From left to right: Kathy O'Gara, RN, diabetes educator, Grace Ahern, patient, and Emily D. Szmuilowicz, MD, endocrinologist
April 2023 PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN REFLECT ON 10 YEARS OF CARE IN GLENVIEW AND DEERFIELD Featuring: Emily D. Szmuilowicz, MD,
Emily D. Szmuilowicz, MD and Patient Reflect on 10 Years of Endocrinology Care Glenview Outpatient Center and Northwestern Medicine Deerfield are celebrating their 10-year anniversaries this spring. The centers have many offerings, including primary care, pediatrics, geriatrics, endocrinology, specialty care, diagnostic imaging, a cancer center and Immediate Care Centers. Growing Up Together Grace Ahern has been receiving care at Glenview Outpatient Center since it opened. She had just finished her junior year of college abroad when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. “I was really scared at first,” says Ahern. “What did this mean for me?” The new Glenview Outpatient Center offered the expert care she needed. Ahern’s care team, including Emily D. Szmuilowicz, MD, endocrinologist, and Kathy O’Gara, RN, diabetes educator, helped her develop a care plan that fit into her lifestyle. “I always felt welcome and cared for,” says Ahern. “The team helped me through all the learning curves and adjustments. I have nothing but amazing things to say.” Today, Ahern holds a leadership role with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, calling on the education and support she’s received in Glenview to help others. She is also busy with a new job and planning her wedding. “It’s incredible to think about,” says Dr. Szmuilowicz. “I remember coming to Glenview in 2013 and building everything from nothing. We were uploading glucometer software onto clinic computers and collecting sample insulin pens to help educate patients. Fast forward to today, and we’ve grown into one of the strongest endocrinology programs in the area.” A Collaborative Approach The care team members at the Glenview and Deerfield locations continuously strive to provide excellent experiences and care to their patients through collaboration. For example, Dr. Szmuilowicz led a pilot project focused on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), a collaboration between endocrinologists and primary care physicians. This grant-funded project includes a curriculum for primary care physicians on interpreting CGMs and providing treatment recommendations, and has resulted in improved patient outcomes and significantly reduced wait times for appointments. Leonardo Vargas, MD, internal medicine physician, is one of the primary care physicians participating in the project. “The CGM project is a seamless, collaborative effort that delivers outstanding outcomes and patient care,” he says. “The patients love the program and get to see results. It empowers them and makes them an active participant in their own care, as it should be.” |
Emily D. Szmuilowicz, MD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at Northwestern Medicine. Program Director, Endocrinology Fellowship, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Peer Coach, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
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