This year during National Diabetes Awareness Month,
we are highlighting some of the nurses that we know have made an impact within our local communities.

Today, we introduce you to Colleen Clark Chuo, RN, MA, CDE

How long have you been a nurse?
I’ve been a nurse for 23 years & a CDE for 14 years.

Where are you currently a nurse at? (or you can answer all the different roles you play)
Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson medical school & private consultant
Certified insulin pump trainer; Insulet, Medtronic & Tandem

What inspired you to become a nurse?
My mother who is a nurse and my maternal grandmother who had diabetes –who I grew up with and cared for eventually when I was in high school.

During your nursing career, what moment of caring for someone with T1D sticks out to you?
Caring for Michael B. & his family when he was admitted to the PICU with severely high glucose levels and following them as a family and seeing him so sick and progressing to be a healthy kid-

Putting my very first toddler patient on an insulin pump in the hospital, in coordination with Dr. Marshall and seeing how great the family transitioned and how he is now a healthy, active teenager!

How has it changed during the pandemic?
Despite the stress of the pandemic, it has allowed me to connect with many more kids and families then I could have in person using telehealth and virtual trainings. I feel the pandemic has proven that families can learn efficiently if not better than in person, by being able to have access to an educator at their home without the stress and cost of traveling to an inpatient appointment. My wish is that all families can have access to smart phones and/or computers with cameras to allow the access to be universal. Hopefully this will become part of the standard of care for all members of the diabetes team.