics and independent pharmacy owners by  integrating wellness programs into their practices. 

Prior to becoming a Diabetes health coach , Dr. Nana worked in various Fortune 500 retail companies  and large hospital settings as a pharmacist. Her diverse experience has made her well versed in  understanding patient needs and challenges in the healthcare system. 

Dr Nana’s tips have been featured on several podcasts , diabetes workshops, webinars, social media,  and International Television, including PAN African TV, and GoTV Africa. 

Dr. Nana’s excellent leadership skills, expertise, and passion for people have aided many people with  type 2 diabetes in the United States and other nations in reaching their full potential through lifestyle  changes to live a healthy life. 

Contact Information 

Instagram : @ dr.nanapharmd 

FB: NAQ Pharmacy Consulting  

https://linktr.ee/dr.nanapharmd

Nykkia Sellers is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with over twenty years of experience in nursing and family medicine. She has an extensive background in chronic disease management. She also has vast knowledge and experience in acute care, internal medicine, and family practice. Currently, Nykkia Sellers serves in endocrinology and specializes in diabetes management. Nykkia is the founder and owner of Diabetes Care and Wellness, an adult endocrine practice. She has been instrumental in creating and implementing diabetes awareness and education programs in the Mid-South area. She has been invited locally and nationally to discuss diabetes management. Additionally, she has been featured on televised and radio broadcastings.
Nykkia Sellers is extremely passionate about providing education to people living with diabetes and those who are at risk for developing diabetes. Nykkia created a platform known as “The Diabetes Wellness NP” to empower people living with diabetes to make lifestyle changes to improve their diabetes and quality of life.
Nykkia Sellers earned both her Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing from Arkansas State University in 2002 and 2007, respectively. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Nykkia Sellers is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and has a board certification in Advanced Diabetes Management. She has memberships in several professional organizations including the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, American Diabetes Association, West Tennessee Diabetes Networking Group, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and National Black Nurses Association. She has served on the Shelby County School’s NAF Health Science Academy Advisory Board. She is the recent recipient of the Johnson and Johnson BAND-AID® BRAND Black Healthcare Hero Scholarship.