(Santa Barbara, CA) – The Sansum Diabetes Research Institute (www.sansum.org) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new staff members.

Sarah Ettman-Sterner joins the Institute as the Director of Communications responsible for marketing, public relations, donor/sponsor cultivation and volunteer coordination.  A graduate of Wheaton College in Norton Massachusetts with a degree in biology, she has 20 years of non-profit marketing management experience, in addition to expertise working in the for-profit biomedical and software industries.  She was most recently the producer responsible for web, marketing and communications for Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society, where she created content for the PBS television series Ocean Adventures, now in international broadcast.  In addition Ettman-Sterner forged co-branding relationships with Dow Chemical Company, Paramount Movie Studios, Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, La Prairie Cosmetics, Under Armour and Tilley Collectibles.  Ettman-Sterner also serves as the pro-bono public relations director for the Santa Barbara Music & Arts Conservatory.

MJ Bakove has been appointed as the Institute’s Associate Administrator.  She is responsible for Human Resources, foundation grants, scientific grant administration and regulatory compliance. In addition she provides administrative support for the Objectivity and Integrity in Science compliance committee.  A graduate of Brigham Young University with a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science, she has 19 years of experience in the customer service division of Ogilvy-Hill Insurance (now Hub International Insurance Services,) most recently serving as the firm’s general manager, overseeing human resources and operations.  MJ is an active member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Santa Barbara Human Resources Association (SBHRA.)  Bakove also serves as an administrative volunteer for Heal the Ocean in Santa Barbara.

About Sansum Diabetes Research Institute

Sansum Diabetes Research Institute is an internationally recognized research center devoted to the prevention, treatment and cure of diabetes. Dr. William D. Sansum, who brought renown to Santa Barbara in 1922 as the first physician in the U.S. to produce and administer life-saving insulin to patients with diabetes, founded the nonprofit organization in 1944.  Today, under the leadership of Lois Jovanovič, M.D., Sansum Diabetes Research Institute remains an extraordinary place, where diabetes research, nutrition, education, and diabetes prevention have improved the lives of people worldwide who suffer from this serious disease.

The Institute has gained global acclaim for its work to develop an artificial pancreas, its success in developing protocols to increase the incidence of healthy babies born to women with diabetes, and its work with people with and at risk for type 2 diabetes. Physicians and researchers continue to develop new treatment protocols for people with diabetes, including new drugs and medical devices.

It is our intention to use our past and present accomplishments to guide us into the future – to tap into the energy and commitment that made Sansum Diabetes Research Institute what it is today – a worldwide leader in diabetes research, prevention, and treatment.  For more information on Sansum Diabetes Research Institute, contact Alison Okada Wollitzer at (805) 682-7638 or awollitzer@sansum.org.

Sansum Diabetes Research Institute has received $50,000 from the California Chapter of the March of Dimes for year one of a three-year project. The award funds the Semillas del Cambio (Seeds of Change) Project, interconception care for women with diabetes. 

Program participants will be chosen from a group of Santa Barbara County women who had gestational diabetes during their last pregnancy. A Spanish-language training toolkit will be developed that includes lesson plans, handouts, and teaching props for a six-session series. Lessons will focus on glucose control, healthy weight, blood pressure goals, breastfeeding benefits, physical activity, and the importance of zero-calorie drinks over sugary beverages. A strong emphasis will be placed on incorporating life-style changes.

Training will initially be taught by Sansum Diabetes staff.  Graduates of the class will become Promatoras (peer heath advocates), who will in turn lead classes that will empower women who have had gestational diabetes to take charge of their health and prepare for their next pregnancy. The goal is for the classes to be completely Promatora-led and self-sustaining, as graduates train others and spread the reach of the program to an ever-widening audience.

Seeds of Change will primarily address the needs of low-income, medically-underserved, women with or at risk for diabetes who lack access to medical care and health education. The goal of this program is to impact the lives of these women and for many future generations in a low-cost, peer-led, self-sustaining manner. 

Sansum Diabetes honored Nancy Crawford and Thomas Crawford, Jr. as the Planned Giving Family of the Year. The Crawfords were acknowledged at a special Legacy Luncheon held at the Institute which honors Legacy Club members for their significant commitment to Sansum Diabetes by making a provision in a will, living trust, or estate plan or by naming them as beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement plan.

