Advisors

The Caswell Diabetes Institute Patient and Family Advisory Council (CDI PFAC) includes people living with diabetes or family members that care for someone with diabetes. These individuals with different backgrounds, expertise and experiences provide valuable feedback to help ensure that CDI’s goals and strategies are closely aligned with the goals of people living with and affected by diabetes, obesity and other metabolic conditions. Launched in May 2022, the CDI PFAC has offered expertise and experience on topics that are shaping the development of programs, services and policies, including:

  • Work with the American Diabetes Association’s Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Equity Initiative, sharing insights to not only underscore how CGM provides significant, life-changing benefits for diabetes management, but also the variation in access to these critical devices. This input has helped inform advocacy efforts for Medicaid coverage of CGMs for those who need it as well as the overly restrictive barriers to the technology, with a revised policy proposal due out of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in March 2023.
  • Providing essential early input to the new CDI Diabetes Mental Health program, regarding the mental health and social needs of people with diabetes. This critical input has not only informed the next steps of this program but is informing larger projects that examine the overlooked area of life stressors that specifically impact people living with diabetes.
  • Exploring the design of Diabetes/Obesity Peer Mentoring programs, the transition of care from pediatric to adult services, improving adult inpatient diabetes education and working with CDI to develop patient/community facing content and updates. 

We are grateful for the commitment of our patients and families and look forward to continued growth and partnership as we expand our reach within the population of those we serve and the broader community.

John Ayanian, MD, MPP

Timothy Blackwell, MD

Charles Burant, MD, PhD

Greg Cartee, PhD

Roger Cone, PhD

Marie DeWerff

Vicki Ellingrod, PharmD, FCCP, FACNP

Lori Isom, PhD

Karl Jepsen, PhD

Vesa Kaartinen, PhD

Steve Kunkel, PhD

Paul Lee, MD, JD

Julie Lumeng, MD

Donna Martin, MD, PhD

Dan Michele, PhD

Jeffrey Morenoff, PhD

Karen Petersen, DSc

Lonnie Shea, PhD

E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD
David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Health
William S. Adams Distinguished Professor of Medicine 
Chair and Department Executive Officer, Department of Internal Medicine 
Director, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine

Mark Atkinson, PhD
University of Florida American Diabetes Association Eminent Scholar for Diabetes Research
Jeffrey Keene Family Professor 
Professor, Departments of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine/Pediatrics 
Director, University of Florida Diabetes Institute 
Professor, Departments of Pathology and Pediatrics

John Buse, MD, PhD
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Verne S. Caviness Distinguished Professor 
Chief, Division of Endocrinology 
Director, Diabetes Center 
Director, North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute 
Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research

Tamara (Mara) Darsow, PhD
Novo Nordisk Corporate Vice President of Commercial Planning

Sanjoy Dutta, PhD
Breakthrough T1D (Formerly JDRF) Chief Scientific Officer

Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD
American Diabetes Association Chief Science & Medical Office

Ruth Gimeno, PhD
Eli Lilly and Company Vice President, Diabetes Research and Clinical Investigation

Sherita Golden, MD, MHS
John Hopkins Medicine 
Hugh P. McCormick Family Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

Carla Greenbaum, MD
Benaroya Research Institute 
Director, Center for Interventional Immunology 
Director, Diabetes Research Program

George King, MD
Joslin Diabetes Center (Harvard) 
Director of Research 
Senior Vice President and Head of the Section on Vascular Cell Biology 
Professor of Medicine and Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School
Director, Asian American Diabetes Initiative

Rob Lash, MD
Endocrine Society Chief Medical Officer

Monica Peek, MD, MPH
University of Chicago 
Ellen H. Block Professor for Health Justice of Medicine
Associate Director, Chicago Center for Diabetes Translational Research

Marlon Pragnell, PhD
American Diabetes Association (ADA) Vice President, Research & Science

Christopher Rhodes, PhD
AstraZeneca 
Chief Scientist, Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism
BioPharmaceuticals R&D
Chair of AstraZeneca’s Postdoc Programme

Elizabeth Seaquist, MD
University of Minnesota Medical School 
Nesbitt Chair and Head, Department of Medicine
Associate Dean, Medical Specialties and Primary Care
Professor of Medicine, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism
Faculty, Program in Integrative Biology and Physiology
PhD Co-Director, Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism
Associate Dean, Medical Specialties and Primary Care

Lori Sussel, PhD
University of Colorado 
Professor of Pediatrics and Cell & Developmental Biology 
Sissel and Findlow Stem Cell Chair, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes 
Associate Vice Chancellor for Basic Science Research

Marianne Udow-Phillips
University of Michigan School of Public Health/Public Policy
Head of Public Health for Rewind
Senior Advisor, Center for Health and Research Transformation
Principal of MuConsulting
Lecturer, University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy