Dr. Richard M. Bergenstal honored for work in fighting diabetes Fifth annual Bruce Zimmerman Award goes to Twin Cities physician

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Dr. Richard M. Bergenstal honored for work in fighting diabetes
Fifth annual Bruce Zimmerman Award goes to Twin Cities physician
November 21, 2008
Minnesota Department of Health

Dr. Richard M. Bergenstal has been chosen to receive the fifth annual Bruce Zimmerman Award in recognition of his efforts to combat diabetes in Minnesota.

The award was presented to Dr. Bergenstal by the Minnesota Diabetes Steering Committee and the diabetes program at the Minnesota Department of Health. The award ceremony was held October 31 at the Many Faces of Community Health Conference in the Twin Cities.

The award was created in honor of Dr. Bruce Zimmerman, an internationally known diabetes expert and endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, who was president of the American Diabetes Association for 1999-2000. He was a leader in the fight against diabetes in Minnesota, and served as a founding member of the Minnesota Diabetes Steering Committee from 1985 until his death in 2001.

Dr. Bergenstal is executive director of the International Diabetes Center (IDC) at Park Nicollet Health Services and adjunct professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. He currently serves as vice president of Medicine and Science at the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and sits on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Chapter Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

A branch of Park Nicollet Health Services, the IDC is a nonprofit, multi-disciplinary organization that does diabetes care, education, and research. The center is headquartered in suburban Minneapolis, and is recognized internationally for its work on diabetes. It is one of only two expert centers in the United States recognized by the World Health Organization as a Collaborating Center in diabetes.

Dr. Bergenstal co-authored "Staged Diabetes Management," a key program of the IDC that has been implemented in organizations around the world, resulting in improved diabetes-related health outcomes. He is an accomplished research scientist, and served as the principal investigator for the Community Diabetes Prevention Project, a Minnesota study that evaluated the impact of nutritional and educational intervention on the prevention of diabetes. He is IDC's principal investigator on two nationally funded trials evaluating the link between glucose control and diabetes complications: the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) follow-up study in type 1 diabetes and the Action to Control Cardiovascular Disease in Diabetes (ACCORD) type 2 diabetes study.

Dr. Bergenstal was the first chairperson of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement's Type 2 Diabetes Guideline Committee, and continues to serve as a member of that body. The committee is responsible for creating diabetes evidence-based guidelines for use by providers and educators throughout Minnesota. He is also a member of the Minnesota Department of Health's Epidemiology Surveillance and Data Review Committee providing expertise on tracking health of Minnesotans with diabetes.

As an adjunct professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Family Practice and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Dr. Bergenstal has been providing the latest information on diabetes management to medical students and primary care residents since 1994.

Colleagues say Dr. Bergenstal's first love has always been caring for people with diabetes, and among the numerous awards he has received, he is most proud of being honored as the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) Outstanding Physician Clinician in 2007. He also received the ADA Minnesota HealthAward in 2004 and the Charles H. Best Medal for Distinguished Service in 1994.

"Dr. Richard Bergenstal has spent his entire career working to improve the lives of people with diabetes and those at risk for diabetes, so they receive the best possible care," said IDC colleague Gregg Simonson. "Through his visionary leadership as Executive Director of the International Diabetes Center, he has had an impact on the care and education of people with diabetes locally, nationally and internationally. His dedication to the field of diabetes care, education and research has benefited countless people with diabetes throughout Minnesota."

Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. One in four Minnesotans either have diabetes or are at high risk of developing it. While diabetes is both serious and costly, it can be effectively managed with proper education, support and team care.

For more information about diabetes, the Bruce Zimmerman Diabetes Award or the Minnesota Diabetes Steering Committee, please visit the Minnesota Diabetes Program Web site at www.health.state.mn.us/diabetes.

-MDH-