Type 1 University Faculty
Your T1U faculty features a diverse team of Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists with a true passion and talent for empowering people with diabetes. All instructors have a strong personal connection to diabetes and many years of professional healthcare experience.
Gary Scheiner MS, CDCES
Dean
A Certified Diabetes Educator, Masters-level Exercise Physiologist and person with type-1 diabetes since 1985, Gary Scheiner has dedicated his professional life to improving the lives of people with insulin-dependent diabetes.
Professor Scheiner earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from Benedictine University. He received his diabetes training with the world-renowned Joslin Diabetes Center. Professor Scheiner serves on the faculty of Children With Diabetes and is an active volunteer for the American Diabetes Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Diabetes Sisters, and Setebaid Diabetes Camps. He also serves on the clinical advisory boards for several diabetes device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.
Professor Scheiner has authored seven books: Think Like A Pancreas (2020, 2012, 2004), Diabetes: How to Help (co-author, 2018), Practical CGM (2015), Until There’s A Cure (2013), The Ultimate Guide to Accurate Carb Counting (2007), Get Control of Your Blood Sugar (2009), and You Can Control Diabetes (1997). He is also the lead author on several best-practice papers as well as dozens of articles for consumer and trade magazines and diabetes websites. He speaks at local, national and international conferences on a multitude of topics in diabetes care.
Professor Scheiner was named the Diabetes Educator of the Year by the American Association of Diabetes Educators in 2014. He also received the 1997 William Martin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Patient Activities by the American Diabetes Association, the 2003 Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Research Grant Award for the study of basal insulin profiles in insulin pump users, the 2006 Julie Betschart Award for his work in diabetes and exercise, and the Allene Van Son Award for the development of effective diabetes teaching tools in 1998, 2007 and 2009.
A devoted husband and father of four, Professor Scheiner enjoys exercising (especially basketball, bicycling, running and weightlifting) and cheering on his local Philadelphia sports teams.
Jennifer Smith, RD, LD, CDCES
Professor
Professor Smith joined Integrated Diabetes Services’ clinical team in 2011 and was instrumental in developing the first virtual diabetes education services. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, she has more than fifteen years of experience working with patients and their families to improve diabetes management. Prior to moving to Madison, she served as a key member of the endocrine team at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. An established guru in diabetes technologies, Professor Smith has had the pleasure of working with many diabetes and personality types, and understands that everyone’s needs and interests are unique.
Professor Smith has lived with type 1 diabetes since she was a child, so she has first-hand knowledge of the day-to-day events that affect diabetes management. She attended a diabetes-specific sports training camp in 2008 where she discovered her passion for achieving fitness goals while living healthfully with diabetes. In 2009 she successfully completed her first triathlon. This brought a deeper understanding of athletic training requirements and the importance of nutrition to realize athletic goals.
Professor Smith holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Nutrition and Biology from the University of Wisconsin. She is a Registered (and Licensed) Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, and Certified Trainer on most makes/models of insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitorings and hybrid closed loop systems. She is an active member of the American Diabetes Association and Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, and is a regular presenter on the JuiceBox podcast.
In December 2012, Professor Smith had her first baby, a beautiful boy named Oskar. A few years later, Conan joined the mix. The Smiths share their home with their dog Fillmore and cat Cornelius. In her free time, Professor Smith enjoys running, cycling, swimming, yoga, and kayaking. A culinary “experimenter”, she is fond of cooking and baking, with an eye on vegetarian options. Tops on her annual “to-do” list is to travel to strange and exotic places outside the US.
Alicia Downs RN, MSN, CDCES
Professor
Professor Downs’ diverse nursing career has given her experience with a broad range of health conditions in addition to diabetes. She is a proud graduate of the Cecil College School of Nursing and received her Master’s Degree in Nursing with a specialty in education from Western Governors University. She is an active member of the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists and Pennsylvania Nurses Association.
Professor Downs manages her diabetes with an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor. Her rocky road included years of misdiagnoses and ineffective treatments during her college years. That experience gave her the incentive to take the lead in her own health care and educate those around her.
