National Expert on Diabetes Named to Legislative Task Force

Lois Jovanovic, M.D., chief executive and chief scientific officer of the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute and an adjunct professor of biomolecular science and engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has been named to the California Legislative Task Force on Diabetes and Obesity.

The 22-member task force is charged with studying the factors that contribute to the high rates of diabetes and obesity among Latinos, African-Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans. The committee will issue a report detailing its findings and recommendations, including possible legislative proposals.

Jovanovic, a national expert on diabetes, is chair of the UCSB Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (ESCRO) committee, the first of such committees in California to operate outside of a medical school. In addition, she serves as the attending physician for the Santa Barbara County Diabetes/Endocrine clinic. She is associate editor of "Diabetes Care," the journal of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), as well as a member of the ADA's national board of directors.

Established through the adoption of California Assembly Concurrent Resolution 114, the Task Force on Diabetes and Obesity consists of State Senators and members of the Assembly, representatives from several UC campuses, and delegates from the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the general public.