The WIELD Executive Leadership Team and Advisory Board
Who We Are
An advocacy group of professionals with interest in diabetes causes, complications, and comorbidities, who have a goal to increase the visibility of, and leadership representation by, women in our field.
The WIELD Executive Leadership Team
Darleen Sandoval, PhD
Director, WIELD
Elevate Working Group Lead
Professor
Section of Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
CU-Anschutz Medical Campus
Why WIELD: “Women continue to be vastly underrepresented in academic medicine leadership. I have had an amazing opportunity to work with women leaders in our field and their work and efforts should not be taken for granted. We have assembled a group of leaders in our field who want to change this underrepresentation.”
Jessica Dunne, PhD
Educate Working Group
US Medical, Autoimmune Diabetes Medical Director
Sanofi
Why WIELD: “As a woman who has personally faced discrimination because of my gender, I’m driven by a desire to pave a smoother road for those who come after me. My own experiences fuel my passion for equity and inclusion, propelling me to use my voice to make a tangible difference. Being part of WIELD isn’t just a professional endeavor for me—it’s deeply personal. As a part of WIELD, I hope to empower others & to use my voice and platform to amplify the voices of others, ensuring that every woman can thrive and lead in diabetes.”
Amelia K. Linnemann, PhD
Advocate Working Group Lead
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Indiana University School of Medicine
Why WIELD: “Women have made huge strides in recent years towards equality in the upper echelons of science leadership, but we still have a ways to go. By actively working to help women reach their full potential (and recognize they can!), I hope to play a role in truly equalizing the field so that young women in diabetes research and education can strive to be like leaders that look like them.”
Kanakadurga Singer, MA, MD
Educate Working Group Lead
Associate Professor
Valerie Castle Opipari, MD, Professor of Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
Associate Director for the Graduate Program in Immunology
Faculty Advisor in Faculty Development
University of Michigan
Why WIELD: “Promoting and creating gender equity in academic medicine has been a passion for me since starting my career. In order to create change in the field of diabetes a collective energy is needed to promote careers, sponsorship and policies to support women in this field. The work of WIELD is unique in trying to work together amongst those in the diabetes field to strategically support gender equity. There is a critical need for this work and I am excited to be a part of it.”
Nikki L. Farnsworth, PhD
Elevate Working Group
Assistant Professor
Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Colorado School of Mines
Why WIELD: “
Throughout my career I have always searched for ways that I can better support and promote women scientists. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by women leaders that have paved the way for future generations and have worked to level the playing field for women in science. Being a part of WIELD will help me to promote and empower women scientists to ensure women are represented at all levels of leadership in diabetes research.”
The WIELD Advisory Board Members
Mark A. Atkinson, PhD
American Diabetes Association Eminent Scholar for Diabetes Research
Jeffrey Keene Family Professor
Director, UF Diabetes Institute
Departments of Pathology and Pediatrics
The University of Florida
Why WIELD: “For decades, the accomplishments of women in diabetes research and care have not been recognized in an appropriate way. While I believe this unacceptable situation is getting better, it will not happen without proactive actions taken by organizations such as Wield. I strong believe its three-fold mission will, have a positive impact on the future for women active in the diabetes community”.
Linda A. DiMeglio MD, MPH
Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology
Department of Pediatrics
Indiana University School of Medicine
Why WIELD: “I have been advocating for women’s recognition and voice in research and leadership for many years – first through my role as a co-Chair of our medical school’s Women’s Advisory Council, then through participating in the Drexel Leadership in Academic Medicine, and most recently by co-authoring the Women’s Leadership Gap in Diabetes paper published in 2021. I am now excited to be involved with WIELD and continue this work going forward, particularly contributing to efforts in the area of amplifying women’s voices.”
Senta Georgia, PhD
Principal Investigator
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Keck School of Medicine, USC
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Gina Leinninger, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Physiology
Michigan State of University
Why WIELD: “My goal is to support and recognize talented women in our field to increase equity and representation in diabetes science.”
