Dr. Irl B. Hirsch

MD, MACP

Professor and Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Chair University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle

Dr. Hirsch received his medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in 1984. He completed residency training in internal medicine at the University of Miami, in Miami, Florida and Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, Florida and a research fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 

From both a research and teaching point of view, Dr. Hirsch’s career has focused on studying the best strategies for the use of insulin therapy and technologies in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. More recently, he has become interested in glycemic data management from continuous glucose monitoring and its relationship to more traditional diabetes biomarkers for the prediction of microvascular disease. He is currently evaluating new pharmacologic strategies for treating diabetic kidney disease in type 1 diabetes in addition to the skin pathology occurring from insulin pump therapy. In collaboration with experts around the world and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, he is also investigating appropriate glycemic targets for critically ill and bone marrow transplant patients, with and without diabetes. Over the years, he has been a passionate advocate for patients ensuring access and affordability for insulin and glucose monitoring technology. Dr. Hirsch has authored more than 300 research papers, more than 60 editorials, and numerous book chapters. In 2024, he co-authored a review of cardiovascular risk prevention in type 1 diabetes for the New England Journal of Medicine. He has participated in numerous international consensus guideline committees, including those for diabetes technology, inpatient hyperglycemia, type 1 diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, and precision medicine in diabetes. In 2024 Dr. Hirsch retired from his clinical practice at the UW Diabetes Institute, a clinic he started in 1990. 

Dr. Faisal S. Malik

MD

Dr. Malik is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, an Investigator at the Center for Child Heath, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute, and a pediatric endocrinologist at Seattle Children's Hospital. He is also the Director of Research and Medical Co-Director of the Achieving Health in Emerging Adults with Diabetes (AHEAD) Program designed to meet the educational, psychosocial, and health care transition needs of emerging adults with diabetes.

 As a diabetes researcher, Dr. Malik leads the Improving Diabetes Outcomes Lab that is committed to developing and investigating the effectiveness of innovative, person-centered interventions that make a difference in the lives of young people living with diabetes. His team also engages in clinical trials that are designed to make new pharmaceutical agents and diabetes technology available to children and young adults to support their diabetes management. 

Hermona Girmay

Miss Washington 2024

Education equality advocate, T1D warrior, first-generation Eritrean-American, and public health professional, 23-year-old Hermona Girmay is a woman with a mission. Crowned Miss Washington 2024 on July 6th, 2024, Hermona represents the Miss America Opportunity as the state representative of the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization, and will compete for the title of Miss America 2025 in January.

Hermona is a Cum Laude graduate of the no. 1 ranked University of Washington School of Public Health Honors Program, where she earned her BA in Public Health-Global Health and completed a Minor in Bioethics. With plans for her future set on a career in health policy, she will further her education through a Master of Public Health dual degree program with nearly $20,000 of scholarship awarded to her by the Miss America Opportunity, the leading scholarship provider for young women in the United States.

Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in December of 2020, she is passionate about bringing awareness and serving as a source of representation to others living with T1D. Inspired by her family's journey to the United States as refugees, her Community Service Initiative, "SHECAN: Support Her Education, Change A Nation”, encompasses 10+ years of girls' education equality activism, reaching young women domestically and internationally. Hermona is committed to catalyzing social change, embracing her lived experiences and intersectional identities to increase representation, inclusion, and ensure equitable opportunities for all.

Melissa Ewing Lanctot

Melissa Ewing Lanctot has been living with type 1 diabetes since October 1992. Her son, Maddock, was diagnosed with T1D at age 2.5 and is now a happy, healthy, and very tall 8th grader! Melissa has served as the Director of College Counseling and Student Success at The Bush School, an independent K-12 school in Seattle, for the past 16 years and before that, she worked in undergraduate college admissions at both New York University and Columbia University.

Melissa previously helped out with the Family Teams Committee for Beat the Bridge (she also loves running the race!) and currently sits on the Breakthrough T1D Pacific NW Chapter Board of Directors in addition to volunteering as a Community Outreach Ambassador for newly diagnosed families. Type 1 diabetes has never stopped Melissa from doing anything. From running half marathons and raising a family, to traveling the globe and helping launch teenagers into higher education, T1D has only made her more strong, empathetic, and resilient. She is grateful to Breakthrough T1D for their commitment to making every day with type 1 diabetes better, and not stopping until the condition is a thing of the past.

