40 million U.S. adults have diabetes and an additional estimated 115 million have pre-diabetes
I will confess something up front: I rewrote the first line of this post more times than I care to admit because nothing I typed matched how I actually feel. So I will simply say it… I am giddy with excitement to share what I am sharing in this post! As many of you know, caring for people living with diabetes is not just part of my work, it is a part of my clinical practice that I cherish. For me, this announcement is personal.
For those of us in primary care we are increasingly managing a trifecta of diabetes, metabolic disease, and obesity, often in the same patient and often in the same short visit. Meanwhile, science is advancing faster than any of us can comfortably keep pace with. However, therapies, guidelines, and even the language we use to talk with patients about metabolic disease have shifted remarkably in just the past few years. Advanced practice providers stand squarely at the intersection, where new evidence meets the realities of our patients’ lived experiences. Patients concerns are grounded in the future and the here and now, in things like the cost of a prescription, prior authorizations, benefits and risks, being told for decades that their health is simply a matter of willpower.
Keeping up requires more than good intentions, but trustworthy sources, delivered in a way that fits into a clinician’s actual life. Which brings me to podcasting. For NPACE, podcasting is one of the most effective ways to provide clinician impact almost in real time. In a single 30-minute episode, we can introduce you to a new colleague, unpack an emerging topic, or model a difficult conversation. Best of all, it travels with you… on a morning walk, on the commute, or while you stir a pot of dinner on the stove at the end of a long clinic day.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has embraced podcasting for the same reasons and it shares our conviction that primary care clinicians are central to the care of people with diabetes, metabolic disease, and obesity. It seemed only natural, or even fate, that our paths would cross.
That is why I am delighted to announce that beginning in October 2026, NPACE will collaborate with the ADA to share select episodes of its Diabetes, Obesity, and Cardiometabolic Update series, known as DOCs. For clinicians who manage these conditions, DOCs has become a trusted staple. Each 30-minute DOCs episode brings updates on new research and changing guidelines from the experts who helped shape them. NPACE is honored that the ADA has invited us to bring these conversations to the NPACE community.
As the DOCs host Dr. Neil Skolnik MD wisely said, “We live in a time of incredible innovation that has led to rapid advances in our ability to treat Diabetes Obesity and metabolic disease. Advanced practice professionals, specifically nurse practitioners and physician assistants, are integral to the provision of care of patients with diabetes, obesity, and metabolic disease nationwide. The collaboration between NPACE and ADA furthers our ability to work together and educate together to provide clinicians with cutting edge knowledge needed to provide optimal patient care.”
Mark your calendars:
Finally, a word of thanks. To everyone who listens, shares an episode with a colleague, or sends us a note about what you would like to hear next: you are the reason we do this. Thank you for trusting NPACE as a source of education for advanced practice clinicians. Please join me in welcoming the ADA to the NPACE family, and tune in to our first two episodes. In the meantime, you can explore the full DOCs library at https://docupdate.libsyn.com/site.
To find out more on NPACEs FON podcast here.
The DOCs are in, and I could not be happier to make the introduction.