2012 Speakers
September: Jody Thomas, PhD: Diabetes Police vs. Diabetes Rebels—Parents and Kids Living with Type 1 Diabetes
In this talk, Dr. Jody Thomas will give a serious yet humorous explanation of why the teen years are particularly challenging for diabetes management. She will share her insights on teens development; on what parents can realistically expect of their teens; and how parents can provide support for their teens as they transition to independence.
Jody Thomas, PhD is a clinical psychologist who specializes in medical psychology. She is the clinical director at the Packard Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Center at Stanford. Previously she worked with the pediatric diabetes clinic at LPCH. View presentation.
August: Mary Wright on Adjusting Your Settings with Confidence
What can you really learn from all of those graphs and numbers? How do you find the trees in the forest? And how do you know if you should change the basal, the insulin to carb ratio, or the insulin sensitivity factor? Or maybe it’s the active insulin time that needs to be changed? Confused?
Mary Wright, RN, CDE, CPNP at Kaiser Santa Clara, and adult living with T1D for many years, will help us make sense of it in this talk where she will walk us through case studies and show us the light! View presentation.
August: Lisa Shenson: Know Your Child’s Rights at School
How do you ensure that your child gets the diabetes care he/she needs at school? What is a Health Care plan? Why does your child need a 504 plan and how do you get it? Lisa Shenson will answer these and many more questions about the rights of children with type 1 diabetes at school.
Lisa Shenson is a long-time parent advocate and volunteer with DREDF (Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund) and JDRF.
May: Dr. Saleh Adi: Understanding Basal Rates.
Dr. Adi is Clinical Professor, Pediatrics and Director of The Madison Clinic for Pediatric Diabetes, UCSF. He will explain the science behind basal rates and answer your questions.
April: Camille Vardy Nutritional Approaches to T1D
Camille Vardy will introduce a nutrition- based approach to reducing inflammation and the body’s autoimmune response.She will discuss the role of Vitamin D, gluten, and MSG in triggering an autoimmune response and will explain the role of Omega-3 fatty acids in reducing inflammation and what are good sources of Omega-3. Ms. Vardy will reveal some “secret” sources of MSG that may not be apparent on food labels and will discuss how other chronic conditions such as asthma, thyroid disease, and celiac are related to type 1 diabetes.
March: Brittany Hofmeister: Food & Type 1 Diabetes: Cultivating a Healthy Relationship
When food is sustenance, medicine, and a possible menace, how do you develop a healthy relationship with food? Registered Dietitian, Brittany Hofmeister will offer expert advice and answer your questions on this important topic.
February: Joe Solowiejczyk, RN MSW CDE, Transitioning Care to Your Teen In this talk Joe Solowiejczyk addressed the challenge of parenting your child as and setting clear expectations for diabetes management without letting our emotions around or children’s diabetes get in the way. Joe’s message to parents is clear: kids don’t have to like it, but they still have to do it. Diabetes management is not optional just as going to school isn’t optional. Parents need to set clear expecatations for their children and be willing to apply consequences when those expectations aren’t met.
January: Linda Miller, LCSW, Parenting Children and Teens with Type 1 Diabetes: A Research Based Approach
Linda Miller discusses parenting styles that are conducive to promoting good diabetes management skills. She discussed the importance of developing good coping skills and emphasized the importance of three factors: involvement, affection, and control. While involvement and affection should remain constants in the parent-child relationship, control needs to diminish over time as your child gets older.
January: Bruce Buckingham, Pediatric Endocrinologist, New Technologies for Managing Type 1 Diabetes, Dr. Buckingham describes the evolution of diabetes treatments. Showing various technologies being developed around the world and discussing algorithms being developed for the artificial pancreas.
2011 Speakers
October: How to Support Type 1 Children’s Social and Emotional Well Being, with Karah Clifford, MFTI (October 17, 2011)
In this talk Karah shared her personal story of living with diabetes and discuss ways by which parental well-being and family dynamics directly support children’s emotional and social well-being and promote successful diabetes management. Karah also addressed the importance of peer support in reducing feelings of isolation and depression, improving self-care and overall well being.
Karah Clifford is a marriage and family therapist intern who has been living with type 1 diabetes for over 20 years. Karah has spent the past 5 years specializing in therapeutic interventions specific to children and families living with diabetes. Growing up, Karah attended diabetes camps for 20 years and credits her experience at camp with her physical and mental well-being pertaining to diabetes.
September: Exercise, Diabetes, and Nutrition with Barry Conrad, MPH, RD, CDE, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Diabetes Clinic
The talk covered the tricky topic of how to balance food, activity, and blood sugar levels to achieve optimal performance. Barry explained how the body responds to exercise and provided examples of how types of food and the timing of their consumption affect blood sugar levels. Barry also made suggestions on adjusting basal rates to prevent blood sugar fluctuations during and after physical activity.
Barry Conrad is a Certified Diabetes Educator and Registered Dietician working at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Diabetes Center. Barry works with children and families in the clinic setting as well as teaching classes on diabetes and pump therapy. Barry has a strong interest in sports nutrition and exercise with diabetes.
August: Know Your Child’s Rights at School with Lisa Shenson and Clare Nicholson
The talk covered federal and state laws and how those apply to our children’s diabetes care at school; it provided an explanation of 504 plans and medical healthcare plans and why they are important; it explained how to work with your school district to get the results you want for your child; and educated parents about the resources that are available to assist them.
Lisa Shenson has been a type 1 mom for 13 years and an advocate for over 12. As an advocate she helps parents understand the law and their children’s rights, establish 504 plans and diabetes medical management plans. She has assisted hundreds of families in California and other states to resolve conflicts with their children’s schools and provide them with factual resources and information.
Clare Nicholson is a mom to three young children. Grace, 6, was diagnosed at 23 months. She will share her story of struggles and triumph working with her daughter’s school district to get her the accommodations she was entitled to. Clare has also worked to educate other families about their children’s rights and to standardize the care for other children in the district.
If you were unable to attend, but would like more information any of these topics, please contact tamar@carbdm.org or 650 464 4236.
