Gretchen Benson, RD, CDE, is a health care project manager for the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) in Minneapolis, Minn. Her primary role is to serve as the health care liaison for Hearts Beat Back: The Heart of New Ulm Project, a 10-year research and demonstration project to reduce myocardial infarctions among residents of New Ulm, Minn. This project is a joint collaboration among Allina Health, MHIF, and New Ulm Medical Center.
Ms. Benson has spent the past 6 years managing various clinical programs with focus areas including bariatric surgery, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and, most recently, a program that targets individuals at high risk for coronary heart disease.
She has also written many articles on topics ranging from general nutrition to bariatric surgery and diabetes. She is a member of the American Diabetes Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is a past publications chair for the latter's Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group.
Sayeed Ikramuddin, MD, is a board-certified general surgeon who specializes in bariatric surgery at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He is a professor of surgery at the university, and his clinical practice encompasses primary and complex bariatric surgery and advanced minimally invasive surgical procedures. His research interests focus on the clinical impact of bariatric surgery on type 2 diabetes and the effects of bariatric surgery on adipose tissue function.
Note of disclosure: Dr. Ikramuddin has received grant support from Covidien and serves as a proctor for Ethicon. Both companies manufacture surgical staplers and banding equipment.
Diabetes Spectrum associate editor Jeffrey J. VanWormer, PhD, coordinated this From Research to Practice section.
