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BEHAVIORAL DIABETES INSTITUTE

Our Mission

Living well with diabetes involves more than medical care. The emotional and behavioral demands of diabetes can affect motivation, relationships, quality of life, and the ability to manage diabetes day after day.

The Behavioral Diabetes Institute is dedicated to helping people with diabetes live long, healthy, and happy lives by addressing these often-overlooked emotional and behavioral challenges.

Through education, research, practical resources, and professional training, BDI works to improve the emotional well-being of people affected by diabetes and the care they receive.

 

 

What We Do

Support & Resources
Practical tools and education addressing the emotional side of living with diabetes.

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Professional Education
Training and resources that help healthcare professionals address behavioral and emotional challenges in diabetes care.

For Healthcare Professionals

Research
Studies and validated measures that advance understanding of diabetes distress, quality of life, stigma, behavior change, and more.

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A Brief History

Founded in 2003, the Behavioral Diabetes Institute was created to address an important gap in diabetes care: the emotional and behavioral challenges that come with living with diabetes.

Over the years, BDI has provided education and support for people with diabetes and their loved ones, professional training for healthcare providers, and research focused on diabetes distress, quality of life, behavior change, stigma, and other aspects of the lived experience of diabetes.

BDI’s work has reached people around the world through educational programs, free online resources, validated assessment tools, print materials, professional education, and scientific research.

Funding

To date, funding for BDI operations has come from revenue generated by licensing of print materials and individual donations.

To support the design, development, and provision of its products and services to the diabetes community, BDI seeks operating revenue from the following sources:

  • Donations from individuals and organizations
  • Licensing of print materials
  • Fees for services
  • Grants for specific projects or operating support
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Our Team

William Polonsky

President

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Susan Guzman

Susan Guzman

Director of Clinical Education

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Lawrence Fisher

Research Director

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Tawny Jennings

Office Manager

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BEHAVIORAL DIABETES INSTITUTE

Board of Directors

Brian Haubenstock

Chairman

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David Price

Vice President

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William Polonsky

President

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Susan Guzman

Susan Guzman

Director of Clinical Education

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Michael Mehringer

Treasurer

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Scott Johnson

Board Member

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Chris Sadler

Board Member

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Monthly Events

September 9
September 9Case Consultation
September 9: BDI hosts the San Diego-wide, monthly case consultation meeting (for mental health professionals working in the field of diabetes). Contact us at info@behavioraldiabetes.org if you are in the greater San Diego area and would like further information about this program.
October 16
October 16Diabetes Data Workshop
BDI friends and fellow healthcare professionals, Adam Brown and Aimeé José, present an in-person half-day workshop for people with diabetes here in San Diego, How to Make Diabetes Data Your Friend. Don’t miss it!
October 24
October 24CME Workshop
On October 24, BDI will host a live, one-day, CME workshop: Engaging the Disengaged: Innovative Strategies for Promoting Behavior Change in Diabetes. Run by Dr. Polonsky (BDI President) and Dr. Guzman (BDI Clinic Director), 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.
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William Polonsky​

President

In addition to being the Co-Founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute, Dr. Polonsky is Associate Clinical Professor in Medicine at the University of California San Diego. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from Yale University and has served as Senior Psychologist at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, faculty member at Harvard Medical School and Chairman of the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators.

A licensed clinical psychologist, certified diabetes care and educational specialist (CDCES), and highly-cited research scientist with more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in the field of behavioral diabetes, Dr. Polonsky is a distinguished national and international lecturer on behavioral diabetes issues. He has served on the editorial boards of Diabetes Care, Diabetes Forecast, Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes Self-Management and Diabetes Health and received the American Diabetes Association’s 2020 Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award and the American Diabetes Association’s 2014 Richard R. Rubin Award for distinguished contributions to behavioral medicine and psychology.

His most recent research projects have focused on quality of life in diabetes, diabetes-related distress, hypoglycemic fear, glucose monitoring behavior and attitudes in people living with diabetes, group-based behavior change programs, the influence of continuous glucose monitoring on quality of life, and the development of new methods for enhancing diabetes education. In addition, he continues to maintain a small clinical practice where he works with his patients to help alleviate the stresses, strains and aggravations of living with diabetes.

