Our Community: Passionate Pursuits

November Holds Special Meaning for Lab Manager

November is National Diabetes Month which aims to raise awareness of the disease and its impacts on the almost 30 million people in the U.S. who have it. One of those people is Scott Ries who has had Type I diabetes nearly his entire life, and he’s been helping work toward a cure for almost as long.

A Territory Manager of Lab Support at Aspen Dental Management Inc. in Pittsburgh, Ries was diagnosed in 1971 at age five. In the mid-1980s, he joined the University of Pittsburgh’s Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDC) study, which follows patients with Type I diabetes to learn more about complications and treatment options. 

Originally intended as a 20-year project, the study has continued for over 30 years after the program received additional funding. Every two years, Ries spends about a half-day undergoing tests such as blood draws, cardiac checkups...