Reflecting on 2012, Looking Forward to 2013!

As we come to the end of the year, the Kovler Diabetes Center at the University of Chicago has much to celebrate.

In 2012, our doctors and nurses treated thousands of individuals with diabetes. Diabetes experts also established or strengthened clinical partnerships throughout the world and provided diabetes management and prevention education at events large and small across Chicagoland and the U.S. You can read more about the amazing work over the last fiscal year in our first-ever Kovler Annual Report.

Based in the heart of one of the world’s great academic institutions, Kovler scientists are doing innovative research informed by a century of scientific discoveries and breakthroughs at University of Chicago. Our genetics team recently identified new genes that cause diabetes. Their work could lead one day to a better understanding of the effects of gene mutations on insulin production and metabolism, and provide pathways to treatments that once seemed unimaginable.

Alongside research, this type of outstanding, personalized patient care is at the heart of Kovler’s mission. From infants through adulthood, we provide the nation’s only fully-integrated pediatric and adult diabetes programs. Our Family Behavioral Health and Wellness Program is forging a national model for family-centered diabetes care. And three doctors in the Kovler Diabetes Center, including director, Dr. Lou Philipson, were recognized by U.S. News & World Report in its ranking of the nation’s top physicians in the field.

This year, we launched critical initiatives including our volunteer initiative Kovler Krew, InTransit Teen Advisory Panel, Peer to Peer program in our Southside Community and held multiple Kovler for Kids events throughout the city. To learn more about the work we do and ways to get involved, visit the Kovler website. You may also contact Peggy Hasenauer, Executive Director, directly via email peggy.hasenauer@uchospitals.edu or by calling 773.834.4789.

This year, as you and your family choose charitable causes, we hope you will consider Kovler Diabetes Center.  Your charitable support is critical to expanding clinical research programs and telemedicine initiatives, as Kovler’s leadership embarks on an expanded model for virtual diabetes care and greater access to diabetes clinical trials – bringing new discoveries and possible cures directly to those with diabetes.  For more ways to learn how to give to Kovler, please visit this website and be sure to note Kovler in the memo section.

From the Kovler Diabetes Center Family to yours, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy New Year filled with health and happiness.

Peggy Hasenauer, MS, RN
Executive Director
The University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center

Our Inaugural Annual Report

On behalf of the entire leadership team at Kovler, we are honored to share our inaugural Annual Report. 

The report includes:

• The latest information regarding the global pandemic of diabetes and the rise in cases of type 1, type 2 and other genetic forms of diabetes locally, regionally and nationally.
• A reflection on the accomplishments, challenges and priorities of the Kovler Diabetes Center and the entire University of Chicago Medicine diabetes enterprise.
• Examples and highlights from Kovler’s five main pillars… We Care, We Discover, We Educate, We Unite, and We Lead.

Much of the work that the Kovler Diabetes Center has accomplished, and continues to pursue, could not happen without the generous contributions and support from our partnering individuals and organizations. While we look back and celebrate the successes of 2012, we also look forward to continuing our mission in 2013 and beyond.

We wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season!

Kovler & Centered Chef: InTransit Teen Cooking Class

The Kovler InTransit Teen Advisory Board held their fall meeting at Centered Chef, a Chicago based cooking school that shares our concern for healthy eating and our passion for educating the community. Today, we are excited to share a guest blog post from the team at Centered Chef about their experience partnering with Kovler.

In a society where there are over 20 million people living with diabetes, it is imperative that we begin to learn what foods can help prevent diabetes and manage overall wellness. At Centered Chef, we have innovative cooking classes and workshops that educate, entertain and a  healthy lifestyle, by blending culinary arts with nutrition.

Instead of looking at nutrition like a restriction, we focus on the opportunity of eating more healthfully.  In letting go of the foods you can’t have as a philosophy, we focus on the foods you can have and why!

So, when it comes to maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, it is important that you eat balanced amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, along with clean proteins. Since understanding how to eat healthfully can be overwhelming, Centered Chef excels in creating experiences around eating optimally.

“As part of our educational outreach, we were proud to partner with the University of Chicago’s Kovler Diabetes Center, Teens In Transit Advisory Board,” said Centered Chef’s founder and CEO, chef Ryan Hutmacher. “During an incredibly impactful and educational day at Centered Chef, teens as well as, their parents explored the challenges and opportunities that are encountered when living with Type 1 Diabetes.”