Of note, he has authored several books for the lay audience (e.g., Diabetes Burnout: What to Do When You Can’t Take it Anymore) and co-edited several others for health care professionals (e.g., A CORE Curriculum for Diabetes Education).

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Susan Guzman

Susan Guzman

Director of Clinical Education

Susan Guzman, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in diabetes. At BDI, she serves as the Director of Clinical Education, developing and leading programs for people with diabetes and healthcare professionals. She has helped develop and facilitate numerous programs for people with diabetes and their loved ones including three NIH-funded research studies for adults with type 1 diabetes addressing diabetes distress. Dr. Guzman is passionate about helping to change the conversations in diabetes away from shame, blame and judgment to those based on facts, empathy, and engagement. She has had a key role in the joint ADA/ADCES effort to address problematic language and messages in diabetes and served as a panelist on the 2024 International Consensus to End Diabetes Stigma.
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Lawrence Fisher

Research Director

Dr. Lawrence Fisher is a Professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and he is the former director of the Behavioral Diabetes Research Group at UCSF. He is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology and is a former associate editor of Diabetes Care. He has conducted multiple cross-sectional and longitudinal National Institutes of Health (NIH)- and ADA-supported clinical research studies with adults with diabetes and their families. His recent work focuses on diabetes distress and depression, disease management, and how adults and families struggle over time to manage chronic health conditions. He was a principal investigator on 3 NIH-supported trials to test different interventions to reduce diabetes distress among adults with diabetes.

Dr. Fisher has won 2 major UCSF School of Medicine teaching awards, was nominated for the UCSF Postdoctoral Scholars Association Outstanding Mentorship Award, and has received a certificate from the American Psychological Association in “Recognition for Substantial Contributions to the Field of Family Psychology and Health.” In 2012 he received the Richard R. Rubin Award from the American Diabetes Association. He maintains an active clinical practice at UCSF, has published over 190 peer-reviewed articles on diabetes and related topics, and frequently speaks to both professional and lay groups at local, national, and international meetings and workshops.

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Tawny Jennings

Office Manager

Tawny has been apart of the BDI team since 2024 and enjoys the challenge of balancing various responsibilities and ensuring smooth operations. 

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Brian Haubenstock

Chairman

Brian has proudly served on the Board since BDI’s founding in 2003. He has dedicated his life-long career to providing comprehensive personal financial planning, estate planning, and employee and executive benefit planning services. This is his passion. He holds the esteemed designations of Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®), Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) and Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®). Both (ChFC®) and (CLU®) were awarded by the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Brian graduated from Tufts University and attended the London School of Economics. A respected leader in his field, Brian has served as the past president of the San Diego Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals (SFSP), where he contributed significantly to the advancement of professional standards and practices within the industry. Brian lives in San Diego with his wife Lori and son Zachary.

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David Price

Vice President

Dr. Price was Vice President of Medical Affairs at Dexcom until he retired in June 2022. His responsibilities included leading the strategy, design, and interpretation of Dexcom sponsored clinical trials and usability studies, developing and executing publication strategies, supporting investigator- initiated studies, and providing medical input into product development and risk management processes. Dr. Price previously worked at LifeScan, a Johnson and Johnson blood glucose monitoring company, and was responsible for developing clinical decision support solutions and directing the clinical research program. Prior to his industry work, Dr Price spent many years in clinical practice in Santa Rosa, CA, taking care of children, adults, and pregnant women with diabetes. As part of his training, Dr Price completed a clinical diabetes fellowship at the Joslin Diabetes Center.

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Michael Mehringer

Treasurer

Michael has served on the BDI Board since 2014.  He completed his Bachelor of Science at SUNY Brockport and his MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.  For more than 25 years his career has been dedicated to working with medical technology aimed at improving people’s lives at companies like Roche Diagnostics, Hologic, Tandem Diabetes Care and LifeScan.  He currently works at Dexcom as Director of Trade.  With nearly 20 years in the diabetes market Michael is passionate about the mission at BDI and grateful to serve as Treasurer on the Board.  Michael lives in San Diego with his wife Andrea and daughter Emma.

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Scott Johnson

Board Member

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.

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Chris Sadler

Board Member

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, CA.   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.

Leadership has been demonstrated in his roles 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 participated in the approval and launch of teplizumab, the first immunologic therapy to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes while working for Provention Bio/Sanofi.  He is currently a Field Medical Director for Corcept Therapeutics. 

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