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AADE Diabetes Educator of the Year awarded to Marci Butcher
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SAN DIEGO — Marci Butcher, RD, CDE, was named 2017 Diabetes Educator of the Year by the American Association of Diabetes Educators at its annual meeting.
This award honors a diabetes educator who has made a special contribution to the field through dedication, innovation and sensitivity in patient care. Butcher is the Quality Diabetes Education Initiative coordinator for the Montana Diabetes Project, where she helps to increase access to resources and education programs for people with diabetes.
Butcher talked with Endocrine Today about her passion for diabetes care and prevention, as well as her love for the Montana outdoors.
What was the defining moment that led you to your field?
I am not sure that there was just one defining moment that led me to a career in diabetes education. I do know that I had an interest in diabetes in my younger, “figuring out what I’d like to be when I grow up” days, despite not knowing anyone with diabetes. I did all of my college papers and clinical rotations related to diabetes, and all of my self-chosen rotations in my dietetic internship were in diabetes care and education. I felt a pull, if you will, when I look back on it. However, there were a couple of things that solidified my passion in diabetes education. My very first job as a new dietitian was as a public health nutritionist in a rural Montana community next to the Crow Indian Reservation. I loved working with people living with diabetes in particular, and one Crow elder thanked me for helping her and her family by making me a beaded hair barrette. It’s gorgeous, and I was so touched that she made that for me, and it made me realize how much of an impact I really could make in someone’s life when helping them positively self-manage their diabetes. I dove into diabetes with a passion and was on the path to pursuing my CDE when the next thing happened — my husband was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Our family lives with diabetes every day, and I know very personally and up close, what that is all about. I truly feel blessed to be on this path, to have been led here, doing what I love.
What area of diabetes care most interests you right now and why?
Increasing access to diabetes education has been the main goal of my job for the last 16 years, and it continues to be something I strive for. We (meaning our team: Montana diabetes educators, MT DPHHS Diabetes Program, Billings Area Indian Health Service, tribal diabetes programs, the Montana American Diabetes Association, Mountain-Pacific Quality Health and all of our partners) have come a long way in developing diabetes education programs and diabetes educators in Montana, but it doesn’t always mean that people with diabetes actually utilize those services. In fact, we know that diabetes self-management education (DSME) is a vastly underutilized service, and there continues to be a lot of work to do in getting those living with diabetes in to diabetes education. Increasing utilization of DSME, as well as access to DSME, is of huge interest to me. The other thing that I’m very passionate about is diabetes prevention or reducing risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease through positive lifestyle change. Montana has been very progressive with our diabetes prevention program, and we see the positive outcomes of this evidence-based program every day.
What are some of the most exciting advances in diabetes care that you have been a part of?
What’s been exciting for me, personally, has been being a part of Montana’s Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes Prevention Program. Working on the front end of the diabetes continuum has been amazing. We see those at high risk for diabetes or CVD enroll in the program, work hard to make positive changes in their lives, and become healthier. That truly feels like public health at its best. There have been so many advances in diabetes care, but what a gift it has been to work on reducing the risk for type 2 diabetes in our state.
What advice would you offer to a student going into diabetes care today?
Coming from a public health perspective, I would encourage those entering diabetes care or education to really recognize that even the most clinical professionals, working with individual people with diabetes, contributes to the public’s overall health. Collectively, our work makes a difference. Your work as a health professional can dramatically impact individuals and their families, and all together, you can impact your community in a dramatic way. Reach out to, or work with, your local or state health departments. There are national and state efforts to help you as a clinician or diabetes educator in your community.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?
My family and I are blessed to live in Montana, where outdoor opportunities abound. We love hiking, camping, fishing and enjoying the natural beauty of our state. I enjoy running (although I don’t run very far or very fast!), snowshoeing in the winter, and getting out on the water in the canoe or kayak. My husband and I have two boys, both of whom play football, so our fall is spent traveling the state for high school and college football games. I volunteer for the American Diabetes Association, and for the Montana Diabetes Educator Network, and my relationships with other diabetes educators and diabetes advocates in our state, through these volunteer opportunities and beyond work, are absolutely and truly gifts to me I’m blessed to call them all my friends. – by Cassie Homer
Disclosure: Butcher reports no relevant financial disclosures.