LSU Health Shreveport Diabetes Advocacy Group

Our 2024-2025 social media chair, Amanda Ragland, is from New Orleans, LA, went to LSU in Baton Rouge for undergrad, and has been a part of DAG for 3 years! 📸💻💉

Lillian is our VP for the 2024-2025 year! She’s from Mandeville, LA, went to LSU for undergrad, and is interested in Family Med as a specialty 💉 Check out her new golden retriever, Fred! 🐶

Aaron is our president for the 2024-2025 year! He’s from Swanton, Vermont, he went to LSUS for undergrad, and his current specialty of interest is urology! We can’t wait for another year of DAG! 🏥🩺💊💉

We are happy to announce our 2024-2025 officers! Thanks to everyone who applied! We are excited to be starting new projects this year including a local diabetes walk, expanding our farmer’s market events, and volunteering at summer camps. Stay tuned!

As the year is coming to an end, we are excited to announce elections for next years officers will begin next week! Take a moment to review each position’s responsibilities and please consider applying. Thank you all for a wonderful year🫶🏻

Looking forward to our next day out at Bossier City Farmer’s Market on April, 20th 11-1pm ☀️

Our students love volunteering at MLK Health Center! It’s a great place to gain experience and really make a difference in our community. Be on the lookout for signups for these volunteer positions!

Meet our MSIV representative Rikki!

IDEAS DAY 2024!!!
Thank you to everyone who helped make this event so special.

Shoutout to Aarthi Senthil and Prerana Ramesh for talking at MLK center about eating healthy while living with diabetes!

Meet Chelsea our medical research chair! Chelsea provides up to date research in our monthly newsletters and is always looking for opportunities for people to get involved! She has been with us since the start of this organization and we are so grateful to have her on our team ❤️🫶🏻

Counting down the days until Ideas Day 2024! Hope to see y’all 2/17/24 from 9 am - 2pm!

A research article published in the last few years demonstrated that children exposed to science with hands-on aspects have a substantially higher chance of pursuing a future in science and related fields.

LSU Health Shreveport’s new Center for Medical Education is going to be a great opportunity for DAG. We can’t wait to use all of these spaces for health and wellness!

Shoutout to our last farmers market group! Be on the lookout for upcoming volunteer opportunities in the spring semester.

Another successful weekend at the Bossier City Farmers Market educating and checking blood sugars! 🤩 So proud of the commitment of our members to serve the local community !

November is diabetes awareness month and DAG wants to take the opportunity to stress the importance of using your voice to help people with diabetes thrive. Stand up for diabetes research and programs, health care, insulin affordability, diabetes prevention and help support people living with and impacted by diabetes everyday—until we find a cure.

✨Meet our amazing MS2 rep Amanda✨ We are so happy to have her on our team! Check out Amanda teaching the kids at ideas day about the pancreas 🤩

Looking forward to our next Bossier City Farmers Market setup in November! Be on the lookout for signup soon 🍁❤️🫶🏻

✨A long overdue introduction of our Co-President Caroline Hill! ✨

Thank you for all your hard work Caroline!

Why did she start DAG?
“My passion for diabetes began after I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2011! I quickly learned that diabetes affects all aspects of a persons life. With that, I know firsthand how crucial access to diabetes education, medical treatment/technology, and a support system is to a persons health. Regardless of the specific diagnosis, diabetes education is key. I helped found DAG in hopes of spreading more diabetes advocacy throughout our school and community!“

Beautiful day to provide the local community with blood sugar checks and educational information regarding diabetes at the Bossier City Farmer’s Market! ☀️

So happy to see everyone at this years organization fair! Looking forward to having a great year!

✨Diabetes Advocacy Group Officer
Spotlight✨
Meet our Secretary: Prerana Ramesh
Why DAG? Diabetes runs in my family, and watching how my maternal grandfather dealt with his Type 1 diabetes back when I lived with my grandparents in India as a child was what sparked my interest in learning more about diabetes, the global differences in how diabetic patients receive treatment, and wanting to spread awareness about the disease. I am grateful to be a part of the Diabetes Advocacy Group, which provides the opportunity to engage in all of these goals through advocacy campaigns and collaboration with local clinics like MLK to provide accessible care!

We are so grateful to have Prerana on our team as she shares our passion for preventative medicine! We have been honored by her hard work and compassion for the diabetic community and can’t wait to see her impact in the future!

According to the CDC, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes rose from 0.58% in 1958 to 7.4% in 2015. It is now at 11.3% in 2023 and is still increasing at an alarming rate.

We are dedicated to raising awareness and providing resources to all those who need them. Below are links to the official CDC statistics if you would like to learn more!
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/slides/long_term_trends.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/index.html

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes which may lead to the development of type 2 diabetes. Click the link below to visit the CDC’s prediabetes risk test on their website if you are interested in learning more!

https://www.cdc.gov/prediabetes/risktest/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fdiabetes%2Frisktest%2Findex.html

Gestational diabetes is an often overlooked form of diabetes affecting roughly 2-10% of pregnancies. Left untreated, it may cause significant birth defects in the baby and long term issues with the mother. We are looking forward to spreading awareness at our farmer’s market tables and being an advocate for all patients to ensure they are appropriately treated!

We are happy to announce our new 2023-2024 officers! We are looking forward to another great year of making a difference in the Shreveport community!

Meet our fantastic treasurer: Madeline Polson
Why DAG?
"When I was in college, my 3 year old cousin was diagnosed with type I diabetes. I watched as her parents struggled to understand the complexities of regulating diabetes with a toddler who can't properly communicate how she was feeling. With the lack of pediatric endocrinologists in their vicinity, they also struggled to find a perfect treatment plan for her. This inspired my interest in diabetes as well as my further education in diabetes and endocrinology during my Masters program at Mississippi College. Joining the Diabetes Advocacy Group, I hope to gain a clearer understanding of all types of diabetes and the patients who struggle with it daily, as well as increase my research in the hopes of one day finding improved treatments and a cure.”

We are so proud to have such a passionate and compassionate treasurer on board. We cannot wait to see her impact throughout this community!

🌟 INFORMATION IS POWER🌟

While the subtypes of diabetes share many similarities, understanding their differences is important for compassionate care! Here are some facts about type I diabetics to help you understand and empathize with your loved ones, patients, family, and friends who are living with type I diabetes.

✨Diabetes Advocacy Group Officer
Spotlight✨
Meet our amazing Vice President: Lillian Lauck Specialty interest: Pediatric Endocrinology
Why DAG?
"My passion for diabetes care and advocacy began while
working at a summer camp for kids with Type 1 Diabetes
during undergrad. I was inspired by all of the kids' strength
and felt a sense of purpose in helping ease the heavy
burden of diabetes so they could enjoy their summer! I'm
so happy to be a part of an organization that aims to bring
awareness to diabetes!"
We are so grateful to have such an excited and
enthusiastic Vice President on board! Cannot wait to see
all that Lillian will do for this club and community!

🌟 INFORMATION IS POWER🌟
Understanding what Diabetes is and the role of insulin is important for not only diabetics but also families and loved ones. We at DAG want to encourage you to stay tuned and also read up on
educational campaigns such as those referenced in this post to support the Diabetics in your lives!