Physician gives back by writing, volunteering

Pediatric endocrinologist gives and gains by helping the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and devoting his time and talents to others.

Issue: November 2008

When patients are diagnosed with diabetes, it can be a difficult and confusing time for them and their families. There is much to learn about management, treatment and lifestyle changes. H. Peter Chase, MD, professor of pediatrics at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the University of Colorado Denver, recognized that little educational guidance existed for patients with diabetes and their families. In effort to provide some guidance, he began writing the “Pink Panther” series books.

“There is much for patients and families to learn about the condition, because they are the ones doing the daily management,” he told Endocrine Today . “The books I write have provided me with an outlet for helping patients and families.”

The books are nonprofit, and the funds go to The Children’s Diabetes Foundation at Denver and help to provide diabetes care for families in need. They are primarily focused on children with diabetes; however, the books are also helpful for adults, pediatric endocrinologists, general pediatricians, general physicians, nurses and diabetes educators, according to Chase.

“A pediatric resident at the center once said to me, ‘I took the pediatric boards and four of the five questions on the boards I could answer, because I read the Pink Panther books,” he said.

Shedding light on education

The first two books, Understanding Diabetes and an accompanying synopsis book titled, A First Book for Understanding Diabetes, were written to help children with diabetes and their families cope with and learn to manage the disease.

“When the books were first written about 33 years ago, there was nothing for education for families,” Chase said. “We wanted something that would make things a little bit lighter during a very serious time.”

The idea for the Pink Panther figure, which appears in the books, emerged when Chase walked into the ward years ago and one of the pediatric nurses had drawn the Pink Panther character on the windows. The drawings were used in the third and fourth editions until, in the fifth edition, the trademarked image was used, according to Chase.

“There is a bookcase containing 11 editions of the book, which has gone from a thin, approximately 15-page book to a 300-page book, so it has changed through the years reflecting the need for an educational diabetes book,” he said.

When not helping patients or writing books, H. Peter Chase, MD, spends much of his free time enjoying skiing, hiking and other outdoor activities in the Colorado mountains.

In the works, beyond writing

The most recent book, titled Understanding Insulin Pumps and Continuous Glucose Monitors, came out in December 2007 and educates patients and families on newer technology and advances in diabetes.

Currently, Chase is working on a new book that highlights the history of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes. The book will serve as a resource for physicians to educate themselves about how the center was established and the centers’ current practices.

Chase spends many of his weekends enjoying the Colorado mountain life. He skis in the winter and spends much of his summer tree-cutting and hiking. “I come up here about six to eight times a year,” he said.

Additionally, he and his wife, Linda, are active in the church. “We both sing in the choir, and I play trumpet in the church band,” Chase said. “Last year, our choir sang with another choir in Carnegie Hall in New York City; it was a memorable experience.”

Chase is also a lay leader and gives children’s sermons. “Not only are my beliefs important, but good works are important,” he said. “My wife and I volunteer at Warren Village, an apartment complex for 120 single mothers dealing with abuse, poverty and other issues.” Chase and his wife also volunteer at a food bank twice a month.

Another recent endeavor includes Chase’s involvement with diabetes research, specifically patient care and diabetes prevention. “I began my career with the National Institutes of Health with a career research development award, and now, at the end of my career, I am putting an emphasis on research again,” he said. – by Christen Haigh

For more information:

For information about The Children’s Diabetes Foundation at Denver, visit www.childrensdiabetesfdn.org.

For information about the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, visit www.barbaradaviscenter.org.