Boise State University will be hosting a free screening of the documentary “Sugar Babies: The Bittersweet Truth about Diabetes” at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Boise State Special Events Center.
A vendor fair from 5:30-6:30 p.m. will provide information about diabetic supplies, insulin pumps, local health care services and more. Vendors include Medtronic, DexCom, Novo Nordisk, Tandem, St. Luke’s Medical Center and others.
In 2002, Jenny Mackenzie’s 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Ten years later, Mackenzie reveals the spiraling epidemics of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in children through five real-life stories, including her own. She uncovers the solutions that are within our reach and what we can do to take back the health of our next generation.
Following the screening, Mackenzie will lead a panel in answering audience questions. The panel includes:
- Shawn Dunnagan, Boise State Department of Community and Environmental Health
- Daniel Flynn, medical director, St. Luke’s Children’s Endocrinology
- Lisa Taylor, St. Luke’s Children’s Endocrinology
Dunnagan has experience in public health working to prevent diabetes, improve nutrition education, and develop “peer to peer” programming on all seven Indian Reservations in Montana. Before joining Boise State’s Department of Community and Environmental Health in 2011, Dunnagan served as an instructor in the Department of Nutrition at Montana State University providing instruction in Medical Nutrition Therapy, Fundamentals of Nutrition and coordinating student clinical experience.
The event is sponsored by the Division of Research and Economic Development, the Department of Biology, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Medtronic.
In addition to the documentary, a vendor fair will take place before the film at 5:30 p.m. where attendees can find information about diabetic supplies, insulin pumps, local health care services and more. The film will begin at 6:30 p.m. Free parking is available in the lot behind Boise State’s Liberal Arts Building. Additional parking is available in the Lincoln Garage for a small fee.