BDI Board of Directors

Stephanie Decker, RN, CDE
Professional Diabetes Educator and Trainer, the Scripps Whittier Institute for Diabetes

Stephanie Decker RN, CDE has been a diabetes educator since 1994. She is the Manager of Professional Education and Training at the Whittier Institute for Diabetes. Ms. Decker helps to educate healthcare professionals throughout San Diego and the United States with regards to patient-centered diabetes care and management. She has a special interest in addressing the challenges people with diabetes face who have cultural, language, and financial barriers to obtaining diabetes care. Ms. Decker volunteered with the UCSD Community Clinics, as well as Hurricane Mitch and Hurricane Katrina medical relief teams to provide diabetes care and support to people in Houston, Texas and the Honduras.

Pat Dodgen-Bower
Manager, Scripps Whittier Institute for Diabetes

Pat Dodgen-Bower, RN, MSN is Manager, the Scripps Whittier Institute for Diabetes, where she oversees outpatient, inpatient and clinical trial programs. Ms. Dodgen-Bower is a founding member of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute Board of Directors. She first became active as a diabetes health advocate when her own daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age six. Ms. Dodgen-Bower's undergraduate nursing education was attained at Samuel Merritt/St. Mary's College in Moraga, CA and graduate nursing administration education at San Diego State University. Several years ago, she provided diabetes education with Dr. Susan Guzman for the Healing Hearts Program at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, a comprehensive lifestyle change program for people with heart disease. Ms. Dodgen-Bower has managed diabetes healthcare services in San Diego over many years and has been actively involved in numerous volunteer efforts for diabetes in San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties.

Torrie Forbess

Torrie Forbess is an Institutional Diabetes Care Specialty Representative for Novo Nordisk, Inc. Ms. Forbess has worked in the pharmaceutical industry in sales and marketing for over twenty years. For the past seven years, she has worked for Novo Nordisk, Inc. which specializes in research and development of insulin for diabetes. She holds a certificate in Clinical Trials Management and is a Certified Coach. Since Diabetes can be expensive, time consuming and challenging to manage, Ms Forbess's special interest is to help individuals make important changes in their lives.

Michael Goodman

Michael Goodman is a retired Commissioner of the San Diego Superior Court after a twenty-eight year career. He now enjoys time with his family, friends and members of his religious congregation in addition to voluntary community service.

Mr. Goodman has received recognition for his work with the Small Claims Court Community Relations, Ethics in the Workplace and Consumer and Women’s Issues. Much of Mr. Goodman’s voluntary involvement with legal issues has been in the area of educating the public about rights and responsibilities. In this vein and his diagnosis as a type 2 diabetic, he has undertaken Board service with the Behavioral Diabetes Institute, helping to further the cause of treating the emotional side of the disease for children, adolescents and adults.

Susan Guzman, PhD
Director of Adult Clinical Services, the Behavioral Diabetes Institute

Susan Guzman, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in diabetes, both as a researcher as well as a clinician. As the Director of BDI Clinical Services, she developed and leads the multi-week depression series, “Feeling Good Again: Breaking the Depression/Diabetes Connection”. She was the project coordinator for BDI's Behavioral and Emotional Attitudes towards Diabetes (BEAD) study, which investigated the impact of type 2 diabetes following diagnosis, and has previously been involved in studies examining family-based interventions in diabetes as well as psychological insulin resistance. Her clinical interests include overcoming barriers to good management, family issues with diabetes, and the art of living well with diabetes. Dr. Guzman has previously served as the psychological liaison to Scripps Health’s Diabetes Advisory Committee and team psychologist for the Healing Hearts Program at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, a comprehensive lifestyle change program for people with heart disease.

Brian Haubenstock, CLU, ChFC
Financial Planner, Pinnacle Planning

Brian Haubenstock, CLU, ChFC is the President of the San Diego Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals (SFSP) and is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). Mr. Haubenstock was awarded Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter designations by the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He holds a degree from Tufts University and attended the London School of Economics. Mr. Haubenstock has provided personal financial and estate planning services since 1982.

