2006 Mathies Award Honoree: Francine R. Kaufman, M.D.
"Writing a Better Life Story for Children":
The Influential Leadership of
Francine Kaufman, M.D.
MATHIES AWARD Recipient
“When you meet a child with diabetes, you have the opportunity to help them write a better story that can endure for the rest of his or her life,” explains Francine R. Kaufman, M.D. as to why she has dedicated her considerable energies and career to the fight against childhood obesity and diabetes. “Diabetes is a life-altering disease; its influence spreads throughout the whole family, the school, and the community.”
This is a critical time in our nation's health history and Dr. Kaufman is at the epicenter of the fight to improve health. It is estimated that a child born in or after the year 2000 will have a one in three chance of developing Type 2 diabetes in his or her lifetime. Life expectancy is projected to be less for this generation of children than for their parents due to diabetes and other chronic conditions. Given the alarming increase in diabetes, Dr. Kaufman’s career as a pediatric endocrinologist has been devoted to the campaign against childhood obesity as a pre-cursor for Type 2 diabetes.
For more than 25 years, Dr. Kaufman has been one of America's leading researchers into childhood diabetes and is principal investigator for several
NIH-sponsored nationwide efforts to stem the tide of the diabetes epidemic, particularly among underserved and minority children. Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine, U.S.C., and head of the Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, she called national attention to the epidemic of obesity and its relation to the rise in diabetes with her influential book,
Diabesity: The Obesity-Diabetes Epidemic That Threatens America -- and What We Must Do to Stop It.
As national president of the American Diabetes Association in 2002-2003, Dr. Kaufman led the way in advocating for the prevention of diabetes and was instrumental in establishing the importance of diagnosing and treating pre-diabetes. She has created a number of programs to help people with diabetes such as support groups, family retreats, and seminars to improve the quality of life for children with diabetes and their families. For two decades, she served as the medical director at a summer camp for children with diabetes. In collaboration with the Starbright Foundation, she developed an interactive CD-ROM game that helps children understand and manage their disease. Dr. Kaufman also holds numerous patents on the formulation of "ExtendBar," a snack bar designed to prevent low blood sugar and to suppress appetite to help manage and prevent diabetes. With her co-workers at Childrens Hospital, she has developed the KidNFitness™ program that has been proven to be effective in reducing obesity and risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Named consistently in the Best Doctors in America, Dr. Kaufman was selected as the 2003 Woman of Valor by the American Diabetes Association in recognition of her outstanding dedication and commitment and has been deemed a Local Legend by the National Library of Medicine. She was recently elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science, the highest honor a physician-scientist can obtain.
Beyond providing medical care and performing research, Dr. Kaufman takes her campaign into communities to educate school boards and nurses, parents, and children and has been actively involved with state legislation mandating healthier foods for school children. She also co-directs a community research project in South and East Los Angeles. Funded by the WM Keck Foundation, the project engages the communities in determining best strategies to improve health. She has been funded to work in collaboration with Johnson and Johnson and their family of companies, including Lifescan and Neutrogena, to establish an after-school program to motivate children to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
With her husband Neal and sons Adam and Jonah, she co-founded the Diabetes Prevention Source to help individuals prevent obesity and diabetes and improve the lives of those with diabetes by implementing Internet-based support that facilitates behavior change.
Visionary pioneer, extraordinary physician, tireless advocate, leading researcher, and dedicated humanitarian, Dr. Kaufman personifies how the leadership of one individual makes a profound difference in changing the shape of healthcare. In recognition of her influential role in leading the fight against childhood obesity and diabetes, Partners in Care Foundation proudly honors Dr. Francine Kaufman as the recipient of the 2006 Mathies Award for Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership
