ADCES Fellow Spotlight: From Living with Diabetes to Leading Change
Jun 15, 2026, 11:14 AM
For Julia Blanchette, PhD, RN, CDCES, BC-ADM, FADCES, diabetes care and education was never something she “fell into.” Inspired by her own experiences growing up with type 1 diabetes, she entered nursing school already knowing she wanted to become a certified diabetes care and education specialist. Today, she combines clinical care, research, mentorship, and advocacy to improve diabetes care.
In this ADCES Fellows Spotlight, Julia shares her journey into the field, the challenges she navigated, and the advice she offers to others considering diabetes care and education.
Tell us about your career trajectory and how you got into diabetes care and education?
I went to nursing school as an undergraduate student with the goal of becoming a certified diabetes care and education specialist, which I think is a little different than some other people’s tracks. This was something I was very set on the whole time.
That was based on some very empowering and helpful experiences I had with my own diabetes care and education specialist growing up with type 1 diabetes. I was somewhat familiar with what the role entailed before I even went to nursing school, and my experiences there only further validated that this was what I wanted to do.
I had a hard time with bedside nursing because I didn’t like that I couldn’t help people solve problems and see how they grew and managed their condition once they went home. It was a sign that long term diabetes care and education was where I wanted to be.
As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to do a public health practicum and capstone project focused on community immunization education and building relationships with the community. I loved that, and I realized it was very similar to some of the work I could do as a diabetes care and education specialist.
I also had the opportunity to do clinical translational research as an undergraduate. Seeing how understanding something at the genetic level could translate into improving lives really sparked my interest in research.
After graduation, I went directly into a PhD program, which also isn’t a very common path from a BSN. Throughout my PhD, I worked part-time as a DCES because knew it was important to continue building clinical experience while training to become a clinical research scientist.
Today, I see patients one day a week at an outpatient diabetes center at a large academic medical center. Clinically, I do a lot of technology education and focus on life transitions like helping individuals transition from pediatric to adult diabetes care, transition into older adulthood, and supporting individuals who have a lot of care partners involved in their care. The rest of my time is focused on research around barriers to diabetes self-management during these life transitions and identifying ways to address gaps in the healthcare system.
What challenges did you face while building your career, and how did you navigate them?
The biggest challenge was that there really wasn’t a full-time diabetes care and education position waiting for me when I graduated. I had to piece together opportunities and create a pathway for myself.
One of the most important things I did was stay connected to my local diabetes community. I went to diabetes events, worked at diabetes camp, got involved with local diabetes organizations, and made sure I was meeting people in the field.
That’s actually how many of my opportunities happened.
When I upgraded my own insulin pump, I told the clinical services manager that I didn’t need training because I worked at diabetes camp and was already familiar with the technology. She asked me, “Are you looking for a job doing pump training?” and that conversation opened a major door for me.
Later, I applied for a diabetes care and education position at a community hospital even though I didn’t yet have my CDCES, which was listed as a requirement. I reached out directly to the hiring manager and explained that while I wasn’t certified yet, I was already doing insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring trainings, working in the diabetes community, and was close to being eligible for certification.
On paper, I wasn’t qualified. But putting myself out there and having that conversation made a difference.
The outpatient role I eventually took came about because I gave a presentation at a local conference. I literally bumped into the person who became my manager. We started talking, and I told her that if she was ever looking for someone to fill a role, I would love to talk more. She essentially started interviewing me right there.
A lot of my career has come from building connections, advocating for myself, and highlighting skills that might not have been obvious on a résumé or picked up by an application screening process.
What advice would you give to novice nurses or healthcare professionals interested in entering the diabetes care and education field?
I would encourage people to get involved in the diabetes community as early as possible.
Work at diabetes camp or volunteer at diabetes camp. Get involved with your local ADCES network or coordinating body. Start meeting people because those are the professionals already working in the diabetes space, and they genuinely want to bring more people into the profession.
Another thing I often recommend is volunteering at a free clinic or federally qualified health center. In many of those settings, you get hands-on experience providing diabetes care and education, and it’s a great way to build experience while serving your community.
Did you have mentors who influenced your journey?
I’ve had multiple mentors, and the biggest thing I learned from all of them was to just say yes and put myself out there.
There were so many people who believed in me and were excited that I wanted to enter this profession. They helped lift me up, introduced me to opportunities, and encouraged me to take on experiences that helped me grow.
Most of those mentors were people I met through local diabetes organizations or through ADCES and our Ohio network group.
How has your definition of success changed throughout your career?
When I first started, success meant creating enough opportunity to build a stable, full-time career that integrated everything I loved about diabetes care, education, research, and community involvement.
Today, I’m in a much more stable place professionally.
I’ve gone up for academic promotion, become a Fellow of ADCES, and earned my BC-ADM credential. Those were meaningful milestones for me, but honestly, I never felt like I wasn’t successful.
What has changed is how I think about success. Early on, it was about creating opportunities and building a career. Now, it’s less about doing all the things and more about doing work that feels meaningful and has impact.
I care more about contributing in ways that matter than simply adding more accomplishments to the list.