Verónica Quiñónez

Verónica Quiñónez has a teenage daughter who lives with Type 1 Diabetes. Verónica is an attorney in the King County area. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Seattle University School of Law, and her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at El Paso. Verónica is a 2017 graduate of the University of Washington Law School Washington Leadership Institute and a 2021 graduate of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Latina Leadership Academy. She taught negotiation and alternative dispute resolution as an affiliate professor at the University of Washington School of Law in 2018. Veronica was the President of the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington from 2018-2019, previously served as LBAW’s Immediate Past-President, President-Elect, and the Director of Clinics, and she has also served as Region XVI Deputy President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and President of Family Law CASA of King County. She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, traveling, and cooking.

Verónica Quiñónez tiene una hija adolescente que vive con diabetes tipo 1. Es abogada en el área del Condado King. Recibió su título de abogada de la Escuela de Derecho de la Universidad de Seattle, y su licenciatura de la Universidad de Texas en El Paso. Verónica se graduó del Instituto de Liderazgo de la Escuela de Derecho de la Universidad de Washington en el 2017 y de la Academia de Liderazgo Latino del Colegio Nacional de Abogados Hispanos en el 2021. En su calidad de profesora afiliada, enseñó negociación y métodos alternativos de solución de conflictos en la Escuela de Derecho de la Universidad de Washington en el 2018. Verónica se desempeñó como Presidenta del Colegio de Abogados Latinos de Washington del 2018 al 2019, habiéndose desempeñado previamente como pasada Presidenta, Presidenta electa y Directora de las clínicas. También ha servido como Presidenta Suplente de la Décimo Sexta Región del Colegio Nacional de Abogados Hispanos y Presidenta de Family Law CASA del Condado King. Verónica disfruta de compartir con su esposo e hija, viajar y cocinar.

Dr. Frances E. Broyles

MD

Dr. Frances E. Broyles is the Medical Director at Rainier Clinical Research Center in Renton, WA. With over 30 years of experience, she has held several prominent roles in diabetes care and endocrinology, including as Chair and Clinical Lead of the "Healthy Weight Initiative" at Providence Healthcare System, and as Medical Director for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition at Swedish Health Care System. Dr. Broyles has also served as a board member for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Washington, and her clinical expertise spans inpatient and outpatient diabetes education and glycemic management.

Dan Miller

Dan is married and a father of two teenage daughters, one of whom lives with T1D. He and his family live in Sammamish where they spend most of their time at cross country meets, artistic swimming competitions and walking their two dogs.

Dr. Laura Tremblay

MD

Laura Tremblay, MD is a former primary care doctor, with additional experience in the pharmaceutical space as a Medical Safety Officer. Laura became involved with Breakthrough T1D in late 2018, after her youngest daughter was diagnosed with T1D at 9 years old. Based in Portland, she currently volunteers in several roles within the Pacific Northwest chapter, including Research Information Volunteer, Clinical Trials Education Volunteer, and co-lead for the Youth Ambassador Program. Most recently, she has become passionate about T1D screening. Participating in these various roles has helped her feel connected to the T1D community and also has fueled her optimism that improvements in care will continue at a steady pace and that cures are coming in our lifetimes.

Pam Amann

Aires Patulot

Jude Restis

Jude has been involved with the JDRF as a volunteer for many years. He has served as a Research Information Volunteer (RIV) since the beginning of the program.  He has been a cycling coach for the JDRF Ride-to-Cure program since 2005.  His most current project is working as a Clinical Trials Education Volunteer.  He served on the National JDRF Research Committee for the artificial pancreas project.  He is also on the national JDRF Speakers Bureau.  Jude currently serves on the Seattle Board of Directors.

Jude has his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and spent the past 35 years working in the Aerospace industry preventing structural fatigue problems.

Jude has been a T1 since 1972 and was recently awarded his Joslin 50-year gold metal.

Dr. Kurt Griffin

PhD, MD

Associate Member, Center for Interventional Immunology Benaroya Research Institute