Martin Lafontaine

As a Marketing Product Manager for GlaxoSmithKline International, Martin Lafontaine is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of new product launches in more than 120 countries, including Latin America, Middle-East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Australia, China and Russia. Mr. Lafontaine has more than 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, occupying various roles in sales, performance enhancement/training and marketing in various therapeutic areas, including diabetes management. His personal and professional interests are focused on diabetes and the worldwide need for more optimal care. Mr. Lafontaine's passion for diabetes has solid roots, beginning at age 13 when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He dedicates his free time to inspiring and challenging his peers with diabetes to free themselves from self-imposed limitations and supporting their efforts to live long, happy and healthy lives.

Susan Larue, RD, CDE
Diabetes Education Specialist, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Susan LaRue, RD, CDE is a Clinical Education Specialist at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where she uses her clinical and education experience in developing a broad range of diabetes programs and education materials. Ms. LaRue received a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Rochester Institute of Technology, did graduate work at Syracuse University in New York, and completed a Dietetic Internship at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Before accepting a leading role in diabetes education at Amylin, Ms. LaRue developed and managed the Professional Diabetes Education Program at The Whittier Institute for Diabetes. Her leadership roles include past president of the San Diego Association of Diabetes Educators. Ms. LaRue’s lifelong passion has been to improve the quality of life of those living with diabetes through state-of-the-art education about diabetes.

Gayle Lorenzi, RN, CDE

Gayle Lorenzi, RN, CDE has long been involved in the field of diabetes, with her experiences traversing the areas of clinical care, clinical research, education and advocacy. Since 1986, Ms. Lorenzi has been an active member of the study group for the landmark Diabetes Complications and Control (DCCT) study and the follow up Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study. The DCCT defined the relationship between glucose control and diabetes-related complications, and was instrumental in defining clinical goals and treatment methods for individuals with type 1 diabetes. The EDIC study continues to provide valuable insight into the long-term picture of type 1 diabetes and factors that influence the development of complications. Involvement in these studies has enabled Ms. Lorenzi to be actively involved in the translation of research findings into clinical practices and guidelines for diabetes care.

Ms. Lorenzi is a registered nurse, and maintains active involvement with several professional organizations that promote the health and education of individuals with diabetes, such as the American Diabetes Association and American Association of Diabetes Educators. She has worked within the pharmaceutical industry, and collaborated with various public health agencies and academic institutions to improve the understanding of diabetes by professionals and the public. She has been instrumental to continued growth of Camp Wana Kura, a day camp for children with diabetes in San Diego since its inception in 1990. She has published in several professional and lay journals and presented at local, national and international scientific conferences.

Jerry Penso, MD, MBA
President, the Behavioral Diabetes Institute
Associate Medical Director, Quality Programs, Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group

Jerry Penso, MD, MBA is a physician executive dedicated to improving the health care delivery system. He currently serves as associate medical director, quality programs for Sharp Mission Park and Sharp Rees-Stealy medical groups in San Diego. Sharp HealthCare, a 2007 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, is the largest integrated health care delivery system in San Diego, California. Sharp Mission Park, a primary care medical group, is located in northern San Diego County with 80 physicians, 8 sites, and serves over 60,000 patients. Sharp Rees-Stealy, an affiliated multi-specialty medical group, has 18 sites throughout the county, over 350 physicians and serves 200,000 patients. Dr. Penso coordinates Pay for Performance initiatives and chronic disease management for the two medical groups, leading both medical groups to statewide recognition for outstanding clinical quality outcomes. He currently serves on the Integrated Healthcare Association Board of Directors, a statewide policy group that brings together top decision makers from the major sectors of the health care industry.

