In 1984, José Gabriel, a six-month-old boy in Quito, Ecuador, went into a coma and was diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. Despite the efforts of his parents, both of whom were physicians, they could not keep him healthy. His parents spent most of the family's income on insulin, but eight years later José fell into another coma. José’s family saved money and sent him to the U.S. for treatment where they soon discovered that a lack of education is as dangerous as a lack of insulin.
AYUDA was founded in 1996 by two teenagers with a vision that spawned from meeting Jose Gabriel. Since then AYUDA has grown significantly in capacity and reach to become an organization that is recognized as an international leader in the development and delivery of diabetes education, advocacy and youth empowerment. AYUDA’s successful growth is a product of the diligence and dedication of its volunteers. AYUDA's vounteers range from high school students to health care professionals. The majority of volunteers that participate in AYUDA's programs are students in college or graduate school.
What is AYUDA?
American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad, Inc. (AYUDA) is a nonprofit organization that empowers youth to serve as agents of change in diabetes communities around the world. An organization run for youth by youth, AYUDA thrives on the premise that youth can serve as agents for change. AYUDA is dedicated to working with local diabetes communities to develop and implement sustainable diabetes programs throughout the world, with its initial focus emerging out of Latin America. AYUDA’s peer learning model trains teams of international volunteers to work with and motivate youth in local diabetes communities, as well as others in their communities, to live happier and healthier live with diabetes. In the Fall of 2007,AYUDA was granted Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Merith Basey, from the UK, first joined AYUDA in 2004 follow her postgraduate studies on Latin America at La Universidad Complutense in Madrid. Merith went on to serve as AYUDA's first Country Officer in Ecuador, later joining the the headquarters in Washington DC as Global Program Director, where she was responsible for growing AYUDA's country programmes and strengthening local capacity in Ecuador, Bolivia and Belize. Merith is currently studying a Masters in Public Health in Developing Countries at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Rafael Fuchs-Simon
Raffi was born and raised in Washington DC. Since his first trip to Ecuador in1995, he has been a part of the AYUDA team working on a variety of projects. In his decade of service for AYUDA he has done everything from graphic design, leadership training, and volunteer coordination to name a few. He is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Fluent in English and Spanish and a voracious world traveler with a fondness for travel in the former Soviet Bloc, Raffi has helped AYUDA’s expansion into Eastern Europe. In the beginning of 2007, Raffi moved to Barcelona, Spain to pursue work in documentary film but continues his work with AYUDA whenever possible.
Jacob Osterhout
Jacob Osterhout became involved with AYUDA as a volunteer in the summer of 2002. His involvement has taken many forms, most notably attending nearly every Campo Amigo program; he is a favorite among campers worldwide. A native of Washington, DC, Jacob has lived in Ecuador and Argentina working as a journalist and writer. He continues his responsibilities as Editor or the season newsletter and continues to attend as many Campo Amigo programs as he can to the delight of the campers.
Vanessa Ng
Vanessa Ng, originally from Columbus, Ohio is currently a Medical student studying at the State University of New York. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Cantonese, and a former ballerina, she joined the AYUDA team in 2005 as a volunteer and continued her work as the Alumni coordinator helping AYUDA maintain relations with its former volunteers and many individual donors. Vanessa works with many AYUDA alumni coordinating events throughout the year in New York City. Especially notable was her AYUDA Gala 2006, which helped raise awareness of AYUDA in New York City. After studying further with the AYUDA medical staff during the summer of 2007 in Ecuador she is considering pursuing Endocrinology.
Nicola Atack
Nicola was born and raised near London she has an undergraduate degree in English Literature. And in 2003, she moved onto a more vocational Masters course in Environment, Development and Policy at Sussex University. Wanting to balance these studies with international health development work, she became involved with AYUDA two years ago. Now Nicola works full time in the UK, before beginning a course in Public Health in the Developing World.
