Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center Diabetes Day

Simon Fisher, MD, PhD

Director, Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

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Andrea Francis, MS, RD, LD, MLDE, CDCES

Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Educator Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Andrea Francis is a Pediatric Diabetes EducatorRegistered Dietitian at UK Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center Here she provides diabetes selfmanagement education to pediatric patients and their families works with the interdisciplinary team to interpret diabetes technology data and facilitate patient care and communicates with patients and their families about diabetesrelated questions As a Registered Dietitian Andrea also provides Medical Nutrition Therapy to the pediatric population with special consideration to diabetes and diabetesrelated disease states including prediabetes obesity and heart disease

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Angela Hepner, Med, RD, LD, MLDE, CDE, CDTC

Certified Diabetes Educator
Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Angela Hepner completed her undergraduate degree in dietetics at the University of Kentucky. She has a master’s degree in adult and higher Education from Morehead State University. Angela has worked at UK HealthCare in pediatric endocrinology since 2008.

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Basema Hitchcock, MS RD LD

Registered Dietitian Diabetes Consultant
Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Basema Hitchcock is a registered dietitian and diabetes consultant at Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center She obtained a Bachelor degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from the University of Kentucky and a Master degree in Nutrition and Health Promotion from Simmons University Basema has worked in the diabetes field since starting off her career as a registered dietitian and has become a certified pump trainer for Tandem and Omnipod 5

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John Jakicic, PhD

Professor
Internal Medicine
Division of Physical Activity and Weight Management
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, Kansas

John M. Jakicic, PhD is a Professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Division of Physical Activity and Weight Management. Prior to his current appointment he was a Distinguished Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. His educational background is in exercise physiology with additional training in behavior interventions and the study of energy balance as these related to obesity and other chronic health conditions. He has an interdisciplinary research program that examines lifestyle approaches to the prevention and treatment of chronic health conditions, with a particular focus on the role of increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior on these outcomes. He was the Principal Investigator for one of the clinical sites for the Look AHEAD Trial. His work has encompassed the spectrum of science from physiology to psychosocial and behavioral factors. He has served on many national committees focused on obesity, physical activity, and other chronic health conditions, which included his appointment to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Scientific Advisory Committee. Within these contexts he has applied accelerometry and other objective measures to the assessment of physical activity and sedentary behavior.

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Chlodys Johnstone, PA-C, CDCES

Associate Director of Education and Quality Services
Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Chlodys Johnstone, PA-C, is the APP supervisor at The Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky Physician Assistant Studies Program.

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Karen Klefot, RD LD

Registered Dietitian Diabetes Consultant
Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Karen Klefot is a registered dietitian and diabetes consultant at the University of Kentucky Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center She obtained her degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from the University of Kentucky She is a Lifestyle Change Coach for the National Diabetes Prevention Program and certified pump trainer for Omnipod 5 and Tandem

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Alba Morales Pozzo, MD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics
College of Medicine
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Dr. Alba E. Morales Pozzo received her medical degree at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma De Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras and then completed a residency at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Fla. She then completed a fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at the University of Florida, College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida.

Dr. Morales is currently working as faculty in the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, which is part of the UK Healthcare system.

Dr. Morales Pozzo is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in General Pediatrics and Endocrinology.

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Kristina Naseman, Pharm.D., MPH, BCACP, CDE

Clinical Pharmacist
UK HealthCare
Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Kristina Naseman received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy. She then completed a Post-Graduate Year One Pharmacy Practice Residency at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. Kristina is a Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist and Certified Diabetes Educator. Additionally, Kristina obtained a Master in Public Health degree from The Ohio State University. Kristina currently practices with UK HealthCare with the inpatient diabetes service team, The Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, and Maternal Fetal Medicine. Her interests include population health, diabetes prevention, and diabetes in pregnancy.

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Jeffrey Pessin, PhD

Judy R. & Alfred A. Rosenberg Professional Chair Diabetes Research
Director , Diabetes Research Center
Department of Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, New York

Dr. Pessin’s research in Diabetes and insulin action has centered on the molecular analysis of liver insulin resistance resulting in increased gluconeogenesis driving hyperglycemia and de novo lipogenesis driving non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). These efforts focus on intracellular insulin signaling cascades and the control of gluconeogenic and lipogenic gene expression. In parallel, studies on adipocyte biology focus on adipose tissue inflammation and the regulation of the NF-kB signaling pathway. These efforts utilize state-of-the-art cell and molecular biological approaches that include genetic mouse models (knockout, knockin and transgenic expression) in addition to integrative physiology of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. These studies are providing important new information for our understanding of the molecular events causing altered metabolism and the basis for more effective treatments of diabetes, obesity and metabolic dysregulation. He as published over 275 peer-reviewed research studies and book chapters/reviews.

