Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Summer 2020 - 17

Research News
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Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award
William H. Polonsky, PhD, CDCES

Diabetes Care. She has received a distinguished reviewer award
from ADA's scholarly journals for each of the past five years.

Dr. Polonsky is president and cofounder of
the Behavioral Diabetes Institute, the world's
first organization dedicated to studying and
addressing the unmet psychological needs of people with
diabetes, and associate clinical professor in medicine at the
University of California, San Diego. He received his doctorate
in clinical psychology from Yale University and served as
senior psychologist at Joslin Diabetes Center, faculty member
at Harvard Medical School, and chairman of the National
Certification Board for Diabetes Educators.

Albert Renold Award

A licensed clinical psychologist and certified diabetes care and
education specialist, Dr. Polonsky has authored books for lay
audiences, including Diabetes Burnout: What to Do When You
Can't Take It Anymore, and coedited several others for health
care professionals. In 2014, he received the ADA's Richard R.
Rubin Award for distinguished contributions to behavioral
medicine and psychology.

Dr. Seaquist has long been committed to training the next
generation of diabetes investigators. She has formally mentored
more than 55 students, fellows, and junior faculty, many of whom
have gone on to successful research careers. She has led National
Institutes of Health-funded training programs for postdoctoral
fellows, MD and PhD students, and junior faculty.

An active researcher in the field of behavioral diabetes, Dr.
Polonsky has authored or coauthored more than 100 peerreviewed publications focusing on quality of life in diabetes,
diabetes-related distress, hypoglycemic fear, influence of diabetes
technology on quality of life, and attitudes and behavior
regarding cardiometabolic medications and glucose monitoring.

Outstanding Physician Clinician in Diabetes Award
M. Sue Kirkman, MD
Dr. Kirkman is professor of medicine at the
University of North Carolina. She cares for adults
with all forms of diabetes in a multidisciplinary
clinic with high use of diabetes technology. Dr. Kirkman has
served as investigator in numerous trials including the VA
Diabetes Trial, the Diabetes Prevention Program, and the
Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative
Effectiveness Study (GRADE). As medical director of the
Diabetes Clinical Trials Unit, she oversees a team conducting
15-20 clinical trials at any given time.

From 2007 to 2012, Dr. Kirkman served as ADA's senior vice
president of Medical Affairs, overseeing multiple areas, including
development of ADA positions statements and reports. She led
efforts on many important statements, including the highly cited
Diabetes in Older Adults report. She revamped the processes for
developing the Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes to enhance
their rigor. She recognized primary care providers as essential to
diabetes care, starting ADA's Primary Care Advisory Group and
helping to initiate the "Diabetes Is Primary" conferences.
Dr. Kirkman has continued to be an active volunteer with the
ADA, serving on the Advanced Postgraduate Course planning
committee, guideline committees, and the editorial board of

Elizabeth Seaquist, MD
Dr. Seaquist is the director of the Division of
Diabetes and Endocrinology and the vicechair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of
Medicine at the University of Minnesota. She also holds the
Pennock Family Chair in Diabetes Research and serves as
the associate dean for Medical Specialties and Primary Care
and is codirector for the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and
Metabolism. A clinical investigator, Dr. Seaquist is interested in
hypoglycemia and the complications of diabetes. Her research
focuses on the effect of diabetes on brain metabolism, structure,
and function. She directs the University of Minnesota sites for
the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: Comparative
Effectiveness Study, GRADE, and previously was a site
investigator for both the ACCORD and REWIND studies.

Harold Rifkin Award for Distinguished
International Service in the Cause of Diabetes
Anne-Marie Felton, RN, DSN
Mrs. Felton worked in the area of diabetes as
a diabetes specialist nurse and subsequently
as clinical nurse manager at Queen Mary's
University Hospital London SW15 from 1980 to 1996. In that
capacity, she forged the principle of interdisciplinary diabetes
care and the empowerment of people with diabetes. In her
capacity as trustee of Diabetes UK (formerly British Diabetic
Association), she contributed to policy development, particularly
evidence-based practice and the prevention and management of
diabetes. Her work also included advocacy with government and
Ministries of Health.

In 1996, together with other colleagues, she established the
Foundation of European Nurses in Diabetes (FEND) as a
registered charity in England. FEND is a virtual organization,
and its executive board works pro bono. During the past 25 years,
FEND has established and fully funded European master's,
doctoral, and postdoctoral programs. These programs are
academically accredited by Kings College London. FEND has
also established and financed professorships in diabetes nursing
at the University of Uppsala and the Florence Nightingale
faculty of nursing at Kings College London.
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Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Summer 2020

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