RALIEGH, NC (January 28, 2020) DiabetesSisters is pleased to welcome Barbara Eichorst, MS, RD, CDE, and Heather Walker, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors, and the appointment of Michele Polz to the position of Board Chair, effective January 24, 2020. As Board Members, Ms. Eichorst and Dr. Walker will join Ms. Polz and existing board members in setting DiabetesSisters-related policies, fundraising, and representing the organization to the community.
Barbara Eichorst, MS, RD, CDE, joined Voluntis in January 2018 as a Diabetes Clinical Liaison. Before Voluntis, Ms. Eichorst worked with Healthy Interactions as Vice President of Clinical Care on a global program that involved over 120 countries. With the Conversation Map program, she has traveled to over 40 countries within the last eleven years. Her vast experience includes work in Chicago as an insulin education specialist and a medical liaison, as well at the American Association of Diabetes Educators as a program director and Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center. She has provided patient education in diabetes, weight management, cardiovascular disease, among many other chronic conditions at Loyola University Medical Center and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She has contributed to multiple publications with her expertise in change activation, empowerment, and engagement.
Heather Walker is a Social Scientist at the University of Utah Health. She earned her Ph.D. in Disability Studies with a dissertation research project focused on representation in diabetes online communities. Dr. Walker believes focuses on research that involves action, and one section her dissertation was dedicated to facilitating a Peer Collaborator action workgroup, resulting in the social media movement #IHearYou. Aside from her dissertation research, she has published research articles in The Diabetes Educator, The Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, and Participations: International Journal of Audience Research. Heather has been living with diabetes since 2001, and has been a part of diabetes online communities since 2012.
Michele Polz was elected to the DiabetesSisters board in 2016 and served in the role of Vice-Chair. She is the founder and principal of M1 Consulting, where she collaborates with clients to design impactful data-driven customer acquisition and retention models leading to bottom-line results. She is currently advising within Digital Health Technology and Biotech/ Pharma companies from early discovery through lifecycle management, focusing on integrated care and value-based models. Before consulting, Michele spent the last eight years in Life Sciences, both at Sanofi and Biogen. She is an advocate for putting the patient first.
“We welcome the expertise and experience that Ms. Eichorst, Dr. Walker, and Ms. Polz bring to DiabetesSisters Board of Directors. Through their leadership, we will further the organization’s mission and reach more women with diabetes in need of our programs and services,” said Anna Norton, MS, CEO of DiabetesSisters.
About DiabetesSisters:
A 501(c)3 nonprofit, DiabetesSisters is the only organization nationwide focusing exclusively on women living with diabetes. Our mission is to improve the health and quality of life of women living with and at risk of developing diabetes and to advocate on their behalf. DiabetesSisters has a nearly 50,000-member peer network that united women with diabetes for the purpose of support, education and advocacy. Signature programs include monthly peer support meetings (PODS Meetups); the Minority Initiative Program; Annual Leadership Institute for volunteer leaders; online expert articles, blog posts, forums; and conference. For more information, visit www.diabetessisters.org.