Dr. Pessin received his B.A./MA. degrees from Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Illinois. He then was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Michael Czech at The University of Massachusetts Medical Center and was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Physiology & Biophysics at The University of Iowa in 1983. Dr. Pessin was promoted to Associate Professor (1988) and Professor (1991). He was also appointed as the Associate Director of The University of Iowa Diabetes Center in 1991 and received the Eli Lilly Outstanding Investigator Award from the American Diabetes Association in 1996 and The University of Iowa Foundation Distinguished Professorship in 2001. In 2003, he became the Chair of the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at Stony Brook University where he received the William and Jane Knapp Professorial Chair of Pharmacological Sciences. Dr. Pessin accepted his current position as Diabetes Center Director and the Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg Professorial Chair in Diabetes Research at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 2008.

As a well-established and internationally recognized research scientist, Dr. Pessin has served on numerous scientific review panels, research boards and program development committees. He has also been an active in the management in the peer-review process serving as the past Editor-in-Chief for Endocrinology and the American Journal of Physiology (Endocrinology & Metabolism), Senior Associated Editor for Diabetes and currently Associate Editor for the Journal of Biological Chemistry. His wealth of experience in diabetes research and administration will continue the tradition of strong leadership as the Director of The Albert Einstein College Diabetes Center.

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Elizabeth Seaquist, MD

Associate Dean for Medical Specialties and Primary Care
Nesbitt Chair and Head, Department of Medicine
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
University Minnesota Medical School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dr. Elizabeth Seaquist is the Nesbitt Chair and Head of the Department of Medicine. Awards recognizing her research and mentoring include the American Diabetes Association’s Transformative Woman in Diabetes Award in 2019 and the Albert Renold Award for Mentoring in 2020. She served as the President for Medicine and Science of the American Diabetes Association in 2014. As 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 was the site investigator for the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE) study, and the Researching Cardiovascular Events with a Weekly Incretin in Diabetes (REWIND) study. She has an active clinical practice and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism.

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Brittany Smalls, PhD, MHSA, MSHPsych

Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
Dr. Claire Louise Caudill Professorship in Family Medicine
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

As a health services researcher with training in anthropology and health psychology, my expertise involves the social and cultural aspects of health behavior. I have leveraged this background and expertise to assess how the social environment affects health behaviors and outcomes for vulnerable populations with complex chronic conditions. My transdisciplinary background and diverse work experiences have prepared me to undertake complex and innovative research focused on vulnerable populations managing cardiometabolic disorders. In addition to my research, I have participated in various research and leadership training activities focused on health disparities and addressing health inequities among vulnerable populations, including being selected as an Advanced Health Disparities Scholar for the AZ-PRIDE program as well as being selected as a Fellow for both the American Psychological Association’s Leadership and Education Advancement Program (APA LEAP) and the NIH/National Medical Association Career Development Program. I am also a current participant in the APA Leadership Development Program and the Faculty Accomplished Community that Cultivates Equity and Success in Science (ACCESS;1R25GM147296-01) Program. These opportunities have provided invaluable skills that have been integral in my role as a mentor and facilitator for career development activities at the University of Kentucky. Such roles include Core Faculty for the UK Center of Health Equity Transformation; Co-Director for the UK CCTS DREAM Scholars Program, which supports underrepresented early-stage investigators and trainees who have committed their careers to health disparities research; and as a mentor for the Community Leadership Institute of Kentucky (CLIK), where I mentor community leaders on how to conduct research and employ community-based programs. In these roles, I provide mentorship and support to those seeking to engage in research and provide guidance on the development of scholarly work (e.g., peer reviewed publications, conference abstracts, grants). My commitment to mentorship has been recognized by my mentees, who nominated me for the UK College of Medicine Academy of Medical Educator Excellence in Medical Educator Award in Mentoring, which I was honored to receive in 2020. In addition to this award, in 2023, I was awarded the5-year NIDDK Investigator Award to Support Mentoring of Early Career Researchers from Diverse Backgrounds (1K26DK138370-01). As for my research, I recently completed NIH K01 award where I have focused my research on utilizing social network analysis to understand the role of social support as it relates to diabetes self-care behaviors among older rural dwelling adults living in Appalachia Kentucky (5K01DK116923-05). My K01 provided me with intimate exposure to the behaviors, attitudes, and decision-making process of older adults, which has resulted in a NIH R01 (MPI: Smalls, Kruse-Diehr; 1R01DK135885-01) that uses a factorial study design to better understand what components of a peer coaching intervention best supports older adults living with T2D in rural Appalachia. At present, my research is focused on using implementation science to leverage community-based interventions to address health disparities related to diabetes-related self-care among vulnerable populations in Kentucky.

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