I have my roots firmly established in South Carolina. I am one of 5 pediatric endocrinologists, 3 Nurse Practitioners, 3 Nurses, 2 Dietician/Diabetes Educators, 1 social worker, and 2 Research Nurses who all work together to provide care for about 1100 children with diabetes in the Upstate. I I was born and raised in the upstate of South Carolina, graduated from Riverside High School in Greenville SC and went on to graduate from the University of South Carolina Honors College with a degree in Biology. I had aspirations to be a doctor since a boy and was particularly interested in diabetes due to my uncle, Mitchell Dryman, having type 1 diabetes. During mycollege career, I worked with Dr. David Essig who introduced me to the wonders of a research. I was accepted to and graduated from the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC with a Doctorate of Medicine and Doctorate of Philosophy (MD/PhD). I attended Vanderbilt University for my Pediatric Residency and Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship. I spent the last 20 years devoted to children who suffer from diabetes both by providing medical care and participating in diabetes research. My research interests have included studying mechanisms of insulin action, insulin resistance, and most recently focused on type 1 diabetes prevention. I was the Medical Director for the Greenville Health System Div of Pediatrics Endocrinology, the Chair for the Institutional Regulatory Board Committee responsible for overseeing pediatric research from 2009-2019. I was promoted to Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville Campus in 2015. I am now the Division Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology, Medical Director of the Pediatric Diabetes Program and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU