Mental Health Advisory Group

Beth Braun, PhD, is a health psychologist who has been specializing in diabetes management, nutrition, and behavior modification for over 25 years. In private practice, she works with adults and children facing diabetes burnout, anxiety, and depression. She works closely with ADA, JDRF, and several diabetes camps running support groups and integrating body and mind wellness. She advocates for ADA on the Safe at School advocacy team. Dr. Braun is the director for KidShape, a family-based wellness program where she develops curriculum to create health lifestyles and fight type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in children.
 

Debbie Butler, MSW, LICSW, CDE, is a clinical social worker in Boston, MA. She is the Director of the Behavioral Health Unit at the Joslin Diabetes Center. Debbie works with children, adolescents, adults, and their families on the behavioral and emotional issues related to living with diabetes. She also leads support groups for adults with type 1 diabetes and for adults with reactive hypoglycemia and is a lecturer in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Persis Commissariat, PhD, CDCES, is a clinical psychologist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, and assistant investigator at the Joslin Diabetes Center, as well as an instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. She provides individual and family therapy to children, adolescents, and young adults with diabetes, with a special interest in coping skills and diabetes education. Her research utilizes qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to identify challenges to engagement in diabetes care and acceptance of diabetes. She has a specific focus on improving psychosocial outcomes through enhancing illness identity and diabetes technology use.
 

Erika Forsyth, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist licensed in five states. She specializes in supporting children, adolescents, caregivers, and adults living with all forms of diabetes. Living with T1D since 1990, Erika understands the complexities of managing this chronic illness, and can integrate her personal experience with her professional expertise. Erika focuses on the social, emotional, and behavioral effects for both the people with diabetes and their caregivers. Erika is a frequent contributor on the Juicebox Podcast (Mental Health Series), along with contributions in other online communities including TCOYD and Type 1 in Midlife.

Gabriela Gibson-Lopez, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. As a bilingual and bi-cultural licensed clinical psychologist working in family medicine/primary care, she supports patients across the life span with prevention and self-management of various chronic health conditions, including diabetes, by seeking to understand the biological, psychological, and social cultural aspects that impact health and quality of life. She provides education and training to various health care professionals to help them identify, assess, and work effectively with a broad range of psychosocial and behavioral issues that are commonly encountered in family medicine/primary care.

David Liebert, EdD, is a professor in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences at St. Petersburg College. Dr. Liebert is also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a limited practice working with persons who are living with chronic pain and chronic health conditions, like diabetes. David has also been living with type 1 diabetes since his twenties.

Cynthia Muñoz, PhD, MPH, is a pediatric psychologist who holds an appointment as Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. Her clinical care and research centers on promoting the psychosocial well-being of children and families with diabetes from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Muñoz co-developed and continues to lead TEEN POWER®, a group intervention for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and the family. In addition to serving on this committee, Dr. Muñoz is President of the ADA Community Leadership Board for Southern California and a member of the ADA's national Safe at School Working Group.  

Ericka Rutledge, PhD, is a licensed clinical and pediatric psychologist at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, where she provides consultation-liaison services and behavioral health support as part of an integrated diabetes care team. Her personal experience with gestational diabetes and her family’s connection to diabetes fuel her commitment to enhancing support for youth and families navigating the condition. Dr. Rutledge’s clinical and research interests include advocacy and social justice, burnout prevention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and single-session therapy.

Aaron Sutton, MSW, is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University and the Behavioral Health Faculty at the Family Medicine Residency program at Abington Jefferson Health. He is a graduate of Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, and East Carolina University. He holds a master’s degree in social work as well as a graduate certificate in clinical addictions. 

Anthony Vesco, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist within the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Vesco has special interests in working with youth with diabetes who have also been exposed to psychological trauma and other chronic social stressors. He is published in the areas of family and individual emotional stress and its impacts on diabetes medical outcomes. In addition to his clinical and research interests, Dr. Vesco has developed and implemented professional education seminars and workshops on trauma-informed care practices within hospital systems and in the community.

Desireé Williford, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology and Center for Adherence and Self-Management at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Her research and clinical interests broadly intersect pediatric psychology, implementation science, and public health with a specific focus on the design, implementation, and cultural adaptation of evidence-based interventions and preventative programming for youth with diabetes and their families. Dr. Williford is particularly interested in applications of community engagement and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) principles in behavioral diabetes research and developing novel methods for assessing and intervening upon social determinants of health.

Nicole Bereolos, PhD, MPH, CPH, MSCP, CDCES, FADCES, is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified diabetes care and education specialist with a private practice in North Texas. She works with people living with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and obesity. Dr. Bereolos is a spokesperson for diabetes and mental health and has been interviewed for numerous articles targeted at patients and health care providers, including Diabetes Forecast, WebMD, DocRadio, Oprah Magazine, Healthline, etc. She also frequently speaks to various groups on topics related to the psychosocial aspects of chronic conditions. 

From 2018-2021, Dr. Bereolos served on the Board of the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists and became a fellow of that organization in 2021. In 2023, she was awarded the Texas State Diabetes Care & Education Specialist of the Year for her commitment to diabetes. Dr. Bereolos has served on various workgroups and editorial panels within the cardiometabolic space.