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Can you describe your work?
I work in the adult primary care clinic at Boston Medical Center and provide chronic disease management under a collaborative drug therapy management agreement, which allows a lot of independence to optimize patients' medication regimens while working closely with their care team. Chronic diseases that I manage include diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, weight management, asthma, COPD, and smoking cessation.
How did you get into work related to diabetes?
Since pharmacy school, I've always been drawn to chronic disease management given how profoundly it impacts people's daily lives and this naturally led me to work related to diabetes. After pharmacy school I pursued post-graduate pharmacy residency trainings where I gained extensive experience in diabetes management, and now in my current role, I provide diabetes care and education daily.
What do you like most about your job?
I love building trust with patients and helping them better manage their health and medications. It is immensely satisfying to see a patient go from feeling overwhelmed with their diabetes to understanding and managing it independently.
What motivates you to do work related to diabetes?
The prevalence and serious complications of uncontrolled diabetes motivate me every day to do work related to diabetes as effective management can meaningfully and measurably improve a patient's overall health.
What guidance or “lessons learned” would you give other health professionals working in the diabetes space?
Diabetes management is always evolving and sometimes requires a village. My biggest piece of advice is to stay curious, keep learning, and embrace collaboration across disciplines and resources to provide the best possible care for your patients.
Want to nominate a diabetes professional, organization, or project for this spotlight series? Please email Julie.Eisen@mass.gov.
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