Jennifer Maizel, PhD, MPH, CHES
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Health
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
Why WIELD: “I joined WIELD because I am passionate about overcoming gender inequities in diabetes research, which affect me as a young scientist and person living with type 1 diabetes, as well as many other women. I have several years of experience working on health and gender equity initiatives and look forward to applying these experiences to WIELD’s critical efforts.”
Raghu G. Mirmira, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Director, Translational Research Center
Vice Chair for Research
University of Chicago
“Science advances through diversity—diversity of thought and diversity of approaches. I am a member of WIELD to ensure that we embrace diversity by recognizing and advancing the women who make extraordinary contributions to science.”
Maureen Monaghan, PhD, CDCES
Adjunct Associate
National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
George Washington University School of Medicine
Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases
Why WIELD: “The time for WIELD is now. Women and early career faculty and clinicians have been disproportionately negatively impacted by the COVID pandemic, widening existing gaps in leadership and advancement. WIELD is driven by a passionate group of diabetes professionals committed to elevating the profile of women working in diabetes research, clinical care, education, and advocacy. I am honored to serve on the WIELD Advisory Board and look forward to working with this outstanding group.”
Amanda L. Posgai, PhD
University of Florida Diabetes Institute
Why WIELD: “Our work (https://doi.org/10.2337/dci21-0015) has documented the disparate representation of women in leadership roles within the diabetes research community, including on editorial boards, award recipients, and funding at various career stages. It is our sincere hope that the WIELD coalition will, over time, address these shortcomings by providing a peer-support network that promotes the recognition and advancement of women in diabetes.”
Jane Reusch, MD
Professor of Medicine, Bioengineering and Interactive
Physiology
Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes
Associate Director, Ludeman Family Center
for Women’s Health Research
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
VA Staff Physician and Merit Investigator
Why WIELD: “Astonishingly, women remain an undervalued asset in academic medicine, specifically in the field of diabetes. As a translational physician scientist starting my academic career in the early 1990s, I was different in a few ways. First, it was uncommon to be both a basic and a clinical research scientist and next, to be a woman in those roles. Despite early academic accomplishments and leadership in national and international organizations, it seemed I was always needing to ”prove it again”. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity for extensive leadership training both locally at the University of Colorado and nationally through the “Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine” training program for national female leaders. Through these opportunities I learned that leadership skills can be taught and NEED to be taught because of different styles of leadership for many women. I have also learned that is an essential to pay it forward and sponsor the careers of women. To that end I am proud to be one of the co-founders of WIN ADA, Women’s Interprofessional Network of the ADA with WIELD founder Dr. Darleen Sandoval. WIELD is a vehicle to elevate women’s careers-I am thrilled to contribute to this mission.
Lori Sussel, PhD
Professor and Research Director
Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes
University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus
Kristy Townsend, PhD
Associate Professor
Director of Women in Medicine and Science
The Ohio State University
Why WIELD: The more women in similar fields share resources, support each other through mentoring/coaching/sponsoring/and more, and band together to elevate our colleagues and advocate for inclusion, we will hopefully see better gender equity in medicine and science in our lifetimes. WIELD is an important influence in all these areas for women+ in diabetes.
The WIELD Ad Hoc Advisory Board Members
Barbara E. Corkey, PhD
Zoltan Kohn Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Research
Department of Medicine
Boston University
Why Wield: ”Wield is important to create balance in many fields of medicine but particularly the area of metabolic disease that affects more than half of the population. My current major focus is on developing clinical/basic/behavioral collaborative multi-PI projects to explore novel approaches to understand and treat metabolic diseases. Women generally, but not always, handle leadership differently than men by promoting a collaborative team approach to problem solving. Our field needs this approach now.”
Laura C. Alonso, MD
Herbert J. and Ann L. Siegel Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Director, Weill Center for Metabolic Health
Weill Cornell Medicine
Why WIELD: “I am honored and excited to participate in WIELD as we work to engage all of our amazing talent towards finding urgently needed solutions to the devastating problem that is diabetes.”
Maureen Gannon, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty Development
Professor of Medicine
Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Why WIELD: “I am participating because I feel a strong obligation to help the next generation of women in diabetes research to succeed, thrive, and advance in their careers. I would like to see more women recognized for their contributions to diabetes research, both through their scientific discoveries and mentoring of trainees.”