BEHAVIORAL DIABETES INSTITUTE
Addressing the Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes
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BDI MONTHLY UPDATES
July 2026
July 8: BDI hosts the San Diego-wide, monthly case consultation meeting (for mental health professionals working in the field of diabetes). Contact us at [email protected] if you are in the greater San Diego area and would like further information about this program.
BDI staff were proud to serve as co-authors on a new publication about once weekly insulin injecection:
ONE 2026
August 14 – 16. Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) will be hosting the in-person ONE event, an amazing weekend experience here in San Diego for more than 500 people with type 1 diabetes and their loved ones. Dr. Polonsky is honored to be one of the presenters, and we will hope to see many of you there. There are still a few spaces left, so if you’d like to know more, please visit: https://tcoyd.org/one-2026
BDI Welcomes Two New Board Members!
Scott K. Johnson
Scott is an experienced patient advocate and communicator with decades of experience across the international healthcare industry. He currently serves as a Senior Community Manager at Blue Circle Health. Having lived with type 1 diabetes since 1980, Scott is deeply passionate about BDI’s focus on the real-life emotional and behavioral challenges of the condition and is grateful to bring his personal and professional expertise to the board. Scott enjoys playing basketball and lives with his family and their dogs in San Diego.
Chris Sadler, MA, PA-C, DFAAPA
Chris is a seasoned thought leader in diabetes and endocrinology circles with over 30 years of patient care experience, first as a CDCES and then as a physician assistant in an adult endocrine practice in San Diego. He is a devoted teacher, lecturing at local, regional and national conferences on endocrine topics. He has written numerous articles, participated in clinical research as a sub-investigator, and participated on speaker’s bureau’s for multiple pharmaceutical/device companies.
Chris served as the Past President of the San Diego Association of Diabetes Educators and Past President of the American Society of Endocrine Physician Assistants. Over the last 11 years Chris has transitioned to a career in medical affairs focused on endocrine and cardio metabolic disorders. He is currently a Field Medical Director for Corcept Therapeutics.
On April 18, we completed BDI’s live, one-day, CME workshop: Engaging the Disengaged: Innovative Strategies for Promoting Behavior Change in Diabetes. Healthcare professionals from across the country attended and it was so successful that we’ve decided to do it again in the Fall!
Run by Dr. Polonsky (BDI President) and Dr. Guzman (BDI Clinic Director), this interactive workshop examines the powerful role of psychosocial factors in diabetes self-management. Participants will deepen their skills in recognizing and addressing common barriers to effective self-care and cardiometabolic medication initiation and maintenance, while fostering respectful, stigma-free clinical encounters.
The workshop is scheduled for October 24, space is limited. You can find out more at: https://diabetesedstore.net/products/engaging-the-disengaged-oct-2026
And much thanks to Abbott Diabetes Care for supporting this program.
What people are saying...
- “This is the best course you will find on psychological factors that impact diabetes management. The instructors are experts and leaders in the field. The course is engaging and interactive, and the time flew by. The instructors make it look easy, but I can appreciate the amount of expertise and rigor that must have gone into developing the material. They have an impressive grasp of the expansive literature surrounding these topics, which they have woven together with years of clinical experience and distilled into practical strategies. A bonus is getting to meet other clinicians working in diabetes care. I cannot recommend it enough.”
-Jennalee S. Wooldridge, PhD
Assistant Professor UCSD
Clinical Psychologist
VA San Diego Health Care System
- “This is an essential workshop for every healthcare professional aiming to boost patient engagement, improve outcomes, and foster a more positive approach to diabetes management. Dr. Guzman and Polonsky provided an incredibly insightful framework for guiding behavior change, profoundly challenging how we approach our roles with our members. Highly recommended!”
–Tony Song, MBA
CEO / Founder / PWD
Diabetes Care Partners
- “I am extremely satisfied with the workshop with Dr Polonsky and Dr Guzman . I learned valuable strategies for working with patients in diabetes distress, along with practical tools and share in my classes. More workshops like this are needed to enrich clinical practice. The venue was also wonderful. Greetings from Mexico”
-MTRA. Vero Rubio
Psicóloga Clínica, Terapeuta Cognitivo Conductual y Educación en Diabetes (Certificada).
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WHO WE ARE
Behavioral Diabetes Institute
Behavioral Diabetes Institute (BDI) is a nonprofit organization located in San Diego, California, focused on addressing the social, emotional, and psychological barriers to living a long and healthy life with diabetes. To better understand and overcome these obstacles, BDI is actively engaged in research examining the psychological aspects of diabetes and evaluating innovative behavioral interventions. In addition, BDI directly offers an array of unique, behaviorally-oriented products and services for: people with type 1 diabetes; people with type 2 diabetes; parents of children and teens with diabetes; spouses and partners of people with diabetes; and interested health care professionals. Products and services include print materials; online courses and modules, face-to-face workshops and seminars, professional training programs, and an online library of resources.