Fellows
Rachel Steinman
Research Fellow
Rachel is a second year medical student at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. She is originally from New Rochelle, NY, and went to Barnard College, where she majored in biochemistry. She has had type 1 diabetes for 20 years, and is considering specializing in Endocrinology after medical school. She had a very eye-opening experience participating in the AYUDA program in Ecuador last summer and learned a great deal about Ecuadorian culture, taking care of children and adolescents with diabetes, and the treatment and perceptions of diabetes in Ecuador.
Natalie Eidelman
Photojournalist Fellow
Natalie Eidelman, a Los Angeles native, first joined the AYUDA team in the summer of 2004 as a volunteer at Campo Amigo Ecuador. She has since participated in many of AYUDA’s programs throughout Latin America. A diabetic herself, she is passionate about AYUDA’s cause, and has dedicated herself to educating and bringing hope to others with the disease. Natalie is currently studying photography at the Hallmark Institute of Photography in Western Massachusetts and hopes to use her photographs to help spread awareness about AYUDA. This summer, in addition to working with AYUDA, she will be returning to Los Angeles to open a professional portrait studio in the area. Natalie is fluent in English, Russian, and Spanish.
Senior Volunteer Advisors
Meredith Anderson
Senior Volunteer Advisor
Meredith is a graduate of Lehigh University where she studied both Biology and Political Science. Passionate both for science and working in the community, Meredith joined the 2006 corps of Teach For America. For the last three years, she has been teaching middle school science in Brooklyn and recently completed here Masters Degree in Education. Meredith was originally drawn to AYUDA because of her interest in science, education, and, of course, working with children. After volunteering in both Ecuador and Bolivia, Meredith knows that AYUDA will always be a part of her life and will continue to be involved with developing a dynamic education curriculum and assisting program growth.
Ali Stein
Senior Volunteer Advisor
Anna Floreen
Senior Volunteer Advisor
Caitlin McEnery
Senior Volunteer Advisor
Volunteer Advisors
Anna Pollock
Volunteer Advisor
With interests in public health, international travel and speaking as much spanish as possible, Anna joined the AYUDA team in Ecuador in 2008. She since then has traveled to Bolivia and continues helping out in the office in Washington. A native to the DC area, Anna graduated from the University of Rochester in 2008 with a BA in Health & Society and a minor in Spanish. She currently works as a Research Assistant for Children's National Medical Center in Washington, teaching nutrition education and obesity prevention strategies to Latino families.
Maria Camila Velasquez
Volunteer Advisor
Maria Velasquez was born in Medellin, Colombia and moved to the United States in the year 2000. She is currently studying for her Bachelor's Degree in Human Services with a concentration on Administration and Public Policy at the University of Delaware. She first volunteered for AYUDA with the Bolivia program in January, 2009. Since then, she saw that AYUDA was an organization she wanted to be committed to and is continuing to volunteer with anything she can. She will be joining the Ecuador 2009 team as a Project Supervisor.
Allie Lieberman
Volunteer Advisor
Alicea received her Bachelor's Degree from The George Washington University in 2008, where she majored in International Affairs and double-minored in Spanish and Psychology. In the fall she will be beginning her graduate degree at The University of North Carolina's School of Public Health in the department of Health Behavior Health Education. Allie was originally drawn to AYUDA in the spring of 2007 because of her passion for human rights, health, children, and Latin America. After working in the DC office for 14 months and traveling to both Belize and Ecuador, she knows that AYUDA will be a part of her life forever. While residing in Chapel Hill, Allie plans to continue assisting program growth, and hopes to have a positive impact on all those whose lives AYUDA touches.
Dr. Nicolas Cuttriss is a Washington D.C. native who attended Georgetown Day School, graduated from the University Pennsylvania with a BA in International Relations, and completed his medical training through the MD/MPH program at George Washington University School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Cuttriss co-founded AYUDA with Jesse Fuchs-Simon after witnessing the overwhelming lack of education and awareness surrounding diabetes in Ecuador in his freshman year of high school. Dr. Cuttriss has received national and international recognition for his work with AYUDA for which he has been invited to present his research and work with AYUDA around the world. Dr. Cuttriss currently serves as Chairman of the Board of AYUDA and is completing a Pediatric Residency Program at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.