He previously practiced as a family physician with SHARP Mission Park Medical Group for over fourteen years. He received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, his medical degree from the University of Southern California., and an MBA from San Diego State University. He has received numerous awards, including the Mead-Johnson award for Graduate Education in Family Practice. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the San Diego County Medical Association, and the California Medical Association.

William H. Polonsky, PhD, CDE
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, the Behavioral Diabetes Institute
Associate Clinical Professor in Psychiatry, University of California San Diego

Dr. William H. Polonsky received his PhD in clinical psychology from Yale University and has served as Chairman of the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators, Senior Psychologist at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is an active researcher in the field of behavioral diabetes, a licensed clinical psychologist and certified diabetes educator. Dr. Polonsky has served on the editorial boards of numerous lay and professional journals in diabetes, including Diabetes Care, Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes Forecast, Diabetes Self-Management and Diabetes Health.

Chris Stiehl
President, StiehlWorks

Chris Stiehl is an author (Pain Killer Marketing), a teacher (at UC-San Diego) and a market research and strategic consulting professional. He has over 30 years experience working in and for Fortune 500 companies. Chris is currently president of StiehlWorks, a consulting firm specializing in “Voice of the Customer” studies. Mr. Stiehl has worked in product design, strategic planning, marketing and market research, competitive analysis, engineering and in management – including the design and implementation of call center metrics and customer satisfaction studies. His resume includes Eli Lilly and Company, Wyle Laboratories, Polaroid Corporation, Cadillac Division of General Motors, Pacific Gas & Electric Company and Applied Marketing Science. His client list includes Johnson & Johnson, Palm, Cisco Systems, Flowserve and Kennametal.

Ashley Wendel, MA, CMC, PDC
Founder and Principal, High Agility Healthcare

Ashley Wendel, MA, CMC, PDC received a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Behavioral Medicine, and spent 7+ years studying and working in the areas of clinical diagnostics, neuropsychological testing, quantitative/qualitative research design and delivery, and medical behavioral intervention. Ms. Wendel also spent a number of years working in the corporate sector for the management consulting firm Accenture as a Senior Organization and Human Performance Consultant, specializing in Change Management and Organizational Development for Fortune 100 companies. More recently, Ms. Wendel founded High Agility Healthcare, a coaching and consulting practice which specializes in working with physicians and/or healthcare organizations in transition, helping them to create change which positively impacts their professional lives. Ms. Wendel's passion for diabetes grew as a result of her husband being diagnosed with type 1 eleven years ago, and is sustained by both witnessing her husband's hour-to-hour effort to manage his diabetes effectively, and experiencing the partnership it takes to support a loved one's living well with diabetes.

Emily Yanushka
Small Contractor Outreach and Opportunities Program Manager

Emily Yanushka manages the Small Contractor Outreach and Opportunities Program (known as “SCOOP”) for the San Diego County Water Authority. SCOOP is designed to ensure participation of small businesses on Water Authority procurements and contracts through outreach, technical assistance and training initiatives. Yanushka establishes program outreach goals and monitors small business progress to ensure that good faith efforts are made to create opportunities for small businesses. Under her stewardship, the number of small businesses that participate on Water Authority projects and small business dollars have increased yearly. Prior to her work with the Water Authority, Yanushka held both private sector and government human resources and equal opportunity positions, including the U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, and the Port of San Diego.

Wendy Young, RN, MSN, ANP, CDE
Diabetes Nurse Practitioner, Kaiser Permanente

Wendy Young, RN, MSN, ANP, CDE received a Master of Science degree in Nursing and certification as an Adult Nurse Practitioner from the University of California, San Francisco. She has served as a Clinical Professor for the UCSF School of Pharmacy and currently precepts other nurse practitioners, physician assistants and medical residents in managing patients with diabetes. Ms. Young has worked as a diabetes Nurse Practitioner since 1985. She currently has a clinical practice that focuses on managing patients with complications of diabetes. Her passion is to help prevent kidney failure in patients with known Chronic Kidney Disease.