The Crawfords were chosen as the Family of the Year because they have generously supported many nonprofit organizations personally and through the Crawford Idema Family Foundation.  Their philanthropic support focuses on youth, the environment, and health and social welfare. The Crawford Idema Family Foundation made a significant five-year grant to Sansum Diabetes Research Institute’s Santa Barbara Diabetes Project that brought together diabetes researchers from around the world to focus on the cure for type 1 diabetes.  In 2005 the Crawfords generously supported the capital campaign to transform the Institute’s second floor into a leading edge diabetes care center. 

Nancy joined the Sansum Research Board in 2004 and co-chaired the “Golf for the Cure” Tournament for several years. Not only have the Crawfords significantly supported Sansum Diabetes through ongoing contributions and planned gifts, they also have volunteered for hundreds of hours. Nancy says that “diabetes has been in our family for many generations and reared its head again in our next generation. Our interest and support will continue as will our help in any way we can assist.”

Sansum Diabetes Research Institute hosts its popular fundraiser, the 10^th Annual Taste of the Vine & Auction, on Saturday, August 20, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at QAD, Inc. on the bluffs in Summerland. Event proceeds support medical research to cure, treat, and prevent diabetes.

Taste outstanding wine, beer, and food from 40 of the central coast’s best purveyors. Enjoy the spectacular view, music by Society Jazz, and a live auction featuring auctioneer John Palminteri.  Bid on vacation packages, wine and numerous silent auction items.

Rabobank, N.A. is the Estate Sponsor. Other top sponsors to date include Nancy and Thomas S. Crawford, Jr., Montecito Bank & Trust, Boyd Communication and Linda Boyd, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, the Inserra family, James and Amy Sloan, the Coeta & Donald Barker Foundation, and the Henry W. Bull Foundation.

Michael E. Nissenson has been elected to the Board of Trustees and has been appointed to serve on the Development Committee.      

Mr. Nissenson is President of Ventura Resources, Inc., a commercial Real Estate management company. He has over 50 years of real estate and construction experience.

In the not-for-profit world, Nissenson is the Chairman of the Moishe Foundation, an international chain of Jewish educational programs operating in 14 countries. He is also a Board member of the Health & Fitness Authority, an Overseer at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, and has served as President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, and on the Executive Committee and Board of the Jewish Federations of North America. Other past Board service has included Beit T’Shuvah, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Hillel UCSB, and Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic.

Originally from Los Angeles, Nissenson graduated from UCLA and has resided in Santa Barbara for over 10 years.

Dana Newquist and Ayesha Shaikh, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. have been elected to the Board of Trustees of Sansum Diabetes Research Institute.

Dana Newquist is the owner of Mission Villa, a complete-care home for seniors with Alzheimer’s in Santa Barbara, where he is actively involved in the care of the patients. Newquist has lived in Santa Barbara for 50 years; the majority of his career was spent working for the Squibb Company in pharmaceutical sales and as the founder of several local businesses. He also serves on the board of directors of the Montecito Fire Protection District, the Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation, and volunteers for the local Alzheimer’s Association. A graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, he served in the U.S. Army.

Since 1984 Ayesha Shaikh, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. has practiced at Cottage Health System in Santa Barbara, California and served as Chief of Staff and Chairman of the OB-GYN Department. She is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and a member of the American Medical Women’s Association and the American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopies. Dr. Shaikh serves on the Board of Directors for Direct Relief International, the Santa Barbara County Medical Society, and Santa Barbara Middle School.

After graduating with a MBBS from Madras University, she obtained her medical degree from Bombay University, and an OBGYN residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center of Chicago.

Robert A. Reid, M.D., has been elected to the Board of Trustees of Sansum Research.

Dr. Reid recently retired as Director of Medical Affairs for Cottage Health System in Santa Barbara, California and served as Chief of Staff and was a member of the Board of Directors of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Prior to joining Cottage, he practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology in Santa Barbara for 24 years attending the birth of 5000 babies. [Read more...]

Thomas W. Rook, D.C., has been elected to the Board of Trustees of Sansum Research and appointed to serve on the Nomination/Board Development Committee.

Dr. Rook has practiced in Santa Barbara since 1980 and in 2004 he founded the Rook Family Tree Chiropractic Clinic of Integrative Medicine. He also is a Diplomat of the National Board of Chiropractic Advisors and a member of the Santa Barbara, the California, and the American Chiropractic Associations.

Dr. Rook obtained his chiropractic degree from the Western States Chiropractic College in Portland Oregon, after graduating with a degree in Physical Anthropology from University of California, Santa Barbara.