In Centered Chef’s innovative culinary studio, chef Melissa Schwenk and adjunct dietitian, Lyndsay Riffe (RD/LDN, CDE), who’s also a Type 1 diabetic, worked with the teens to prepare several diabetic friendly recipes.  In this hands-on cooking class, the teens prepared chicken rosamarino skewers, whole grain quinoa griddle-cakes, grilled green beans and a spinach salad.  As part of the final experience, the teens showcased their meal to both parents and Kovler Diabetes Center staff, proving that healthy food can be simple and delicious!

Family members of the InTransit teens taste the final products!

“It was an amazing to see the teens in action, and in the end, the buffet they created looked amazing!” explained chef Melissa.  “As we look to empower people to make healthy decisions around food, there’s no doubt these teens learned some amazing tools around eating clean.  I look forward to working with the Kovler Diabetes Center in the future, and continuing to support their Teens In Transit Advisory Board!”

Special thanks to Ryan, Melissa, and the entire Centered Chef team! 

Meet Maura: A Kovler Extern

Hi, my name is Maura Connors and I am excited to be an extern at the Kovler Diabetes Center! I am a rising second year at the University of Chicago and am planning to major in Geographical Studies, with the hopes of pursuing a career in marketing, advertising, and public relations.

Diabetes is such a widespread issue that affects friends in my sorority and some of my family members. I am very excited to work at an institution that is on the forefront of new advances and treatments for diabetes, as I know how much of an impact these discoveries could have on the lives of my loved ones. I love working with the other Kovler Collegiate Extern team members to organize events (like the upcoming Comer Classic and JDRF Walk), in addition to working with the social media team to promote Kovler events and programs (including our teen advisory panel, “InTransit”). I am eager to learn more about diabetes and gain experience in the field I hope to eventually work in!

Meet Carrie: A Kovler Extern

Hi, I am Carrie, and I am very excited to be working for Kovler as a communications extern! I am currently studying biological sciences and visual arts at the University of Chicago, and I plan on going to medical school after graduation.

My work at Kovler has not only given me a better understanding of diabetes, but has also opened my eyes to the everyday struggles of those who are affected by the disease. Thus, it is very important to me that all patients have equal access to support for their condition as well as key resources for their treatments. Needless to say and perhaps what makes my job at Kovler so enjoyable is that Kovler, too, passionately champions these goals.

Currently, Kovler hopes to extend diabetes resources and care globally to the underserved. In China for example, studies have shown that the prevalence of diabetes in people over the age of 20 has increased to about 9.7 percent in the recent years. Among those who are affected by diabetes, a shocking 60 percent are undiagnosed—this means that about 92.4 million people have the disease, and about 56 million are untreated! These alarming statistics translate to the need for immediate action, and has spurred Kovler’s interest in a potential collaboration with the University of Chicago Center in Beijing to promote wellness events and conferences that would ultimately engage scholars and the Chinese public.

Very soon, I will be meeting with the Office for International Patients on the University campus to discuss the ongoing care for international diabetes patients, and the possibility for Kovler to be involved in an international effort to help diabetes patients.

My work at Kovler will also give me the opportunity to represent diabetes patients through photography. I hope to capture the not only the struggles of those affected by the disease that I hope will advocate access to quality diabetes care, but also their triumphs that I hope will be an inspiration for everyone. Not only has working for Kovler given me the ideal balance between the medical and visual disciplines that I hope to achieve in my future career, working for Kovler has been—and I expect that it will continue to be—very rewarding experience.

Kovler Hosts Conference on Diabetic Nephropathy

We are excited to announce that the Kovler Diabetes Center, in partnership with the ASH Comprehensive Hypertension Center, hosted an August 9^th conference exploring the topic of diabetic nephropathy. This conference brought together some of the brightest scientific minds to discuss issues surrounding kidney function and diabetes. Topics of discussion included nephropathy progression, biomarkers, nomenclature and clinical trials.

The University of Chicago Medicine’s very own Louis Philipson, MD, PhD, FACP, George Bakris, MD, and Michael Eadon, MD presented their work, elucidating the importance of kidney care among populations living with diabetes.

