Our Passion for Helping People Understand Diabetes
The staff at MyDER Inc. share a common interest—they are committed to improving outcomes for people living with diabetes. Meet the MyDER dream team:
Kacey Creel Marketing Manager
Kacey strives to provide a welcoming and empathetic environment to all people with diabetes. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 7 and credits the success of her own diabetes management to involvement she has had with the diabetes community.
With more involvement in the community, she has discovered gaps that crucially need to be filled to help all people thrive with diabetes. This created the passion she possesses to stop at nothing until more resources are created and more barriers to diabetes care are knocked down. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Diabetes Education and Management at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. In addition to her role at MyDER Inc., Kacey works as the Executive Director for the non-profit, Diversity in Diabetes.
Juliet Jordan-Joseph, PharmD, MS, BC-ADM, CDCES Researcher and Program Director
When Juliet left the beautiful twin-island country of Trinidad and Tobago, she was determined to leave her mark in whatever field she pursued. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business administration from Emmanuel College but was introduced to the medical field when she took a job at as a secretary at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, now known as Atreus Health.
Her love for diabetes care began when she was a pharmacy student at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University. While completing an ambulatory care rotation at a diabetes clinic, she learned how to manage therapy for patients with diabetes. She took her passion into the workplace when she was commissioned as an officer in the United States Public Health Service. She was assigned to the Federal Bureau of Prisons where she created clinics and novel diabetes programs for inmates. Her constant drive to enhance her diabetes knowledge led her to pursue a Masters in Diabetes Education and Management from Teachers College at Columbia University, where she later assisted in creating a course called the Pharmacology of Diabetes. Today, Juliet is spearheading research at MyDER Inc. to improve access to diabetes information, care, and management for people with diabetes.
John McDonald, OD, MS Consultant
John McDonald, OD, MS completed his undergraduate degree at Michigan State University, and received his Doctor of Optometry and master’s degree in Diabetes Education and Management from the Illinois College of Optometry and Columbia University respectively. John works in private practice in Orland, CA and specializes in diabetes eye care and education. He has served as a consultant for EyePACS, an organization specializing in remote telehealth screening for diabetes related retinopathy and his published articles about diabetes eye care in AADE In Practice and Home Healthcare Now. In the local community, John has directed various volunteer diabetes eye care screening and diabetes education and management clinics, in collaboration with Chico State University nursing and nutrition interns, and local community health organizations, for persons with diabetes in Northern California.
His interest in MyDER is developing a program that includes the importance of diabetes eye care. In the larger arena of diabetes self-management, he is passionate about lowering the barriers and resistance to change that people with diabetes experience. Helping each individual develop skills to integrate diabetes education into actionable diabetes self-care.
Ana Maria Zelaya, Dietitian Research and Project Management
Meet Ana María Zelaya, one of the researchers at MyDER Inc. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Guatemala City. She is currently pursuing my master’s degree in Diabetes Education and Management at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her experience includes working as an outpatient dietitian for over three and half years.
She currently works as a dietitian in a Pediatric Hospital and lectures at a University in Guatemala City. Her passion for changing Diabetes education began when she started working as a dietitian for individuals with non-communicable diseases. Through research at MyDER Inc., she hopes to improve nutrition education for individuals with diabetes. Her goal is to provide appropriate nutrition information for individuals with diabetes adapted to each culture and individual's preferences and thus, improve the relationship that individuals may have with food.