DaVita and the American Diabetes Association® Partner to Raise Awareness on Kidney Health and Diabetes During National Kidney Month
Experts Available to Discuss the Connection Between Kidney Health and Diabetes
Mandy Tilton, RN – Chief Nursing Officer, DaVita Kidney Care.
Dr. Robert A. Gabbay, MD – Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, American Diabetes Association
About Mandy Tilton:
Mandy Tilton, RN, joined DaVita as a patient care technician in 2001 and now serves as its Chief Nursing Officer.
She has served dialysis patients with DaVita for 19 years and most recently led a nursing strategy. She is an expert in process improvement and continued quality of care.
Tilton holds a doctorate in nursing from Bradley University and an MBA from Lewis University. She also sits on the board of directors of the Nurses & Technician Council for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois.
More About Dr. Robert Gabbay:
Robert A. Gabbay, MD, Ph.D., FACP, is the Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the global authority on diabetes.
Dr. Gabbay leads the ADA’s efforts to drive discovery within the world of diabetes research, care, and prevention.
Previously, Dr. Gabbay served as the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at Joslin Diabetes Center, and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.
Did you know?
Diabetes and hypertension impact kidney health.
Diabetes can damage the kidneys and cause them to fail.
Failing kidneys lose their ability to filter out waste products, resulting in kidney disease. 1 in 3 people with diabetes also has kidney disease.
Education is key to prevention when it comes to type 2 diabetes and kidney disease.
Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have “prediabetes”—blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. If you have prediabetes, you should be checked for type 2 diabetes every one to two years.
Early detection of CKD is possible through a screening that shows the level of kidney function. For people who find out they have declining kidney function, it’s important to connect with a kidney doctor who can help slow down or even stop the progression of CKD before kidney failure.
There are ways people can manage their diabetes—through diet, exercise, medical support, and emotional help. Similar healthy habits also help people manage their kidney health.
Type 1 diabetes occurs at every age and in people of every race, shape, and size when the body does not produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes—and it means that your body doesn’t use insulin properly.
Kidney failure occurs when kidneys are no longer able to clean toxins and waste products from the blood and perform their functions to full capacity. This can happen suddenly or overtime.
