I had another truly top-tier medical professional on the show recently. He has a list of credentials as long as your arm, and a personality such that you’d never know it. He was very impressive, so much so that now Mom wants an appointment.
Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., is the new chairman of the Department of Medicine for UHealth-University of Miami Health System. He came on the show to talk about two things:
– Diabetes.
– His vision for UHealth.
Weiss said we’re in a “golden age” of medicine in terms of our ability to diagnose and treat diabetes.
“We are beginning to understand that this is a complex disease that is a factor of our genes, our lifestyle, what we eat and what we’re exposed to in our environment,” he said.
Weiss said we have to take all of these factors into account when planning diabetes care. A wealth of new medications are available, he said, and we’re beginning to understand what meds work better with different populations.
“It’s really important that patients with diabetes not only be taken care of by their primary physician but also are taken care of by an endocrinologist,” he said.
I had a friend who got diabetes later in life. I just assumed he was a glutton. He said it runs in his family. So I asked Mom about it, and she said, “You know, it runs in our family.”
Great. Just great.
Weiss said, however, that adult onset of diabetes is usually a combination of heredity and lifestyle. There are many people with diabetes who don’t even know it. The damage isn’t done overnight, he said. It accumulates over the years.
But if it’s caught early, much of the trouble with diabetes can be prevented, he said.
Weiss said his plans for UHealth are to take more messages like diabetes awareness to the community.
“We are really poised to help to develop new cures for chronic diseases, to discover new diseases, and to enter into this era of what we call personalized medicine,” he said
“We have a specific goal, and feel a mission, to help the people of our community in South Florida, but we really want to improve society.”
Spoken like a true professional and humanitarian. So, if you’re struggling with diabetes or think you’re at risk for it, go see Dr. Roy E. Weiss as soon as possible.
He’s Mom-approved.
