Expert Blog

A Partnership to Optimize Patient Health in Diabetes

Jay Shubrook, DO, FACOFP, FAAFP
Endocrinologist and Family Physician

There is almost no other disease as pervasive as type 2 diabetes, a disease that has touched almost every family in America. Although there was a time when we had limited management tools, we now have ten classes of medications plus many kinds of insulin available as options.  The result is a choice of many treatment combinations, which, however welcome, can also be overwhelming for the practicing physician. With so many choices it becomes very hard to decide what comes after metformin.

Primary care physicians are on the front lines in treating T2DM. Currently 1 in 12 Americans have diabetes, but with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimating that 1 in 3 people born in the year 2000 will develop it, it is easy to imagine that diabetes will soon overrun healthcare practices.  Family physicians are uniquely qualified to be on the front line of treating patients with chronic diseases including diabetes. The partnership with the Endocrine Society will provide important resources to assist family physicians most effectively treat their patients. 

I am delighted to serve on the Editorial Board for Betacellsindiabetes.org. As an osteopathic family physician I experience every day how a holistic, patient-centered approach combined with an understanding of diabetes pathophysiology and its treatments allows me to address this epidemic with the right treatment at the right time for each patient.As a result I am able to be an active partner in optimizing every patient’s health. I recognize that my family medicine training has been invaluable in understanding the family, community, and cultural challenges that influence chronic disease prevention and management.

We at the ACOFP are delighted to partner with the Endocrine Society on this very important initiative. We look forward to a long and healthy relationship.