Dr. Louis Philipson

Dr. Philipson, director of the Kovler Diabetes Center and Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, centered his portion of the conference around the importance of glycemic control in relation to nephropathy progression. Dr. Eadon’s presentation focused on the assessment of kidney function, the comparison of old and new biomarkers and their abilities to predict nephropathy progression, and decisions regarding renal imaging. Dr. Eadon is a nephrology fellow at the University of Chicago. Finally, Dr. Bakris, director of the ASH Comprehensive Hypertension Center, presented fascinating information on topics including nomenclature of nephropathy staging, surrogate markers of nephropathy progression,  and an interactive case presentation.

Team Members Carrie & Jasmine

Conference-goers spent the entire day with our University’s presenters, arriving at the Knapp Center for Biomedical Research and Discovery at 8:30 AM and departing from the Center at 4:00 PM.

Kovler feels privileged to have been able to play a part in furthering education on the relationship between diabetes and kidney disease.

Introducing Emily: a Kovler Summer Intern

Hello, my name is Emily and I have been working here at Kovler for a little over a month and a half now.  Each day when I walk into work, I am astonished at how awesome this institution is and cannot believe I am able to work here.  Coming into this internship, I was very nervous about the types of things I would be doing and the people I was going to be working with.  Not having diabetes myself and with only a small amount of experience, I was nervous yet excited to begin.

Being a Nursing major my understanding of diabetes has mostly come from my textbooks, and the clinicals I have completed.  This pasted spring I worked on a Cardiac-Pulmonary floor and received the opportunity to care for numerous patients with diabetes.  I was able to assist them in managing their blood glucose levels within the hospital in addition to promoting healthy lifestyles once these patients were discharged.  With what felt like an abundance of knowledge I decided to take the opportunity to come work for Kovler.  But little did I know that I would become even more acquainted with diabetes.

Throughout my time here, I have found a deeper respect for patients with diabetes and the care that these patients need.  I also have so much admiration for the doctors working within Kovler, who have made ground-breaking discoveries through their research.  It’s so incredible and interesting!  Lastly, working with the members of Kovler has shed a new light on proving care.  The people here at the Kovler Diabetes Center are so passionate about what they do and it is incredible to see how they can make a difference for each individual they care for, educate, and support.  I hope to do the same in my own career.

While working close with these members, especially Peggy Hasenauer, I have helped to launch two substantial programs for Kovler this summer: Kovler Krew and the Diabetes All-Star Peer-to-Peer Program.  Both new projects have made great progress so far and we are excited to see where they are headed!

Kovler Krew, a volunteer program, provides members of the community a chance to offer their time, support, and knowledge to assist the Kovler Diabetes Center in expanding its community presence, and helping educate and support patients all throughout Chicago.  Volunteers play a large role in the Kovler team and we are very thankful for those that choose to do so.

The second program, Diabetes All-Star Peer-to-Peer Program is a peer-to-peer mentoring program for Kovler patients from the south side of Chicago who have type 2-diabetes. We believe that through this mentorship our patients, who have struggled in the past, will achieve confidence and stability in managing their diabetes and continue to live healthy lifestyles.

Working with these volunteers and patients, I hope to strengthen the Kovler Team and to build the Kovler connection throughout the Chicago-land area. It has been great seeing the progression of these programs so far, and I am eager to see what else the rest of the summer has to offer.

Making Healthy Choices at the Taste of Chicago

This was my second year on the Humana Healthier Choices panel for the Taste of Chicago and it is always a thrill to take part–I have grown up attending the Taste and it is an honor to help in any small way.

The panel of four healthcare professionals were asked to review a list of foods submitted by various Taste of Chicago vendors to be included as a “Healthier Choice.”

In order to obtain the Humana Healthier Choice logo for the Taste, the items must to meet the following requirements:

Meals/Entrees
:

Less than 500 calories (25% Daily Value)
Less than 4 grams saturated fat (20% DV)
Less than 480 mg sodium (20% DV)

Appetizers/Snacks/Dessert:

Less than 250 calories
Less than 2 grams saturated fat
Less than 240 mg of sodium

Here is a complete list of the foods we selected: Healthier Choices Guide

The most important thing for Taste of Chicago attendees to remember is that the foods that are chosen certainly are healthier choices, but it is the cumulative amount consumed throughout their day at the that contributes to overall health.

