Dr. Peter Chase

Keynote Speaker

Emeritus Executive Director, Clinical Director, Director of Pediatric Clinic

Dr. Chase was appointed the first Director of the University of Colorado Pediatric Diabetes Clinic in 1976, four years prior to the opening of the Barbara Davis Center (BDC).  His research interests include clinical trials of agents for the prevention of type 1 diabetes. Additional interests focus on the development of a closed loop pancreas and in efforts to improve adolescent adherence to required diabetes care through the use of newer technology and innovative strategies. He was the initial PI of the Colorado DPT-1 and TrialNet site, and was also the PI of the Colorado site for the DirecNet NIH grant that paved the path to collaborative research into continuous glucose monitoring and the artificial pancreas. He has also published extensively on diabetes outcomes in BDC patients.  His work has resulted in over 300 peer-reviewed publications and 76 book chapters. He has also mentored numerous students, fellows and faculty and is the author of five diabetes educational books for families with type 1 diabetes, which have reached over two million families over the past 38 years (available in English, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese).

Annie Schultz

Keynote Speaker

Annie was born and raised in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge in White Salmon, WA.  She graduated from Oregon State University in 2004 with a Degree in Exercise Science--Sports Medicine, but chose a sports business route.  That took her to Tacoma, WA where she was the Senior Director of Marketing for the Tacoma Rainiers, Triple-A Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.  While working for the Rainiers, Annie connected with the local Breakthrough T1D Branch and volunteered on the South Sound Board of Directors.  While volunteering she was hired by Breakthrough T1D as a Regional Marketing Manger.  She remained with Breakthrough T1D for three years before taking a new and exciting role in the T1D research world with Diabetes TrialNet.  TrialNet is  a worldwide network of researchers and institutions focused on preventing type 1 diabetes.  Annie is the Project Manager for Outreach & Recruitment for the Diabetes TrialNet network.

Annie came to the T1D research worlds as a person who is directly impacted by T1D.  Her father was diagnosed in 1964 at age 19, Annie herself was diagnosed at age 21.   She and her family members have participated in numerous clinical research trials of type 1 diabetes.  Specifically, Annie has participated in trials for the artificial pancreas at the Benaroya Research Institute.  She is also a member of the Breakthrough T1D Speakers Bureau, a Board Member for ConnecT1D an organization that puts on a type 1 diabetes family camp and a volunteer for the Breakthrough T1D Seattle Guild .  She admits that while her story can be difficult to share, it demonstrates very clearly the tremendous advancements that are a direct result of Breakthrough T1D funded research.

Joan Block

Breakout Session Speaker

In addition to being the mom of a Type 1, Joan Block is a psychotherapist in private practice. She specializes in the impact of chronic disease on the individual. Her practice is primarily composed of cancer, cardiac and other chronic disease patients. She has lectured in a variety of venues and is at home in front of an audience. Beside her family, Joan is passionate about animals, art, theater, interior design and music. Humor is central to Joan's personality and her philosophy of life.

Tim Buxton

Breakout Session Speaker

Tim Buxton is an accomplished trial attorney who has been practicing law since 1988.  Tim was an Air Force Judge Advocate from 1988 through 1999.  As an Air Force Judge Advocate, Tim was selected for the elite positions of Circuit Trial Counsel (Prosecutor for major felonies within the Air Force), Appellate Counsel for the Air Force and Instructor in Advocacy (courtroom skills) at the Air Force Judge Advocate General School.  Tim separated from the Air Force in 1999 and worked until 2008 for a large personal injury law firm in Denver, Colorado.   During this time, Tim was lead counsel or co-counsel on many cases which resulted in large six and seven figure settlements and/or jury verdicts.   In 2008, Tim decided to start a smaller practice which allowed him to provide more personalized attention to clients.

Tim’s wife, Lynn, is a retired Air Force Officer and currently on the National Staff for the Breakthrough T1D, a charity they whole-heartedly support.  His daughter Danielle is a professional basketball player, currently playing in the French Basketball League on a team in Lyon, France.  His son, Britain is a senior at Lewis Palmer High School and will be attending the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in the fall.

Brigitte Frohnert

Breakout Session Speaker

​My research interest is in understanding the environmental factors which contribute to the development of islet autoimmunity and progression to type 1 diabetes, with the ultimate goal of preventing type 1 diabetes in the future. In 2014, I joined investigators on two large epidemiologic studies: DAISY (Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young) and TEDDY (The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young following over 8,500 children and collecting a wide array of data on dietary, infectious and other exposures. With a background in molecular biology and biochemistry, I am interested in the use and integration of ‘omics data (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.) to generate new insights into the disease processes.

