Why diabetes?
Because diabetes is not just about science and pathophysiology. Beyond the science, it is about culture, food, behavior and habits, and many other daily events in peoples’ lives. I am a physician not only because I am captivated by the elegance of human physiology, but also because I am privileged to spend every day learning about my patients, who they are, and what their goals are. I try to focus as much attention on each patient’s experience with disease as on his or her medical diagnosis and treatment. This dual focus is essential to practicing diabetes care.
Because taking care of diabetes requires a LOT of work. I am hopeful that new innovations will ease the burden on both patient and provider.
Why a blog?
Because, someday, diabetes will be “solved” by either an immunological solution or an artificial pancreas. In the meantime, we have a rapidly growing arsenal of tools and new technologies to help treat patients. Some will be useful, some will not. As I have spent countless hours tracking Google News, blogs, and Twitter feeds to keep abreast of the latest, it only seems logical to share, or re-share, what I am able to collect (along with some commentary).
Because I live in San Francisco and everybody blogs.
Why me?
Because my first introduction to the medical field was diabetes. I was lucky enough to be invited to spend a week as a medical staff assistant at a summer camp for teenagers with diabetes and was immediately inspired. As an American Studies major at Northwestern, I wrote my thesis on the “Social and Cultural Barriers to Treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Urban Latinos.” I’m now a fellow, training in Endocrinology, planning a career in caring for patients with diabetes.
Because I believe that technological innovations will help us make diabetes care more effective and more efficient. I find technology fun and exciting, but am wary of implementing something new and shiny only because it is new and shiny (or even worse, has poor usability). Technology must be used to make diabetes care either better, or cheaper, or both.
Thank you for reading. I hope that this blog will serve as useful to both patients and those in the healthcare field seeking information on the latest advancements in diabetes technology.