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Paula Kreissler Traveled to Chicago for National Leadership Council Meeting of ADA

(SAVANNAH, GA)  Paula Kreissler, the Leadership Chair for the Savannah Chapter of the American Diabetes Association, traveled to Chicago this month to attend the National Leadership Council Meeting for the ADA. She was one of 16,000 people from all over the world at the “67th Scientific Sessions” sponsored by the ADA.

The three-day event began Friday, June 22nd with an opening reception. There, the more than 200 ADA leadership council members gathered to meet and greet one another. It was also an opportunity for them to network. The following day, Kreissler and the others heard from Stewart Perry, the Chair of the board-elect for the National Leadership Council. They also received updates from the interim ADA CEO and heard from the ADA Secretary and Treasurer.

One of the highlights of the event, Kreissler says, was hearing from Dr. Richard Kahn, the Chief Scientific and Medical Affairs Officer for the ADA. He talked about the advancements in diabetes research and gave an update on the possible treatments for diabetes. He also talked of the staggering numbers in the research area. So far this year, more than $24 million has been raised for research, compared to a total of $40 million last year.

“Those numbers are huge. Research is so important when it comes to diabetes. We’re learning more and more about it every day and those funds are crucial to learning more about the disease.” Kreissler says.

In addition to the updates, Kreissler also got some other important information.

“I think the biggest benefit was seeing how other chairs run their organization. Now, I can take what I’ve learned and make suggestions to Savannah’s Leadership Council of the American Diabetes Association.”

In addition to her duties for the Savannah Chapter of the American Diabetes Association, Kreissler is also the President of Wound Care Clinic – ESU, Inc. in Savannah. Many of Wound Care’s patients are diabetic. Kreissler says her jobs of running Wound Care and being the Leadership Chair “just seem to go hand in hand.”

The American Diabetes Association is the nations leading non-profit health organization providing diabetes research, information, and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the ADA conducts programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, reaching hundreds of communities.  The mission of the association is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of the people affected by diabetes.  To learn more, log on to diabetes.org.