Today in a special ceremony American Diabetes Wholesale paid tribute to Joyce Malaskovitz, PhD, RN, CDE, the winner of their 2nd Annual Diabetes Educator of the Year Contest. We also recognized esteemed Diabetes Educator of the Year Contest finalists Suzanne Laws, MS, RD, LD, CDE and Laura Terrio, RN, BS, CDE.

Created to recognize the unsung heroes of the diabetes epidemic, the Diabetes Educator of the Year Contest received an outpouring of support, and more than 60 people, in both the diabetes and non-medical communities, attended the awards ceremony. NBC 6 South Florida News Anchor and Type I diabetic, Joel Connable, hosted the event. Other attendees included diabetes education professionals, local dignitaries and members of our Destination Diabetes advisor team.

In addition, the event featured prominent speakers such as Donna Rice, immediate past President of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and Charlie Kimball, a 24 year-old race car driver who made international history with a podium finish in the Formula 3 Euro series in his first race – after he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2007.

Christopher Thomas of Diabetic Rockstar and Andy “Mr. Diabetes” Mandell of the Defeat Diabetes Foundation were also in attendance. We want to recognize the team at IPump.org for their support of this important award as well.

About Our Winner

Joyce Malaskovitz. Joyce believes in following dreams and taking risks. After the sudden death of her grandfather who was a diabetic, Joyce embarked upon her lifelong mission to become a nurse and certified diabetes educator, and to provide the best possible care to all people with diabetes.

For the past 18 years, she has worked as the Director of the Diabetes Treatment Center at Desert Springs Hospital, and in partnership with Healthways, has led the hospital to become the first in the nation to achieve the Certificate of Distinction for Advanced Inpatient Diabetes Care awarded by The Joint Commission. She has spent countless hours supporting diabetes colleagues across the nation to prepare for their certification. She also spends time assisting various community organizations and businesses to make a difference in the fight against diabetes. She is their voice, educator, leader, advocate and friend.

The American Diabetes Wholesale team extends a heartfelt thanks to everyone that made this award so special to all involved. Special thanks go to Home Diagnostics and the Boca Raton Resort & Club for making this year’s contest possible.

This year’s award was even better than last year, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to raise awareness about the importance of diabetes education.

After weeks of the votes coming in for whom should be recognized as American Diabetes Wholesale’s Diabetes Educator of the Year 2008, the three finalists have been announced:

• Suzanne Laws
• Joyce Malaskovitz
• Laurie Terrio

American Diabetes Wholesale would like to thank everyone out there who took the time to nominate a diabetes educator and vote for the final contestants, including the finalist runner-ups, Linda Aman and Janet Crockrel. It is crucial to recognize the efforts of diabetes educators all over the country, and our goal is to raise awareness of the contributions that these health professionals make as well as the positive impact they have upon the lives of their patients.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the winner at a special ceremony on May 1, 2009 in Boca Raton, Florida.

The Diabetes Educator of the Year Award voting period has ended as of March 20, 2009 and the votes are currently being tallied. We appreciate all the great responses we received and wish to extend our appreciation to all who took the time to participate and cast their votes in the contest. The winner is to be announced on May 1, 2009 in a special ceremony, so please stay tuned for future updates.

In this week’s edition of the American Diabetes Wholesale newsletter, we are happy to feature an inspirational and informative article by a new contributor, Dr. Wendy Rapaport, L.S.C.W., Psy.D. In the article “Are Comfort Foods Causing Discomfort?” Dr. Rapaport breaks down the psychology of how we often use food for emotional satisfaction which leads to over-eating, which in turn can lead to complications such as weight gain or aggravated symptoms in people with diabetes. Dr. Rapaport gives tips on how to avoiding using food as “comfort food” and developing a healthy, natural way to relieve stress and find the emotional satisfaction that everyone needs.

This week is also the final week to cast your vote in our Diabetes Educator of the Year Contest. We have five great finalists who all dedicate their lives to fighting the diabetes epidemic, so if you have not done so yet, please take a few moments to read the biographies and vote for your favorite. The winner will get a luxurious weekend at the Boca Raton Resort & Club in Boca Raton, Florida so it’s a quick and easy way you can help us express our appreciation for these dedicated professionals.

