BARBARA DAVIS CENTER AWARD OF THE PETER CHASE ENDOWED CHAIR TO DR. GREGORY P. FORLENZA

The Chase Endowed Chair was initiated in 1999. Dr. George Eisenbarth assumed the position of Executive Director of the Center in 1992 and initiated the idea of an endowed chair to honor Dr. Chase. Donations from families soon came in response to notice in the NewsNotes publication from the Children’s Diabetes Foundation (CDF). Continued funding since that time has come from a percentage of the Foundation’s profits from the Pink Panther educational books that Dr. Chase has authored or co-authored for over 50 years.

For a bit of history, Dr. Chase was asked to start a University of Colorado Children’s Diabetes Clinic in 1976. At that time, he identified 40 children with diabetes to start the clinic. The clinic merged with the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes (BDC) when it opened in 1980. Growth since then has been "astronomical" -- from 450 type 1 children in 1980 to now over 10,000 type 1 patients between the pediatric and adult clinics. Dr. O’Brien moved over and became the Executive Director of the Center in 1983. In 2014 the Center was rated by an international rating organization as the number one center for type 1 diabetes in the world. The number of full-time physicians has increased from one (Dr. Chase from 1980 to 1983) to 18 currently (pediatric and adult clinics combined). A history of the Center (and how patient care changed between 1980 and 2011) was written in 2011 and is available as a book from the Foundation. Sue Palandri, co-author and the first employee of the Foundation, provided many spectacular pictures for the book.

June 27, 2024

Other aspects of the history are as follows:

The Research Division of the Center has been very important and was initiated in 1984. It occupies the third and fourth floor of the Center and is directed by Dr. Lori Sussel.

The Adult Clinic was implemented by Dr. Satish Garg in 1991. It is now recognized as one of the outstanding centers for adult type 1 diabetes care and research in the world.

The Eye Clinic began full-time at the Center in 1996 by Dr. William Jackson. He came to the Center after having been in charge of eye care at the Denver Presbyterian Hospital for many years.

The Endowed Chair is important for many reasons other than just to honor the endowee. In tight financial times, it might provide salary support needed for the center to continue. This is particularly true at our Center where one-third of the patients have little or no insurance. It may allow the recipient independence in research, clinical care and teaching responsibilities. The offering of an endowed chair may attract an important new person to the center, or a current person to continue. Dr. Greg Forlenza is the new recipient of the endowed chair and will continue his work at the Center related to automated insulin delivery (AID; the artificial pancreas). The Chair will now support Dr. Forlenza, who is internationally known for his work advancing the development of diabetes technology, to improve the lives of children with diabetes.

With fond memories,

H. Peter Chase, MD, Professor Emeritus Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes