Physician Spotlight: Susan Clark, M.D.

?It?s no accident when you discover your passion? is how Dr. Susan Clark, M.D., director of the CHOC Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, describes the moment she decided to become a physician.

?When I was 15, I spent the summer with a dear friend and her younger sister, who had diabetes. At the suggestion of a local healer, the girl?s family stopped insulin treatment, and that fall she died. Her death was so needless, it awakened in me a sense that I had to make this wrong right,? Dr. Clark explains.

Dr. Clark brought her passion for diabetes to CHOC in 2001 when she joined the Division of Endocrine and Diabetes, which provides care and education for families and patients with pre-diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and a wide variety of endocrine disorders.

?Last November CHOC was selected to be a Major Affiliate of TrialNet, a multicenter research study for Type 1 diabetes funded by the National Institutes of Health, providing much-needed funding to support clinical research trials,? Dr. Clark says. One of the growing concerns Dr. Clark sees is the rise of Type 2 diabetes in children. ?Ten years ago, Type 2 diabetes (previously known as adult-onset diabetes) was virtually unheard of in children. Currently, about 20% percent of the children newly diagnosed with diabetes at CHOC have Type 2 diabetes. With the clear link between childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes, there are undoubtedly many more children who are at risk,? Dr. Clark continues.

Concerned about the rising incidence of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian partners with CHOC and the PADRE Foundation (Pediatric Adolescent Diabetes Research Education) to provide education and support for children with diabetes and their families. If you would like more information on the diabetes program at CHOC, or are interested in supporting this area, please contact Jason Gudzunas at the CHOC Foundation at 714.532.8690 or jgudzunas@choc.org