DREAM Team Updates December 2024

DREAM Team Updates

December 2024

MOBILE DIABETES EDUCATION CENTER (MOBEC)

SERVING SOLANO COUNTY

The MOBEC Team continues to partner with sites throughout Solano County to provide much-needed prediabetes and diabetes awareness services and one-on-one self-management diabetes education to our community. These sites include neighborhood faith-based organizations, food distribution sites, senior housing complexes, schools, libraries, local events and other locations. Two hundred and thirty seven people received blood glucose and/or blood pressure screenings through MOBEC services between June and November 2024. Of those, 24.5% of the people screened were found to have blood glucose above the normal range (people with no previous diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes).

We are proud to announce that our community lipid/cholesterol screening event is coming on MOBEC very soon. Thanks to Abbott’s generous support, we can offer state-of-the-art products and equipment to screen for cholesterol levels in the community. We are grateful to Abbott for their commitment to promoting health and wellness in our community, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of this valuable opportunity to monitor and improve their cardiovascular health. Abbott has extended their offer to provide A1C cartridges so we will be able to offer A1C testing to everyone who requested while supplies last.

Check our Events section to find out where and when MOBEC will be on the road at tu.edu/mobec. TUC students are encouraged to participate in our community visits. Sign up to volunteer on MOBEC at www.wejoinin.com/sheets/tpaiw.

NATIONAL DPP LIFESTYLE CHANGE PROGRAM

WORKING TO PREVENT TYPE 2 DIABETES

A lifestyle change is often easier said than done, and our National Diabetes Prevention Program is here to help one step at a time! TUC is a partner organization of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a CDC-recognized lifestyle change program to help people with prediabetes. Since 2015, many TUC students have become DPP coaches to facilitate engaging lectures and active discussions around balanced eating, physical activity, stress management, and self-motivation. The one-year program empowers community members to take charge of their health and reverse their diagnosis of prediabetes! In October 2024, the DREAM Team started a new virtual DPP Lifestyle Change Program cohort for those who would like to participate from any location of their choice. Our experienced lifestyle coach, Rochelle Silverman, leads the group towards improved lifestyle habits to prevent diabetes. We continue inviting trained students to be lifestyle coaches to assist in the cohorts.

Additionally, our new partner, The Skinny Gene Foundation, has been assisting us in managing the registration details, guiding us one step closer to receiving reimbursements for running this program. To volunteer as a student coach, and for community members who are ready to have a healthier, better tomorrow, please contact our team at (707) 638-5970 or tuc.mobec@tu.edu.

SUCCESS WITH DIABETES

THE DIABETES EDUCATION PROJECT

What looks like a group of people playing bingo or Jeopardy are TUC students and community members enjoying a Success with Diabetes class! Success with Diabetes is an engaging six-session program designed to help people with type 2 diabetes understand their condition and provide tools to manage their diabetes successfully. Participants learn about various aspects of healthy living, including stress management, nutrition, medications, and more. In the last six months, we offered two in-person cohorts, at the Joseph Nelson Community Center in Suisun City and at the Rio Vista Senior Center with a total of 19 participants enrolled for those two small towns. These participants are so grateful that we brought diabetes self-management classes to their small communities. For community members interested in taking our free classes or students interested in our mission, please contact our team at (707) 638-5970 or tuc.mobec@tu.edu.

PHARM2HOME INITIATIVE:

A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO BETTER HEALTH

BRIDGING GAPS IN CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT

The Pharm2Home Initiative, led by clinical pharmacists, is transforming chronic disease care in Solano County by addressing the challenges of social determinants of health. Through personalized education and care coordination, the initiative has supported over 215 participants and prevented over 100 unscheduled hospital/emergency room or clinic visits due to hypoglycemic events. This year alone, over 900 personalized services were provided to patients, including one-on-one phone calls and home visits for medication titration, referrals, and consultations on diabetes and or blood pressure management, empowering them to achieve their health goals.

POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY

Participant feedback has been invaluable in enhancing and refining the Pharm2Home Initiative. Their openness and willingness to engage have provided critical insights into the challenges of managing chronic health conditions. Participants helped us identify barriers to care, improve medication management strategies and tailor our services to better meet their needs. With continues feedback, this collaborative approach ensures that our program remains responsive, impacting and centered on the real-world experiences of those we serve.

EXPANDING OUTREACH TO COMMUNITY CENTERS

The Pharm2Home team continues to grow its reach, delivering individualized medication therapy management and chronic disease education to senior resident facilities. During events, the team also leads residents in physical activities they can sustain independently afterward. Our Community Health Arm strengthens our mission to improve care for community members across Solano County.

