Diana Isaacs, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, BC-ADM, CDCES

Diabetes Dialogue: Addressing America's Shortage of Diabetes Care Providers, with Jay Shubrook, DO, & Conan Tu, MD

85th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA 2025)

, hosts Diana Isaacs, PharmD, and Natalie Bellini, DNP, welcome Jay Shubrook, DO, and Conan Tu, MD, to explore the mission and momentum of the 

The conversation centers on addressing the national shortage of diabetes specialists. Shubrook, a primary care diabetologist and founding figure in diabetology training, details the evolution of fellowship programs dating back to 2004, with the current infrastructure supporting 11 programs and plans for further expansion. Tu, an internist from New York, shares his personal journey into diabetology, emphasizing the increasing demand for diabetes-focused care in primary settings and the transformative impact of timely, expert-level interventions.

The guests outline how the American College of Diabetology is building a standardized, certified workforce through board certification, with an emphasis on team-based care. The College is also actively expanding to include pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals in its educational and certification efforts, helping to equip interdisciplinary teams to manage diabetes more effectively.

Additional discussion highlights include the importance of continuity of care—particularly during the transition from pediatric to adult diabetes services—the integration of cardiometabolic risk management, and the critical need for scalable models of care. The speakers advocate for diabetologists to serve not only as direct providers but as in-house experts, mentors, and system-level educators capable of elevating care across large networks.



Learn more about the American College of Diabetology.

Relevant disclosures for Isaacs include Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Abbott Diabetes Care, Dexcom, Medtronic, and others. Relevant disclosures for Bellini include Abbott Diabetes Care, MannKind, Sanofi, and others. Relevant dislcures for Tu include AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, and Optum. Relevant disclosures for Shubrook include Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Eli Lilly and Company, and Novo Nordisk.

Podcasts

Explore the urgent need for diabetes specialists and the American College of Diabetology's efforts to enhance care through education and certification.

Diabetes Dialogue: The Diabetes Collective, with Rachael Sood, RN, MSN, APRN

Diabetes Dialogue: Technology, Therapeutics, & Real-World Perspectives

 in Chicago, hosts Diana Isaacs, PharmD, and Natalie Bellini, DNP, speak with Rachael Sood, RN, MSN, APRN, NP, CDCES, founder of The Diabetes Collective, about modern approaches to 

, patient engagement, and the role of social media in education and advocacy.

The discussion highlights Sood’s innovative use of social media to make diabetes education accessible and engaging. Known for creative and widely shared content—such as her wedding-themed video announcing the Dexcom G7 and Omnipod 5 integration—Sood shares how spontaneous, relatable messaging can improve awareness and patient connection. Her content spans emerging therapeutics like GLP-1 receptor agonists, type 1 diabetes staging and screening, and technology updates such as ketone monitoring and CGM integration.

Sood reflects on the emotional impact of recent ADA presentations, including advances in islet cell therapy and the evolving treatment landscape for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. She emphasizes the importance of healthcare providers offering clear, empathetic, and tailored care, recounting a patient case where basic interventions—CGM use, education, and therapeutic escalation—had a transformative effect after years of clinical inertia.

The episode underscores the value of clinician-led care, continuity, and communication, particularly in independent practices. Sood also points to the importance of collaborative energy within the diabetes community, noting the power of partnerships among healthcare professionals, patients, and advocacy groups to drive progress.


Relevant disclosures for Isaacs include Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Abbott Diabetes Care, Dexcom, Medtronic, and others. Relevant disclosures for Bellini include Abbott Diabetes Care, MannKind, Sanofi, and others. Sood has no relevant disclosures to report.

Hosts sit down for a deep dive into The Diabetes Collective and what it's like operating a diabetes clinic in the modern healthcare landscape.

Diabetes Dialogue: CATALYST Trial, Mifepristone, and Hypercortisolism in T2D, with John Buse, MD, PhD

, hosts Diana Isaacs, PharmD, and Natalie Bellini, DNP, speak with John Buse, MD, PhD, of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, about the treatment phase of the CATALYST trial.

Findings from the phase 4 CATALYST trial suggest that mifepristone (Korlym), a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, significantly improves glycemic control, reduces body weight, and lowers waist circumference in patients with hypercortisolism and difficult-to-control type 2 diabetes—offering a promising therapeutic option for a population with limited treatment success.

The two-part, multicenter study enrolled 1055 adults with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c >7.5% despite optimized therapy. In part 1, participants underwent dexamethasone suppression testing to identify hypercortisolism, defined by post-test cortisol levels >1.8 µg/dL and dexamethasone >140 ng/dL. Results revealed a 24% prevalence of hypercortisolism in this population (95% CI, 21.4–26.7%).

