Meet Our Team
Kelly Dawes, ADCES, Advocate, Founder
Kelly Dawes, diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in 1981, possesses a unique blend of expertise and social charisma. Her career began in dialysis, which broadened her understanding of health, eventually leading her to become a nationally certified personal trainer with a specialization in diabetes, and senior fitness. As the owner of GenerationFit.net, a fitness product company, Kelly is dedicated to promoting fitness as a form of medicine. In 2019, Kelly earned her certification from the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) and has since passionately advocated for diabetes-related legislation on Capitol Hill each year, representing both ADCES and DPAC (Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition). Known for her remarkable sociability, Kelly excels at building trust and relationships across personal and professional spheres. When she’s not advocating or traveling, Kelly enjoys staying active while listening to 80s new wave, old-school rap, and punk music, all while continuing her mission to improve lives through fitness.
William H. Polonsky, PhD, CDCES
Dr. Polonsky is President and Co-Founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute, the world’s first organization wholly dedicated to studying and addressing the unmet psychological needs of people with diabetes. He is a distinguished figure in our community who radiates warmth and friendliness! Dr. Polonsky is also Associate Clinical Professor in Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. With a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Yale University, he has made significant contributions to the field. He has served as Senior Psychologist at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, faculty member at Harvard Medical School and Chairman of the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators. A licensed clinical psychologist, certified diabetes care and educational specialist, and highly-cited research scientist with more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in the field of behavioral diabetes, his research has focused on quality of life in diabetes, diabetes-related distress and depression, hypoglycemic fear, adherence and persistence to cardiometabolic medications, glucose monitoring behavior and attitudes in people living with diabetes, physician and patient attitudes towards insulin and oral medications, group-based behavior change programs, the influence of diabetes technology on quality of life, and emotional and behavioral responses to the diagnosis of diabetes. He received the American Diabetes Association’s 2020 Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award and the American Diabetes Association’s 2014 Richard R. Rubin Award for distinguished contributions to behavioral medicine and psychology. His passion for helping diabetics has made him a hero in our community!
Susan Maria Watkins, RD, CDCES
Susan is the director of ambulatory care and nutrition for the state of California for Providence Medical Group. She specializes in creating and running disease management programs. She oversees an ADA recognized diabetes program, a CDC recognized diabetes prevention program (for those with prediabetes), as well as a nationally recognized weight program, called HMR. She has a passion for helping people create positive change and still enjoy life! On her free time, she loves being at the beach paddleboarding, snorkeling, riding the waves or attending a comedy show!
Rachael Stickles, Type 1 Warrior
As a newly diagnosed 12 year old, Rachael felt awkward and embarrassed. Injecting insulin in bathrooms, making sure to hide her medical devices, she tried to pretend diabetes away. She remembers her teen years as feeling scared, weak, and alone. Today, Rachael is a warrior who wears her gadgets out in the open, talks about her autoimmune disease without shame, and embraces other T1Ds judgement-free. She created the Chronically Illest shop to empower Type 1 Diabetics .
Brad Larson, Injection Veteran
A self-proclaimed introvert, Brad livens up and looks forward to every Grownup T1D event. Having lived with T1D for over 50 years, he’s never experienced this many T1D friendships. During his career as a county Registered Environmental Health Specialist, he traveled, experienced new foods, and worked long hours while managing his T1D. A super chill guy, Brad is not only fun to talk to, but he’s inquisitive. Learning new things about about new people is exciting! Brad does not consider himself all-knowing, instead he keeps an open mind and basks in the positivity of Diabuddies, old and new.
Ric Peralta, Type 3C
Working in and around the optical industry, since 1990, and diabetic since 2008, Ric has devoted his 3-decade-long career to providing the best possible care to patients, and educating other optical professionals on best practices to improve their patients’ experience. A Type 3C Diabetic since severe acute pancreatitis forced the removal of his pancreas, he has folded his experiences as a diabetic into his eyecare profession. For the past half a decade, Ric has continued to expand his educational efforts, starting a patient education blog, a consulting and public speaking business, and expanding his social media influence in the industry. He has built a strong relationship with Dexcom and has used his Dexcom Warrior status to help build awareness of Diabetic needs and educated on the importance of eyecare as part of proper diabetic care through his role as an influencer. Constantly on the go, he likes to show how diabetes does not have to limit your ability to live life.
PARTNERS
Grownup T1Ds is proud to partner with the following companies and organizations.
Interested in becoming a partner? We’d love to hear from you! Contact Kelly Dawes at: kelly@grownupt1ds.org