As a clinician, I am interested in the management of children identified early in diabetes progression, often through participation in longitudinal studies, and the special challenges involved in the care of very young children with type 1 diabetes.​

Dr. Peter Gottlieb

Breakout Session Speaker

Dr. Gottlieb works with Drs. Davidson, and Michels in the BDC Research Division to better understand reactivity to target antigens in autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes and to develop new therapeutic approaches to prevent and reverse T1D.  He collaborates with Dr. Zipris on studies to describe the microbiome in human subjects and alter the innate immune response in individuals with prediabetes or recent onset disease.  His lab also collaborates with others outside the BDC including Dr. John Cambier, Chair of Immunology/Microbiology at UCSOM, studying the B lymphocyte compartment and its role in human T1D as well as with Drs. Chris Love of MIT and Kai Wucherpfennig of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston to develop new methodologies to detect and understand T cell responses to autoantigens.  They aim to better understand the pathogenesis and natural history of Type 1 Diabetes as well as to design clinical prevention trials based on rigorous immunological readouts of the disease process. As the PI for the BDC NIH funded TrialNet effort, his research provides ‘bench to bedside’ research of the highest caliber.

Dr. David Maahs

Breakout Session Speaker

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Dr. David Maahs’ research has extended from epidemiologic studies identifying targets to development of clinical trials to test interventions. His  NIDDK sponsored K23 “Cardiovascular Disease in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Young Adults to Adolescents” focused on cardiovascular and kidney complications in young adults with T1D. As an extension of his  research to prevent T1D complications, his research has increasingly focused on the development of the artificial pancreas as improved glucose control is the best proven method to prevent T1D complications. He works with Drs. Peter Chase, Paul Wadwa, and Rob Slover locally on the artificial pancreas and with clinical and engineering collaborators at Stanford, RPI, Jaeb, Sansum/UCSB, Yale, UVa, and UC-Boulder on Breakthrough T1D, NIDDK, and NSF funded studies. With Dr. Peter Chase, he is the co-author of the Understanding Diabetes (Pink Panther) education books.  Dr. Maahs is currently Secretary General (2016-18) of the International Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes.

Nicole Rubenstein, MS, RD, CSSD, CDE

Presenter

Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator

Nicole Rubenstein is a Registered Dietitian, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics and Certified Diabetes Educator. She owns Racer’s Edge Nutrition, a sports nutrition practice specializing in high performance athletes and athletes with diabetes and other medical conditions. She is also the lead dietitian in the Endocrinology and Metabolic Surgical Weight Management Departments at Kaiser Permanente in Denver, CO. She completed her undergraduate degree in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and her Master’s Degree in Sports Nutrition at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. Prior to her studies, Nicole was a competitive snowboarder and travelled the world competing in snowboard racing. She now enjoys snowboarding (preferably in powder), mountain biking, scuba diving, cooking, and spending time with her husband and two dogs.

Eric Tozer

Breakout Session Speaker

Eric Tozer, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2006, strives to inspire the diabetes community through spots and utilizes his athletic accomplishments, such as running across American and Ironman triathlon races, as a platform to be a role model in the diabetes community.  Just one month after his first marathon, Eric, along with 9 teammates, all living with diabetes took on the inaugural Run Across America covering 3000 miles, coast-to-coast, in just 15 days, ending in NYC on World Diabetes Day.  When he was diagnosed with diabetes, Eric drew from what he learned from sports – commitment, teamwork and perseverance – to help him stay active and not let diabetes stand in his way. Eric developed an effective health care team who help him manage his diabetes the best he can so he can continue to pursue the life he wants.  Eric is the co-founder of Diabetes Sports Project (DSP).  DSP is an organization built to inspire.  Led by a group of world class athletes who thrive with diabetes, their stories, athletic accomplishments and community outreach empower others to live healthy, responsible  and active lives.

Paul Wadwa

Breakout Speaker

Dr. Wadwa’s primary research focus is the use of telemedicine to deliver clinical care to patients with type 1 diabetes. The goal of the Barbara Davis Center telemedicine program is to provide type 1 diabetes care to patients living at a distance from the center,making regular follow up difficult. Over the coming years, they plan to analyze the data to determine if there are long term benefits for patients requiring the use of telemedicine as a part of their diabetes care. He is also passionate about clinical trials of new therapeutic agents and devices for patients with type 1 diabetes, including work on artificial pancreas studies, and control of cardiovascular risk factors in youth with diabetes. From 2004-2014, Dr. Wadwa proudly served as the Medical Director for Camp Colorado, the week-long camp for children with diabetes sponsored by the American Diabetes Association and supported by the Barbara Davis Center.

Leah Wyckoff, RN

Breakout Session Speaker

Child Care Health Consultant

I have been practicing nursing for 31 years. I received my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at the University of Florida and my Masters of Sciences in Health Sciences with an emphasis in Community Health from Independence University. I have worked in a variety of settings including intensive care, emergency room, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics and as the Head Nurse at an U.S. Army clinic in Germany. I have been a school nurse consultant for 19+ years and a Child Care Health Consultant for 12 years. Additionally, I work at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes as a diabetes nurse educator. I also serve as a Diabetes Resource Nurse for School Nurses and Families in Colorado and am a co-editor for www.coloradkidswithdiabetes.org. Finally, I work for the Colorado Department of Education as a school nurse mentor. I have co-authored multiple publications, including “Psychological, behavioral, and educational considerations for children with classified disabilities and diabetes within the school setting”, Psychology in the Schools, Vol. 52(7), 2015, Served as President of the Colorado Association of School Nurses and Colorado Director for the National Association of School Nurses.