I became vice president of global affairs for Medtronic Diabetes in January 2009 after 30 years at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where I served as head of the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. I am a Distringuished Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the USC Keck School of Medicine and of Communications at the USC Annenberg School for Communications & Journalism.  I am also one of the founding advisory board members for The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships.

I'm a communicator at heart -- book author of "Diabesity: The Obesity-Diabetes Epidemic That Threatens America - And What We Must Do to Stop It."

I collaborated with Discovery Health on a documentary, "Diabetes: A Global Epidemic," that premiered in November 2007.

I am a past president of the American Diabetes Association and a recipient of the 2003 Woman of Valor award for lifetime achievement in pediatric endocrinology and research  from the American Diabetes Association. I was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2005.