Executive Director Ellen Goodstein, Board President Dr. Alex DePaoli, and Laura DePaoli.
Gail Arnold

About 350 supporters of the William Sansum Diabetes Center turned out on Saturday, August 26 for the 15th annual Taste of the Vine fundraiser held on the idyllic Summerland bluff grounds of QAD Inc. The center netted about $125,000 from the event for its research, care, and education programs.

Guests mingled on the expansive deck and grounds at QAD, enjoying the panoramic ocean views while sampling offerings from fine food and beverage purveyors. Cutler’s Artisan Spirits, Santa Barbara’s only distillery, was among the 37 food and beverage purveyors serving up tastes, with proprietor Ian Cutler personally serving his delectable spirits.

In her role as Mistress of Ceremonies, Executive Director Ellen Goodstein exuded the passion she brings on a daily basis to this critically important organization. She introduced Charles Mattocks, executive director of Reversed, a reality show about diabetes that premiered this summer on the Discovery Life Channel. Mattocks shared his enthusiasm for raising funds for diabetes, a disease that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

Board President Dr. Alex DePaoli shared some of the center’s exciting research projects, including developing an artificial pancreas. After 10 years of effort, the first device went on the market earlier this year. This hybrid artificial pancreas measures the blood sugar continuously and automatically adjusts basal insulin levels. Work continues on developing more advanced features. DePaoli also referenced the center’s work with diabetes and pregnancy, which has led to significant improvements in the health of both mothers and infants.

Lastly, he shared his excitement for the Mil Familias Project, which aims to reduce diabetes among the Latino population. For the next 10 years, 1,000 Latino families in Santa Barbara County will be followed to help determine why the incidence of diabetes is higher among this ethnic group. The project is run by a consortium led by the center that includes UC Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, Westmont College and Lilly Diabetes. With $1.25 million in seed funding, the project just began last month. In a recent study of 400 Latino residents in the County, 7 percent of participants not knowing they had the disease tested positive and a whopping 42 percent were prediabetic, which means they have a one in three chance of developing diabetes in the next three to five years.

Teen star Jackson Gillies, a Type 1 diabetic himself, wowed the crowd with a couple of his songs, and in between, shared his gratitude to the William Sansum Diabetes Center for all that it does.

The center (formerly known as the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute), is not part of Sansum Clinic, but was founded by Dr. William Sansum in 1944. It is a leading research institution that also provides direct clinical care to patients, including free services to thousands of Santa Barbara County residents. It also offers free education programs to the 50,000 county residents impacted by the disease.

For more info about the center, go to sansum.org.

If viewing this from a mobile device, click on “Desktop site” for more photos. Send event invites to Gail at society@independent.com.

Boardmember Wayne Hewitt, Boardmember Joan Arnold, Director of Research and Innovation Dr. David Kerr, and Boardmember George Emerson.
Gail Arnold
Treasurer Anthony Castillo, Boardmember and Immediate Past President Sandra Svoboda, and.Boardmember and lead event sponsor Curt Cruthirds.
Gail Arnold
Executive Producer and celebrity chef Charles Mattocks.
Gail Arnold
Director of Human Resources Crystal Sanker, Auctioneer Geoff Green, Marketing and Communications Manager Regina Ruiz, and Director of Development Ada Conner.
Gail Arnold
Mil Familias Project Coordinator Charis Hoppe and Dr. Leszek Czupryniak, European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
Gail Arnold
Julia DePaoli and Bryana Schantz.
Gail Arnold
2016 Teen Star Jackson Gillies.
Gail Arnold
Volunteers Patricia Zubas and Chrystal Sturm serve up pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage from Via Maestra 42.
Gail Arnold
Owner Ian Cutler from Cutler's Artisan Spirits.
Gail Arnold
Guests enjoy the event.
Gail Arnold
Guests enjoy the event.
Gail Arnold

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