Alexandria, VA (Jan. 18, 2012) – The American Diabetes Association, the nation’s largest voluntary health organization leading the fight to Stop Diabetes®, is pleased to announce that Henry Rodriguez, MD, clinical director of the USF Diabetes Center in Tampa, FL, has been named to its Board of Directors.

Dr. Rodriguez is Professor of Pediatrics at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida. He is leading the expansion of the USF Diabetes Center’s clinical and educational programs and initiatives in clinical and translational research. Dr. Rodriguez has been a local lead investigator on one national and two international multi-center trials investigating the causes of type 1 diabetes and a pilot trial to investigate selective immunosuppresion in individuals with new-onset type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Henry Rodriguez

As a member of its Board, Dr. Rodriguez is responsible for assisting with oversight of the Association’s business affairs. Additionally, he will work closely with the Association’s volunteers and staff on activities and initiatives in support of the organization’s mission during his tenure.

Dr. Rodriguez has been a supporter of the American Diabetes Association on both the local and national levels for 12 years. Locally, he has been a member of the Diabetes Camp medical staff committee in Indiana. Nationally, he has served as a member of the Scientific Sessions Planning Committee and the Research Grant Review Committee as well as Chair of the Pediatric Diabetes Interest Group. He has also been an active member of the Association’s effort to develop timely and pertinent guidelines to assist the transition of care for the adolescent and young adult with diabetes from the pediatric to the adult diabetes care provider.

Dr. Rodriguez holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and earned his MD from Albany Medical College in Albany, N.Y. He received his pediatrics training at the University of Miami and his endocrine training at the University of California, San Francisco.

Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes by 2050, unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.

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The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org.