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Endocrinologist turned author, TV host and patient education advocate
Dr. Edelman’s organization encourages patients to become an integral member on their own health care team.
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The aptly named nonprofit organization, Taking Control of Your Diabetes, encourages patients with diabetes to get involved, and go out and learn for themselves about their disease — something Steven V. Edelman, MD, who has type 1 diabetes, said he benefits from as well.
Today, patients can educate themselves with a TCOYD book, website, TV show and 11 conferences throughout the year.
“The focus is patient education, motivation, self-advocacy and self-care,” he told Endocrine Today. “Diabetes is a condition that patients live with every single day. A physician cannot follow a patient around to tell them what to eat or when to test; they have to learn for themselves.”
Missing piece of the puzzle
The prevalence of diabetes continued to rise in the early 90s, when it occurred to Edelman that there was a major lack of patient education. Fast forward to 1995, minus a lot of legwork, to the first TCOYD conference for patients, which was held at the San Diego Convention Center and attracted more than 1,000 patients with diabetes.
“It was really unheard of at the time, — diabetes conference for patients,” said Edelman, professor of medicine, University of California, San Diego and a member of the Endocrine Today editorial board. “I just thought if I could teach people living with diabetes what they need to stay healthy, promote communication and work closely with their caregiver, then we could actually improve diabetes care.”
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The efforts made by the TCOYD team had an effect. Comments from patients who have attended TCOYD conferences: “The information is so valuable. It will change my life,” “It rekindled my effort to be faithful to exercise,” and “Definitely can’t think of a more valuable way to spend a day.”
“Slowly, after a decade of hard work, blood, sweat and tears, I think we have started a trend and the industry and government organizations are now realizing that direct-to-patient education is important,” Edelman said.
The hard work is not without challenges, the biggest of which is getting people motivated enough to come to a TCOYD conference, “people who don’t normally go to a conference, to give up eight hours of their day on a Saturday instead of the first day of hunting season or a football game,” he said. “But, once they are here, they are hooked.”
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The man behind the screen
Edelman is also handy with a pen and paper. The TCOYD book, currently in its third edition, is a guide for patients to live happier and healthier lives with diabetes. He uses his witty style to tackle serious issues, such as new treatments, medications, technologies and therapies.
He is no stranger to the camera, either. TCOYD TV has completed two seasons that are broadcasted on educational access cable channels throughout the University of California and DISH networks.
“Doing a TV show is a lot harder than I thought. As the host, I’ve got a little earphone in my ear, people are telling me I have 15 minutes left, I have to make sure I know what my next question is. It’s nerve-wracking,” he said.
However, viewers cannot tell. Edelman calmly and thoroughly breaks down the confusing aspects of diabetes and questions patients might not want to ask their caregiver, like sex and diabetes and traveling with the disease.
When he is not writing and filming, he is also the director of the Diabetes Care Clinic at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Diego.
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Source: TCOYD TV |
“I’m always working. But, like I tell my wife, I’m not a workaholic, I am someone with a lot of work to do,” he said.
In between tackling important diabetes issues, he manages to watch a few tackles made by his favorite football team, the San Diego Chargers, and makes sure to find time to spend with his wife Ingrid, a podiatrist specializing in diabetic foot care, and with his two daughters, Talia and Carina.
Edelman has big plans for the future: to reach as many people with diabetes as he possibly can. – by Katie Kalvaitis
For More Information:
- For more information on Taking Control of Your Diabetes, visit www.tcoyd.com.