Faculty
The Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute boasts a curriculum developed and taught by leaders in the field of diabetes care. Although the guest faculty visiting the Institute will vary each week, we'd like to introduce the contributing experts that are helping to transform diabetes care through training and education.
Reinhard Wolfgang Beel, CEC, CDT, Business Manager
Business Manager Reinhard Beel has six years of experience in endocrine coding and endocrine practice management as well as 20 years in general business management (stemming from a Master Degree in Baking Science and Technology while living in Germany). Mr. Beel works with physicians in the development and implementations of added services in the endocrine practice to improve patient care and profitability. He acts as a coding and reimbursement consultant and also manages Cumberland Valley Endocrinology Center, a multi-center endocrine practice.
Edwin Fisher, PhD
Edwin Fisher, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education in the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Fisher has published numerous papers and review chapters in diabetes prevention and management, self-management, social support, and community-based health promotion, including studies of community-based programs for underserved, minority groups. He is also the National Program Director of the Diabetes Initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and director of the Program Development Center of Peers for Progress, an international campaign of the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. He is also past-President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
Irl B. Hirsch, MD
Dr. Hirsch is a Professor of Medicine and holds the Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Chair at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Dr. Hirsch has a very active clinical practice of which 80% of patients have Type 1 diabetes. He has authored over 100 papers including a review of insulin in the New England Journal of Medicine, 40 editorials, numerous book chapters, and four books both for patients and physicians. He is the current editor-in-chief of DOC News and past editor-in-chief of Clinical Diabetes. He also chairs the Professional Practice Committee for the American Diabetes Association and serves as a member of the Endocrine Section of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
John E. Gerich, MD
John E. Gerich, M.D., is Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Program Director of the Institution’s General Clinical Research Center and Head of its Diabetes Research Laboratory. Dr. Gerich has over 480 publications in the fields of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism and serves on many editorial boards and is the Regional Editor of Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice for North, South, and Central America. Over the past 30 years, he has trained more than 40 research fellows. Dr. Gerich is internationally renowned as a diabetes investigator and in recognition of his achievements; Dr. Gerich has received numerous awards and lectureships.
Kim L. Kelly, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP, CDM
Dr. Kelly is Director, Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute, LLC. Dr. Kelly joined LifeScan in 1992 and was most recently Director, Diabetes Programs. He has been past-president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ACCP Research Institute. Dr. Kelly is Board Certified in Pharmacotherapy and holds a certificate in Diabetes Disease Management. His research and experience has included a number of publications, participation on editorial boards and review panels of several journals, and various committees of professional organizations. As Director of the Institute, his activities involve developing and conducting diabetes educational programs for health care professionals.
Charlene Postigo, Finance Manager, Park Nicollet Institute
Charlene Postigo was known to the staff at Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute as a brilliant educator in the field of reimbursement and diabetes. She was instrumental in developing the reimbursement curriculum that is used today, and we are deeply grateful to her. Charlene recently passed away after a heroic battle with cancer. Prior to her passing, she provided this photograph for posting on our website. She will be missed both personally and in the field of diabetes management.
Joe Solowiejczyk, RN, MSW, CDE
Joe Solowiejczyk is the Clinical Manager of Counseling & Presentations for Animas Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson Company. As a nurse, diabetes educator and family therapist, he specializes in assessing how family dynamics impact the management of diabetes and designs interventions that result in more effective coping and optimal metabolic control.
As President of InBalance Healthcare, Joe provided consulting expertise to pharmaceutical companies and health care marketing firms. He was also Associate Director of Clinical Services of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia-Presbyterian, a comprehensive, family-focused center for diabetes research, education and patient care. He was a consultant to the Oakland Unified School District where he developed and coordinated their in-district diabetes program; the first of its kind in the country. Joe has appeared in San Francisco/Bay Area newspapers, local and national television and radio, as well as National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."
John Walsh, PA, CDE
John Walsh, PA, CDE is a Diabetes Clinical Specialist with Advanced Metabolic Care + Research, a private endocrinology practice and research facility in San Diego County, California. With 25 years of diabetes clinical care experience, he has started and followed well over 500 patients on insulin pumps. John is president of the Diabetes Mall, a provider of information and discounted books, record systems, software, scales, and test strips on the Internet. He is a frequent speaker on diabetes and the latest diabetes technology at seminars and conferences for professionals and the public, and co-author of several diabetes books—Pumping Insulin, Using Insulin, The Handbook of Insulin Pump Therapy, The Pocket Pancreas, and STOP the Rollercoaster. He consults with several medical device companies and is a member of several corporate medical advisory boards. John has Type 1 diabetes and has worn an insulin pump for over 25 years.