Part 2 randomized 136 patients with confirmed hypercortisolism in a 2:1 ratio to receive mifepristone or placebo for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in HbA1c. Mifepristone treatment led to a least squares mean HbA1c reduction of 1.3 percentage points compared to placebo (95% CI, –1.81 to –0.83; 

Secondary endpoints also favored mifepristone: body weight decreased by 5.12 kg (95% CI, –8.20 to –2.03), and waist circumference dropped by 5.1 cm (95% CI, –8.23 to –1.99) relative to placebo.

Despite its efficacy, 49% of mifepristone-treated patients discontinued therapy, compared to 18% on placebo. Adverse events included hypokalemia, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and elevated blood pressure, consistent with the drug’s known safety profile.

During the episode, which was recorded during the 

, Buse provides hosts with a deep dive into the background of the trial, prevalence of hypercortisolism in difficult-to-control type 2 diabetes, and the historic relevance of the CATALYST results. Buse also discusses how the trial offers insight into dosing approaches with mifepristone and advocates for broader cortisol screening in patients with complex type 2 diabetes—suggesting that ADA Standards of Care should reflect these findings.

Relevant disclosures for Isaacs include Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Abbott Diabetes Care, Dexcom, Medtronic, and others. Relevant disclosures for Bellini include Abbott Diabetes Care, MannKind, Provention Bio, and others. Relevant disclosures for Buse include Altimmune, AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, CeQur, Corcept Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, embecta, Moderna, Novo Nordisk, Tandem, Vertex, and others.

Discover how the CATALYST trial reveals mifepristone's potential to enhance glycemic control and weight loss in challenging type 2 diabetes cases.

Welcome back to Diabetes Dialogue at ADA 2025!

Diabetes Dialogue: REDEFINE 1 and REDEFINE 2, with Timothy Garvey, MD, and Melanie Davies, MD

, hosts Diana Isaacs, PharmD, an endocrine clinical pharmacist, director of Education and Training in Diabetes Technology, and co-director of Endocrine Disorders in Pregnancy at the Cleveland Clinic, and Natalie Bellini, DNP, program director of Diabetes Technology at University Hospitals Diabetes and Metabolic Care Center, take a deep dive into the REDEFINE 1 and REDEFINE 2 trials with trial investigators W. Timothy Garvey, MD, of University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Melanie Davies, MD, of the University of Leicester.

REDEFINE 1 was a 68-week, phase 3a trial enrolling over 3400 adults without diabetes but with obesity or overweight and at least one comorbidity. Participants received once-weekly CagriSema, semaglutide alone, cagrilintide alone, or placebo alongside lifestyle intervention.

Key outcome: CagriSema led to a mean weight loss of 20.4%, vs 3.0% with placebo.

Over 50% of participants on CagriSema reached a non-obese BMI.

Gastrointestinal side effects were common (80%), but mostly mild to moderate.

REDEFINE 2 enrolled 1206 adults with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity, randomized to CagriSema or placebo for 68 weeks.

Key outcome: CagriSema led to 13.7% mean weight loss, vs 3.4% with placebo.

73.5% achieved an HbA1c ≤6.5% vs 15.9% on placebo.

Significant improvements were seen across all weight loss and glycemic endpoints.

The speakers also highlight the agent’s favorable side effect profile, flexibility in real-world dosing, and benefits in body composition and physical function. Garvey emphasizes the shift toward complication-centric obesity care, underscoring the need for clinician-guided treatment beyond online prescription models.

The conversation closes with a look ahead to REDEFINE 3—a cardiovascular outcomes trial including patients with and without diabetes—and other ongoing studies in the REDEFINE and REIMAGINE trial programs.

Relevant disclosures for Isaacs include Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Abbott Diabetes Care, Dexcom, Medtronic, and others. Relevant disclosures for Bellini include Abbott Diabetes Care, MannKind, Provention Bio, and others.

Relevant disclosures for Garvey include Boehringer-Ingelheim, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Company, Merck & Co., Inc., Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Fractyl Health, Inc., Inogen, Epitomee, Pfizer Inc., and Neurovalens. Relevant disclosures for Davies include Abbie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly and Company, GSK, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, and Zealand Pharma.

Garvey WT, Blüher M, Osorto Contreras CK, et al. Coadministered Cagrilintide and Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. 

Davies MJ, Bajaj HS, Broholm C. Cagrilintide–Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. 

Explore groundbreaking findings from the REDEFINE trials on CagriSema's impact on weight loss and diabetes management at ADA 2025.

Diana Isaacs, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, BC-ADM, CDCES

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