Some tips for making healthy choices at the Taste of Chicago:

• Stick to 500-600 calories per meal
• Limit the caloric beverages
• Stick to Taste portions (and possibly share that with family and friends) to get the most bang for your calorie intake
• Take advantage of the surrounding area during the Taste–walk along the lakefront or through Millennium Park and Lurie Gardens to get more physical activity to burn some of the calories consumed at the Taste
• Eat smaller meals surrounding your visit to the Taste to reduce your overall calories for the day
• Enjoy more of the fresh fruits and vegetables when you arrive to fill up on lower calorie foods
• Be sure to visit the non-food vendors at the Taste — there is always something interesting showcasing Chicago

Have a fun (and healthy) weekend at the Taste of Chicago!

Amy Hess-Fischl
Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator
The University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center

Guest Blog: Humana Healthier Choices at Taste of Chicago

You Can Eat at a Food Festival and Be Healthy, Too.

By Fredrik Tolin, M.D., medical director and vice president for Humana of Illinois

It’s officially summer – time to get outdoors and have fun! If you live in the Windy City or are planning a trip here, you’ll want to experience the annual Taste of Chicago – the biggest food festival in the U.S. For those of us who need to watch what we eat, though, food festivals can seem a bit scary. The temptations are endless and generally high in fat and calories.

Well, there is good news for Taste-goers. Health and wellness company, Humana, has again published the Humana Healthier Choices guide – and is bringing many health and well-being activities to the Taste of Chicago to help everyone enjoy the festival in a healthful way.

For the past two years, we have had the privilege of working with Amy Hess-Fischl, MS, RD, LDN, BC-ADM, CDE, advanced practice dietitian and coordinator for The University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center, to determine which foods made the cut to be listed as a Healthier Choice.

For a food to be considered, restaurants participating in the Taste of Chicago submit nutritional information including: calories, sodium content, saturated fat and the list of ingredients. Each submission is reviewed by a panel of top Chicago-area physicians with expertise in nutrition and diet, including Amy Hess-Fischl. The panel evaluates each submission to ensure they meet specific criteria:  appetizers and desserts must contain less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat; main dishes must contain 500 calories or less; 500 mg sodium or less; and less than 4 g saturated fat.

We’re thrilled to announce that this year’s guide boasts a record number of 27 healthier options – from salads to spicy sausage, flatbread to sorbet – offered from 15 Chicago restaurants! You can check out the full listing of Humana Healthier Choices online at www.humana.com/tasteofchicago, and if you feel compelled, please “like” our Facebook page, where you can receive updates on the various health and wellness events and activities Humana is offering at the festival July 11-15.

Dr. Tolin with Humana’s Apple Man

At the Taste of Chicago, the Humana Healthier Choices items will be indicated by a green apple on the menu boards at participating restaurant booths. While you’re enjoying all that Taste has to offer, take a minute to check out the Humana Dining Pavilion at Buckingham Fountain and the Humana Well-Being Tour for innovative, fun and healthy activities, including free dance lessons, exercise classes and even a sock-hop. And, of course, keep an eye out for the Humana Apple Man mascot to snap your picture!

I’d like to personally thank Amy Hess-Fischl and Kovler Diabetes Center for their continued support of our Humana Healthier Choices program. For more information about Humana’s offerings at the Taste of Chicago, please see our press release. We hope to see your there!

Enjoy the summer and stay well.

Kovler and the Food Allergy Initiative

Last month Laurie Jaffe and I attended the first inaugural luncheon for the Food Allergy Initiative in Chicago, held at the Four Seasons. As mothers of children with food allergies, Laurie and I felt strongly that we wanted to support this organization, meet some of its members, and better understand the needs of children with food allergies. Some children and adults with diabetes have Celiac – an allergy to wheat and gluten- in fact, the prevalence of celiac disease in people with Type 1 diabetes is about 6% worldwide.

Mark Bittman, New York Times food writer, columnist, and author

Sally Kovler, our Board chairperson, also wanted us to meet a few dear friends of hers who chaired the luncheon and have been instrumental in raising awareness and funds to support food allergy research in Chicago and New York.  It was a content-rich event with speaker Mark Bittman, New York Times food critic and best selling author, who gave an outstanding, humorous, somewhat alarming presentation regarding the way food is prepared and processed in the U.S., the rise in use of preservatives and mechanical processing, and the rise in obesity rates along with the rise in food allergies.

I was proud and honored to attend, and learned from this amazing group how to help my child.  Additionally, I learned—as an attendee at the event, not as a host or speaker—how important a concise message and educational content can be to a parent of a child with chronic conditions, especially diabetes.

Peggy Hasenauer, MS, RN
Executive Director
The University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center