COLLABORATION AND SUPPORT

The success of Pharm2Home Initiative is a collaborative effort, powered by the unwavering support and funding from our esteemed partners – Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Solano County Family Health Services. Their continued support sustains the initiative’s impact, advancing health equity and improving chronic disease management in the Solano County community.

NATIONAL DPP LIFESTYLE COACH TRAINING

BECOME A LIFESTYLE COACH

Our National DPP (Diabetes Prevention Program) Lifestyle Coach Training Program continues to offer training in a virtual setting. Fifty-four coaches were trained between June and November 2024 by the Touro University California National DPP Lifestyle Coach Training Team including the entire Physician’s Assistant Class of 2027. The Lifestyle Coach Training for the PA students is done in-person, with most of our trainings offered virtually. It may seem challenging to attend a training for 12 hours via Zoom over two or three days; however, this training effectively engages attendees in interactive sessions. Prospective Lifestyle Coaches participate in Zoom breakout rooms with peers in small groups. Hands-on activities help participants to practice utilizing coaching skills and leading group sessions. This allows coaches to gain confidence in leading a group of individuals toward making meaningful lifestyle changes. To learn more about TUC’s National DPP Lifestyle Coach Training Program, please visit diabetesprevention.tu.edu to register. One elective course credit is available to TUC COM and COP students.

ECUADOR

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ABROAD

The Touro DREAM Team has had an eventful and busy year working locally as well as internationally to provide education and empowerment to those working toward a brighter future for people with diabetes! One of this year’s projects was a Type 2 Diabetes continuing education course for Ecuadorian family medicine physicians through the Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Medicina Familiar (SEMF). Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common in Ecuador and in all Latin America- with an expected rise of 50% in cases in the coming years. Virtual lectures for the course were scheduled biweekly on Wednesday nights over a period of eight months. These were presented by Touro University’s Professor and Diabetologist Jay Shubrook, DO, and Assistant Professor and Diabetologist, Melissa Belec, DO, and included topics of interest about type 2 diabetes, case studies, and a Q&A section for participants. The most requested topics included epidemiology of type 2 diabetes, common diabetes medications, type 2 diabetes in the elderly, diabetes and pregnancy, diabetic foot concerns, and others. Presentations were well received with between 30 to 70 people attending each virtual lecture from across Ecuador -including rural and urban settings, as well as many who work in the public sector.

Dr. Shubrook also delivered a virtual lecture about cardiovascular risk reduction, “How to prevent cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetic patients, using the appropriate medications” for their annual International Congress of Family Medicine held in Quito, Ecuador in October of 2024.

These were enjoyable experiences for our team and significant learning opportunities about how diabetes is treated outside the US. The DREAM Team extends their most sincere gratitude for the long-term partnership to the SEMF, Dra. Susana Alvear Durán and Dr. Galo Sanchez, at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

TANZANIA

SUPPORT FOR AWARENESS AND PREVENTION

This summer Assistant Professor and Diabetologist, Melissa Belec, DO, and the TUC's Osteopathic Medicine Global Health Team traveled to Tanzania to visit partners at Shirati KMT Hospital. A large part of the team's work in Tanzania is directed to address the growing threat of diabetes in the region. It is projected that the number of people with diabetes will increase by 134% in the coming years in Africa.

Shirati KMT Hospital located in the rural region of Shirati, Tanzania had requested assistance due to the increasing number of people presenting with diabetes related complications. As part of the collaborative work, the team helped support a large screening event for diabetes and hypertension hosted by the hospital. About 150 people from the community attended this event. In addition to the screening, the event had an educational segment to teach community members about healthy food choices and basic information about diabetes. Thanks to an extremely generous donation from Pip, participants to the event with and without diabetes were able to get their blood sugars checked and patients with type 1 diabetes were sent home with their own glucometers- a rarity in the region. One patient stated that she felt like she had hope again for managing her diabetes. We are very grateful to them for their kind donation.

Additionally, the Touro team conducted interviews with different health care workers and government officials to understand current challenges this community faces in diabetes prevention and management. Touro's teams who conducted the surveys will be using the gathered information to help develop education for community health workers to spread information about ways to prevent diabetes and recognize symptoms.

2024 DIABETES UPDATE: HIGH IMPACT MANAGEMENT FOR CLINICIANS

TUC DIABETES CONFERENCE

The DREAM team just held its Ninth Annual Diabetes Update conference. This year’s themes were focused on the person with diabetes in and out of the hospital. It was one of the most successful conferences to date.