If you have not signed up for the free American Diabetes Wholesale newsletter, you’re missing out on great articles like these, product spotlight and reviews and savings on diabetes supplies and other medical products. Sign up today!

American Diabetes Wholesale is proud to announce the five finalists for Diabetes Educator of the Year for 2008! Our judges received hundreds of inspirational nominations from all over the country, and although it was challenging coming up with the five final nominees, here is the list:

• Linda C. Aman
  RN, BS, MSN, NP-C
  Joslin Diabetes Center, Affiliate at Providence Hospital, South, MI.
• Janet W. Brown Crockrel
  LPN, RN, CDE
  Ironton City Schools, OH
• Joyce Malaskovitz
  PhD, RN, CDE
  Diabetes Treatment Center at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Suzanne Swann Laws
  MS, RD, LD, CNS, FADA, BC-ADM, CDE
  Consulting Nutritionist & Diabetes Educator
• Laurie Terrio
  RN, BS, CDE
  St. Joseph Hospital, Nashua, NH

Now it’s your turn to determine which of these dedicated individuals should be named the Diabetes Educator of the Year for 2008! The lucky winner will get a flight for two down to sunny South Florida for a 3 day/2 night stay at the luxurious Boca Raton Resort & Club! The winner will also be honored at a special ceremony, taking place on Friday, May 1st, 2009  coordinated by American Diabetes Wholesale and contest sponsors/supporters, including Home Diagnostics, iPump.org and the Defeat Diabetes Foundation.

Your vote counts, and it’s easy too! Just go to the Contest voting page, click on a nominee’s photo to read about them in their own words and select the finalist in the poll to the right! Information about our esteemed panel judges Donna Rice, Chris Stocker and our local American Diabetes Association Team can be found there along with the rules, guidelines and details about last year’s contest.

If you have any questions about the Diabetes Educator of the Year Contest, please contact us – and thanks for your time and support!

Do you have a diabetes educator that has made a great impact in your life? Diabetes Educators are the people that we turn to whenever a question arises that may not have a clear answer. This week’s newsletter is aimed at giving thanks to all of the educators that have inspired their patients to better control diabetes and live a healthy life.

Nominate your educator and they may have a chance to win a trip to sunny South Florida! They will have a 3 day / 2 night stay in the luxurious Boca Resort. Nominate your educator today!

This week’s product spotlight focuses on our top diabetes books. Want to learn more about diabetes? If so Diabetes for Dummies is the perfect book for you. This is a great book for people that have been recently diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes Self Management Magazine a wonderful source for the most up-to-date news on diabetes. This magazine is sent bi-monthly to subscribers. Read about all of our popular diabetes books.

This week’s recipe will be sure to cause your mouth to water in anticipation! Learn how to make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins, a treat that the whole family will enjoy. This recipe has 238 calories and 30 grams of carbs per serving. Learn how to make this week’s recipe!

Read the entire newsletter…

From Aug 6th – 9th the American Diabetes Wholesale along side with Dr Kim Mistiszyn & Marlene Koch attended the 2008 AADE annual conference in Washington DC. It was a great experience for me to learn more about the new technologies and advances that were displayed and discussed by all the companies who were exhibiting. Some of my favorites include the EatSmart Nutritional Scale, the new Medifridge II, and some of the new continuous glucose monitoring systems. This was the second year that we attended the AADE annual conference. It was a pleasure to have our Destination Diabetes Nutritional Advisor – Marlene Koch there to give- a-way several copies of her 375 Sensational Splenda Recipes book: Recipes Low in Sugar, Fat, and Calories

Over 3,000 healthcare professional dedicated to diabetes flew in from around the country to learn more about diabetes. ADW was warmly welcomed by many of them who stopped by our booth, it was great to see so many diabetes educators passionate to learn more about treating diabetes. I personally met with several hundred and discussed ways in which ADW can assist them in their efforts to help their patients manage diabetes.

We also launched our 2nd annual Diabetes Educator of the Year contest at the conference. This was a perfect place to introduce our contest to the healthcare professionals who work hard everyday fighting diabetes. If you feel your educator is deserving of this award please vote today!