I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2001 when I was 22 years old, and have been living with it, thinking about it, participating in clinical trials for it, and writing professionally about it for more than a decade. Today, in addition to reporting and blogging for A Sweet Life and participating in the diabetes online community, I work as a public speaker, patient advocate, consultant, writer and usability expert specializing in bridging the gap between (and aligning the incentives of) patients, pharmaceutical and device companies, researchers, healthcare providers, and government and private payers — with the goal of improving outcomes for all. I have a particular interest in patient education and engagement, as well as in bringing the patient perspective to product development, since it’s patients themselves who best understand patient needs.
As an active member of the diabetes online community and person with diabetes myself, I am acutely aware of the physical and emotional demands of diabetes (see my New York Times article “Thinking About Diabetes With Every Bite,” for more details). And as a teacher, professional writer, and entrepreneur, I love nothing more than to brainstorm and collaborate with people on creative products and services that might lessen the burden of life with this disease.
In addition to my inadvertent graduate degree in diabetes, I also have a BA in history from Yale University and a Masters in Journalism from the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley. My journalistic work has appeared in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, Slate, Salon, Popular Science, O, the Oprah Magazine and Men’s Journal, among others. I’m also the author of an upcoming book about the history and psychology of vitamins and nutrition, to be published by the Penguin Press.
For examples of my non-diabetes-related work, please visit catherine-price.com.