Jesse Fuchs-Simon, Esq.
President
Co-Founder
Jesse Fuchs-Simon, a Washington D.C. native who attended Georgetown Day School, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in History and Sociology of Science, and received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Jesse was a Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador where he worked on a World Health Organization research program involving Type I diabetes. Jesse has guided AYUDA's activities in countries around the world. Jesse currently practices law in the Philadelphia metropolitan area at the law firm of Barroway Topaz Kessler Meltzer & Check, LLP.
Adam Ross, MA
Vice President
Adam Ross grew up in Minnetonka, graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and received his Masters degree from the Kennedy School of Government. After he lived in Ecuador working to promote and strengthen AYUDA’s programs. Adam works in the Human Development Network at the World Bank, where his responsibilities include the design and management of rigorous impact evaluations of key health and education projects.
Jenny Osterhout
Director
Jenny Osterhout is a Washington D.C. native who attended Georgetown Day School, graduated from Duke University and received her Masters degree in International Affairs and Development at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. She has been a part of AYUDA since 2003, when she volunteered with AYUDA and spent the summer living in Ecuador. Jenny currently works as an associate at McKinsey and Company in Mexico City, Mexico.
Advisory Board
Barry Conrad, MPH, RD, CDE
Barry Conrad is a dietitian and certified diabetes educator that has been involved with several diabetes camps in the United States for over 10 years. He has been going to diabetes camp in Ecuador since the summer of 2003 and is fluent in English and Spanish.
Jared Hendricks
Jared Hendricks has been an avid supporter of AYUDA since the summer 2001 when he traveled to Ecuador as a counselor at CAE '01. Jared was one of AYUDA’s first youth volunteers. Jared was formally the Treasurer of AYUDA and member of the Board of Directors. Currently, Jared works in private equity in New York, New York at Centerbridge Partners, a private equity and distressed investment firm.
Gary Jonas
Gary Jonas is the CEO of Strategic Planning Advisors. He has been a board member and consultant to a wide variety of non-profit organizations. Gary served as the first managing partner of Venture Philanthropy Partners. He is a social entrepreneur and serves as a non-profit consultant to AYUDA.
Francine Kaufman, MD
Dr. Kaufman is the Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine. She is a leader in the international diabetes community. Dr. Kaufman is also the head of the division of endocrinology and metabolism. She is also Director of the Comprehensive Childhood Diabetes Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. In 2002, Dr. Kaufman was president of the American Diabetes Association and the author of the book Diabesity.
Jose Mosquera, MD
Dr. Mosquera originally became involved with AYUDA in 1996 when it was first founded. Dr. Mosquera is from Quito, Ecuador and works for MedPharm Pharmaceutical Products and GlobalEMed.com. Before leaving Ecuador, Dr. Mosquera served as director of volunteer activities for INNFA, the Ecuadorian national health program for children and families. Dr. Mosquera has a son with diabetes who has participated in AYUDA programming since its inception.
Hernán Rosenberg, PhD
Dr. Rosenberg works for the Pan-American Health Organization, where he heads the program support group in the strategic planning area. Dr. Rosenberg also has a son with type 1 diabetes.
Dorothy Schoening
Dorothy Schoening was a founding board member of AYUDA and has participated in various diabetes education and support projects since 1986, when her son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Linda Siminerio, MD, PhD
Dr. Siminerio is the Executive Director of the Diabetes Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Siminerio is a Vice President of the International Diabetes Federation and has served as President of the American Diabetes Association.
Sam Wentworth, MD
Dr. Wentworth specializes in pediatrics, endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. Dr. Wentworth has been a pioneer in diabetes and diabetes camping initiatives. In addition to empowering youth with diabetes in the United States, Internationally, Dr. Wentworth helped facilitate a diabetes camping program in Russia and was a founder of the Diabetes Education Camping Association.