After years as a director of a childcare center, Professor Downs made the career leap into nursing with the goal of becoming a diabetes educator. Her life has included many unique medical challenges including multiple auto-immune diagnoses and orthopedic conditions. However, she chooses to view these as opportunities to grow stronger rather than as barriers, and applies this approach to her clinical practice.
Professor Downs’ talents and passions are not restricted to diabetes education. She can be found as a regular performer on stage/film projects and with local bands. As an award-winning steampunk and cos-play designer, she enjoys building costumes and fashion pieces for her husband Tim and son Asher. She and Tim also share black belt martial arts training (she holds a first-, and Tim a third-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do). In more sedate moments, Professor Downs can be found curled up with a cup of tea, good book and her dogs Billie and Wicket.
Dana Roseman, MPH, CDCES, RDN, LDN
Professor
Professor Roseman joined T1U in 2020. She is a Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist and Registered Dietitian. She holds certifications in insulin pump therapy and obesity interventions for adults. She received a Master’s in Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago after receiving a Bachelor of Science with Honors at the University of Texas at Austin. After college, she served as an AmeriCorp volunteer on a variety of health education initiatives and played a key role in establishing the first school-based health clinic in the city of Chicago.
After being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and working closely with her diabetes educator, Professor Roseman was inspired to help others with their diabetes management. She went on to earn a degree in Clinical Nutrition from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and became a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. For almost 20 years, she has focused on helping improve patients’ lives through diabetes technology and applied research. She has trained patients on every currently-available model of insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor and has been involved in over twenty cutting-edge clinical trials related to advanced diabetes and obesity interventions. She is also a pioneer in the area of closed loop “artificial pancreas” systems and uses a hybrid closed-loop system personally.
Professor Roseman serves as the Research Information Liaison for the Dallas chapter of JDRF and serves on the JDRF National Speakers Bureau. She also serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations and is active with many local community service projects, including Camp Sweeney (a summer camp for children living with T1D).
In her free time, Professor Roseman loves to stay physically active and is committed to the belief that T1D need not slow anyone down. She is proud to have completed the New York Marathon (finishing with a blood sugar of 150 mg/dl!). She now lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband of twenty two years and three teenage children. Whenever a spare moment, she enjoys trail running, yoga and downhill skiing. In quiet moments, she enjoys making jewelry and reading historical fiction.
Kristi Paguio LMSW, CDCES, CSOWM
Adjunct Professor
Professor Paguio is much more than a woman with a lot of letters after her name. She is a licensed clinical social worker, certified diabetes care and education specialist, and board certified specialist in obesity and weight management. Kristi has been working in the field of diabetes since 2007 and has had the privilege of working with people across the lifespan who are impacted by diabetes.
Kristi was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2000 and has specialized in the mental and emotional aspects of diabetes since that time. She is passionate about empowering those living with diabetes to live the fullest life possible, building on their own personal strengths. Kristi incorporates enthusiasm and a great sense of humor, as she employs a real-life, practical approach to optimizing life with diabetes. Kristi has had the privilege to speak on state and national platforms, advocating and educating about the mental and emotional aspects of diabetes.
Kristi received her master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Michigan State University in 2002 and earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Liberty University in 1997.
Kathryn Gentile, ACSM-CEP, CPT
Adjunct Professor
Professor Gentile began her career in diabetes as an exercise physiology intern / diabetes educator in-training at Integrated Diabetes Services. She has since assumed administrative responsibilities in the office and guides patients looking for individualized exercise plans.
Professor Gentile received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology from Ave Maria University in Florida, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology from West Chester University in Pennsylvania. She is Certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as well as the International Sports Science Association.
Professor Gentile was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes at the age of twelve. She managed her diabetes independently from the getgo, switching from multiple daily injections to pump therapy to a hybrid closed loop system. Along the way, she has studied the effects of various forms of exercise on glucose levels and enjoys developing basic and advanced exercise prescriptions for patients.
Professor Gentile is an avid weight lifter, with a particular interest in crossfit. She participated in competitive cheerleading through high school and college, and coached at the college level. She and her cat Theo share an apartment near West Chester University. Her aspirations include hiking the Appalachian Trail, becoming a Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist and perhaps pursuing a doctorate degree.