Francine Kaufman to Receive Woman of the Year Award

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LOS ANGELES, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Francine R. Kaufman, MD, President, American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Division Head of Endocrinology at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), will receive the Woman of Valor Award on Thursday, February 6, 2003, for her lifetime achievement in the fields of pediatric endocrinology and clinical research, and her dedication to improving the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Tommy G. Thompson, U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS), 2002 recipient of the American Diabetes Association C. Everett Koop Medal for Health Promotion and Awareness, will present Dr. Kaufman with the award. In her roles as a volunteer leader of ADA, practicing endocrinologist at CHLA, and professor of medicine at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, Dr. Kaufman has made a positive difference in the lives of both children and adults with diabetes. The charity event, held in Beverly Hills, California, will benefit the American Diabetes Association and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Dr. Kaufman has devoted most of her remarkable life to people with diabetes. As a medical professional, she has been an active volunteer with the American Diabetes Association since 1978. The Association honored her with the award for Outstanding Contribution to Children and Youth with Diabetes in 1996. Among many other leadership roles in the Association's California Region, she has served as President of the Board of Directors and Chair, Youth and Camping Committee. Nationally, she has served on the Association's Board of Directors since 1993, and has held the positions of Chair, Government Relations Committee, and Chair, Professional Education Task Force. In June 2002, she became the second woman ever elected President of the American Diabetes Association.

"Dr. Kaufman's energy and passionate commitment to the diabetes community are unparalleled. Whether seeing patients and their families in her clinic, conducting research in her lab, or walking the halls of Capitol Hill lobbying on behalf of more funding for diabetes research, her commitment to the cause is evident in everything she does," said John H. Graham IV, CEO, American Diabetes Association. "The American Diabetes Association has benefited tremendously from Dr. Kaufman's tenure as President, and on behalf of all people with diabetes, we thank her for her tireless devotion and exceptional leadership."

Dr. Kaufman maintains a full-time practice at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, and has set up numerous support groups, family camps, retreats and family seminars to aid those under her care. She is currently head of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the hospital, and has created a number of tools for managing diabetes, including insulin dosage guides, a CD- ROM diabetes game. She is also a pioneer in the use of insulin pumps and helped create a special snack bar designed for people with diabetes. Dr. Kaufman received the CHLA Rothman Award for her excellence in teaching, and has been a visiting professor in China, Mongolia, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, South America and Europe.

Dr. Kaufman has received continual research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1980, and has focused her work on a variety of diabetes-related areas, including type 1 and type 2 diabetes prevention, the endocrinology of HIV infection, and galactosemia, a rare inborn metabolic error. She has published her research extensively and frequently presents her findings at national and international diabetes and endocrinology meetings.

Recently, Dr. Kaufman served on a White House Summit on Healthy on Healthy Schools/Healthy Students and, as chair of a Blue Ribbon Task Force on Fitness in Children and Youth for Los Angeles County, was instrumental in banning school vending machines on many public school campuses in the Los Angeles County School District. She is also one of the medical directors of Camp Chinnock, a camp for young people with diabetes in the San Bernadino Mountains.

Honorary committee members of the Woman of Valor black-tie gala include actress and children's author Jamie Lee Curtis, director and actor Rob Reiner, Danny De Vito, Rhea Perlman, Steven J. Ryan, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Walter W. Noce, Jr. President and CEO, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Congressman Henry Waxman, Todd Zeile of the Colorado Rockies baseball team, and film producers Lucy Fisher and Doug Wick. Actresses and diabetes advocates Delta Burke and Jean Smart, a previous Woman of Valor honoree, are also expected to attend.

The Woman of Valor Award, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association, recognizes outstanding women who have made significant contributions to the Association's mission. Previous honorees include the novelist Iris Dart, Lynda K. Fisher, MD, Dr. Lenore Miller, and Kathleen L. Wishner, MD, PhD, the first woman elected president of the American Diabetes Association.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's premier voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to hundreds of communities. The Association's commitment to research is reflected through its scientific meetings; education and provider recognition programs; and its Research Foundation and Nationwide Research Program, which fund breakthrough studies looking into the cure, prevention, and treatment of diabetes and its complications. For more information, please visit http://www.diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383).

Source: American Diabetes Association
CONTACT: Mark Overbay, +1-703-549-1500, ext. 2290; or Carol Eisner, Los Angeles,
+1-310-839-1400, both of the American Diabetes Association
Web site: http://www.diabetes.org