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Editorial

Diabetes Spectrum    Volume 19, Number 1, 2006

Great is the art of beginning, but
greater is the art of ending.

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

As I take the helm as editor of
Diabetes Spectrum, I would be remiss
if I did not first take a moment to
thank and congratulate Belinda Childs
and her team of associate editors. For
the past 5 years, they have done an
outstanding job bringing those of us
who practice in the diabetes arena a
journal filled with the latest research
translated into practical applications
for clinical use. The passion they
bring to diabetes care was evident
with each issue they published.
Congratulations to them all on a job
more than well done. It is an honor—
albeit a daunting one—to follow in
their footsteps.

I have no doubt we will see each of
their names in future issues of
Diabetes Spectrum, for in the way of
the American Diabetes Association
(ADA), no volunteer is allowed to
fade away. We hope they will take
opportunities to serve as guest editors
and write articles and guest editorials
for many years to come. 

It is my privilege to be the new edi-
tor of Diabetes Spectrum. It is also my
great fortune to be able to work with
such an able editorial team. The new
associate editors were hand-picked for
their passion, dedication, knowledge,
and desire to improve the lives of peo-
ple with diabetes. I would be lying if I
did not tell you that, selfishly, they
were also chosen because they adhere
to deadlines! 

The work each of us does with the
ADA has personal as well as profes-
sional meaning. I was 11 years old
when my mother was diagnosed
with diabetes. She already knew
what the devastation of living with
diabetes could be; her mother also
had diabetes.

My mother died in 1982, just at
the start of the Diabetes Control and
Complication Trial (DCCT). This was
before blood glucose monitors were
really available and before the impor-
tance of good blood glucose control
was understood. It was rare that a
hemoglobin A1c measurement was
obtained. Instead, the gold standard
was measurement of fasting blood
glucose. Only a few oral agents and
insulins were on the market. No one
understood the importance of the
team approach. Patients were rarely,
if ever, included in the development of
their own care plans. Our knowledge
of diabetes and diabetes care was just
emerging. Often, I think of what a
higher quality of life my mother
would have had with all that we
know about diabetes today. 

I entered the diabetes health care
force in 1982 as a nurse practitioner,
primarily to help with human insulin
research trials and the DCCT. I
thought I would work a few years,
have a baby or two, and move on.
Little did I know that I would be
caught up in such a powerful and
exciting time for diabetes care. I
could never have imagined how much
we would learn about diabetes or
how crucial it would be for us to

translate that knowledge into prac-
tice. Nor could I have ever guessed
how significant a role my patients
would play in my ability to under-
stand diabetes from their first-hand
viewpoint. 

The diabetes care community is
different from other chronic care
models. It is one of the few health
care models that uses all of the vari-
ous health care team members based
on the needs of the person with dia-
betes. It is also one of the few models
that recognizes the need for patients
and their families to be part of the
team, if not to lead the team. Because
of this unique model, it is vital that
the educational needs of all team
members be met. The ADA, always a
leader in diabetes care, publishes
numerous journals for this reason.
Over the years, through the dedica-
tion of many, Diabetes Spectrum has
emerged to meet the needs of the
health care team.   

In the more than 20 years that I
have been involved in diabetes care,
our knowledge of diabetes and the
best practices for its care and treat-
ment has grown and changed signifi-
cantly. However, the disease contin-
ues to challenge all who are touched
by it. 

During the years of our term, it is
my hope that this editorial team will
continue the tradition of former edito-
rial teams of providing a forum for
critical information to enhance our
readers’ clinical skills, with the ulti-
mate goal of improving outcomes for
people with diabetes.      

Continuing the Tradition
Davida F. Kruger, MSN, APRN-BC, BC-ADM, Editor