One of your patients has referred her 21-year-old stepson for a new patient exam. He has recently arrived home from college for the summer and she is concerned because he always seems to be thirsty. When prompted, she recalls her husband saying his ex-wife struggled with her weight and took “pills for her blood sugar.” Physical examination is notable for mildly elevated BP (137/84) and BMI 26 kg/m2. He denies any cigarette or alcohol use, states his favorite activities revolve around video games, and that he doesn’t really enjoy any physical activities. Labs are notable for random plasma glucose 312 mg/dl, UA positive for glucose. What would your initial drug therapy strategy be? A. Initiate monotherapy with metformin B. Initiate a combination therapy with two noninsulin agents C. Initiate lifestyle modifications D. Initiate insulin therapy Follow the link for the answer.

Aaron Kowalski, PhD is the Chief Mission Officer and Vice President of Research at JDRF. He was appointed the JDRF's first Chief Mission officer in December 2014 and serves as a key link between JDRF and the broad diabetes community.

Transcript: Dr. Aaron Kowalski on the meaning of his role as Chief Mission Officer of JDRF, and the work being funded to advance the cause of curing type 1 diabetes one day, as well as toward improving the quality of life for diabetes patients today.

In this Exclusive Interview, Dr. Aaron Kowalski talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the ADA meeting in San Diego, California about the meaning of his role as Chief Mission Officer and the work being funded to not only advance the cause of curing type 1 diabetes one day in the unknown future, but the work toward improving the quality of life for these people today.

In part 2 of this Exclusive Interview, Dr. Aaron Kowalski talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the ADA meeting in San Diego, California about the personal impact of diabetes on his own life and defining what a diabetes cure could mean to different people.

In part 1 of this Exclusive Interview, Dr. Aaron Kowalski talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the ADA meeting in San Diego, California about his role at the JDRF and the studies getting their support.

In part 3 of this Exclusive Interview, Dr. Aaron Kowalski talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the ADA meeting in San Diego, California about exciting research applicable to health care professionals.

In part 4, the conclusion of this Exclusive Interview, Dr. Aaron Kowalski talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the ADA meeting in San Diego, California about his ideal A1C and the #1 benefit of the hybrid closed loop system.

Today I watched a news feature on the use of robots as supervisors of humans doing jobs. Last week another show listed jobs that robots would do, and unfortunately pharmacists was one of those jobs. When you add in driverless cars and drone delivery it is not hard to see …

I traveled to Europe, a continent with a lot of history and cobblestone streets. I was aware of the amount of walking I was going to do and reminded myself of what we teach, or should be teaching, our patients: Do not travel with new shoes only. Always bring a pair of tried and true. And when you do buy new shoes, buy them later in the day, make sure they fit well, and break them in before wearing for long periods at a time. Wear them about a half hour a day, then slowly increase the time you wear your shoes to avoid foot problems.