We had such a great time celebrating 25 years with all of you.
The first highlight of the year was connecting with colleagues at ADCES in Houston. It was like attending a family reunion with thousands of like-minded individuals. So many enthusiastic colleagues stopped me mid-stride to share the news of passing their CDCES or BC-ADM after attending our courses. Many hugs were shared, and there were plenty of tears of joy, too! As a diabetes education veteran, it was a special honor to present one of my passion topics, Revitalizing Your Diabetes Program. As part of my legacy education topics, this presentation is culled from my 30 years of working in the field and braving new approaches, sometimes failing but always moving forward with a clear focus on improving the care received by people with diabetes. Nothing is like the profound connection made with others in a shared community.
We also celebrated our 25th company anniversary for the entire year. Activities included lots of free webinars, new swag, and great sales.
I started Diabetes Education Services in May of 1998, just after the World Wide Web was introduced, and sending messages through something called “email” was possible. At first, my one-person company only offered live courses at hospitals and meeting sites nationwide. My administrative space consisted of a 10×12 foot room in our home, where I juggled writing my monthly newsletter and updating slides while raising two busy toddlers. In 2010, I took a leap of faith and decided to try offering courses online.
Fast forward to today. Our business has grown to include a fantastic team and a newsletter reaching over 40,000 online subscribers. Our Online University includes over 50 CE courses that we update yearly, plus we offer a CDCES Coach app, blogs, an 8-sided PocketCard, keynote presentations, and more. This year, we held our three day DiabetesEd Course in San Diego and celebrated with a beautiful ocean view, special friends and delicious carrot cake topped with a 25 year candle.
Family celebrations.
My husband and I became empty nesters this year. Our oldest son is a senior at SMU and will graduate with his finance degree in May. Our youngest son is kicking off his chemistry degree at UC Berkeley. I miss the daily bustle and commotion of having my boys around, but I am overjoyed that they have found their place in this world and are boldly moving into adulthood. Of course, I can’t wait till they come home for the holidays so we can play cards, tell stories, and hang out together.
We also celebrated 25 years of marriage. My husband, Kristapor, continues his work as a critical care pharmacist at our local community hospital saving lives and advocating for best care at every turn. At the risk of sounding corny, my husband has been the wind beneath my wings. Having him as my partner throughout this life journey has given me a foundation of trust and love to take risks and live my dream. I am forever grateful that I commented on his cute tie when we worked together at Stanford hospital in 1996. The rest is history.
The truth is, we couldn’t have done any of this without all of YOU, our community.
I am forever grateful for your willingness to support and believe in a young Diabetes Specialist who had the vision to create a company that uplifted people with diabetes through a blend of science and compassion.
Thanks to our dedicated community of diabetes educators and advocates for celebrating our 25th Anniversary with us. Stay tuned. We can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Join us for our 2024 Diabetes Fundamentals | Level 1 Updates
Airs live from January 11, 2024, to January 30, 2024, at 11:30 am PST
This series is designed for healthcare professionals who are interested in getting started in diabetes education and for those actively working toward becoming a Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. Each course in this series provides the critical building blocks and foundation for those entering the diabetes field.
Diabetes Fundamentals Sessions 2024 Webinar Updates
All courses air at 11:30 a.m. (PST)
- January 11, 2024 – Class 1: Getting to the Nitty Gritty | 1.5 CEs
- January 16, 2024 – Class 2: Nutrition & Exercise 1.5 | CEs
- January 18, 2024 – Class 3: Meds Overview for Type 2 | 1.5 CEs
- January 23, 2024 – Class 4: Insulin Therapy & Pattern Management | 1.75 CEs
- January 25, 2024 –Class 5: Goals of Care & Lower Extremity Assessment | 1.5 CEs
- January 30, 2024 – Class 6: Hypoglycemia, Sick Days, & Monitoring | 1.5 CEs
Can’t make it live? No worries. We will send post the recorded version to the Online University within 24 hours of the broadcast
Instructor: Beverly Thomassian RN, MPH, CDCES, has been Board Certified in Advanced Diabetes Management for over 20 years. She is an Associate Clinical Professor at UCSF, a working educator, and a nationally recognized diabetes expert. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UCLA, with a focus on behavioral health and education.
All hours earned count toward your CDCES Accreditation Information
FREE Resource Catalog
- Diabetes Cheat Sheets
- Diabetes Blog Bytes
- Medication PocketCards
- 10 Steps to Succeed
- CDCES Coach App
- Free Webinars hosted by Coach Beverly
- Question of the Week
- Free Diabetes Article Library
See Full Free Resource Catalog
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the CDCES exam. CBDCE does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES exam, except for those published by CBDCE.
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