Open to all diabetes team members, attendees came from all over to participate in active learning. Lectures included hospital care of diabetes from Adeola Akindana, FNP, who highlighted the need to work closely as a team, get the entire patient experience to make treatment choices, and strongly suggested that patients must advocate for themselves for their diabetes care. Amber Healy, DO (Diabetologist), discussed the importance of team-based care and comprehensive record-keeping in the transition from hospital to home. This is a critical time as many medications and healthcare issues change, and without comprehensive documentation and clear communication, patients may not get the care or follow-up needed.

There was also a focus on patients with other conditions that complicate diabetes treatment. Carlos Mendez, MD (Diabetologist), reviewed the importance of pre-operative planning and care to improve safety during surgery. He also reviewed the new recommendations regarding what medications should be held before or after surgery. John Baron, DO, reviewed the many choices for dialysis and how diabetes care can be simplified for these patients, which reduces medications and improves safety. Diana Issacs, PharmD, discussed the complexities and best practices in using premixed and concentrated insulins. Last, but not least, our very own Sarah Perrin Duduenhoeffer, DO (Diabetologist), discussed skin conditions commonly found with diabetes mellitus and its treatments.

This year's keynote lecture was presented by Darlene Berryman, RD, PhD, who discussed the risks and benefits of current and future artificial sweeteners. This included a discussion of current myths and facts and led to a lively debate about how we all need to reduce all types of sweetened foods in our diets.

The speakers also presented patient cases to apply what was learned in the lecture. This was very well received. The glucose sensor wear experience was again a highlight of the conference. All participants were offered a free Libre 3 or Dexcom G7 sensor to experience what it feels like, and how patients and clinicians can use this data to improve patient care.

As we celebrate another successful conference, we are so grateful to those who helped to make this happen. Thanks go out to the DREAM team planning committee, Svetlana Kostyurin (CME director), Sarah Passage (Chief of Staff), Joanna Bamba PharmD, Shiima Novin PharmD, Jasmine Chisley MPH, Yasameen Sadat Sadati, Cynthia Cabrera, Charles Barthauer, Randall Ilechukwu, Terrance Chow, Yashaswini Vonteddu, Cherry Myung, Jorge Corona, and Updip Kahlon.

We have already started to plan for next year- our 10th Annual Diabetes Update conference on November 2, 2025. See you then!

PEDIATRIC DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM

ADRESSING TYPE 2 DIABETES IN CHILDREN AND YOUTH

In 2025, the DREAM team is about to launch a new but much-needed program—a diabetes prevention program for children. With the increasing rates of overweight and obese status in our population, we have seen a rapid and concerning increase in the rates of type 2 diabetes in our children and young adults. Even more concerning is that the younger you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the more rapidly the condition progresses and the less likely that you will respond to diabetes treatments. Earlier studies have shown that when children with type 2 diabetes are treated with commonly used medications like metformin or insulin, the medications do not work as well, and the medication effects do not last as long.

To address the growing concerns of pediatric obesity and type 2 diabetes in children and young adults, the DREAM team, led by Melissa Belec, Anne Lee, Joy Moverely, and Jay Shubrook, will build and implement a pediatric diabetes prevention program. The DREAM are national experts in DPP, and we have been a national trainer of lifestyle change coaches. In the past 8 years, we have trained more than 1000 lifestyle coaches (shout out to Anne Lee, Grace Jones, and Jay Shubrook). Further, the DREAM team has offered community DPP programs to more than 350 community participants. We have also led in adaptations to the program, including a ketogenic diabetes prevention program, a vegan diabetes prevention program, and cultural adaptations of the program.

The new pediatric diabetes prevention program will take some time to develop. The plan is to build a pilot in 2025 that will be held at one of our community partners. The program will focus on the unique features of disease prevention in youth including growing into your weight, family-based change, and a strong focus on an hour a day of physical activity and play. This program, if effective, may provide a better solution to prevent diabetes in our most at-risk people. Stay tuned; we cannot wait to tell you more.

DREAM TEAM - NEW MEMBERS

YASAMEEN SADATI

CLINICAL RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Yasameen was born and raised in the East Bay. She received two Associates of Science from Diablo Valley College and transferred to University of California, Davis to receive her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a minor in Public Health. In May 2024 she graduated from Touro University California's MSMHS program where she was able to get an introduction to Diabetology. She is excited to learn more about the management/prevention of diabetes and other metabolic disorders and to develop the tools necessary for becoming a future physician.

Her method of relaxation is curating musical playlists and creating her digital art. She enjoys collecting trinkets, crafting, going on walks and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Newsletter Credits

Editor: Melissa Belec, DO

Designer: Maryelli Ray