Meet DBH's Board of Directors
Erin M. Akers;
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Dawn Lee-Akers;
Chairman of Board and Executive Director, MS(pending) Dawn came into her position as Family & Friends Liaison with first hand knowledge of the frustration and feelings of helplessness that come when trying to help a loved one struggling with the co-morbidity of diabetes and eating disorder as her daughter battled diabulimia on and of for a decade. For the last six years it has been her mission to use that experience to support and provide guidance for other family members and friends. She has researched and developed resource materials, forged connections in both the eating disorder and diabetes communities, and leveraged her business background to become an expert on obtaining insurance authorization for treatment. In addition to her position with Diabulimia Helpline, Dawn works as a Programs Manager for Starbucks Corporation
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Alison Sullivan;
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Dr. Emanuala Araia;
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Dawn Amaral (Xa'á Éko)
Dawn is a Native American activist, scholar, and single-mother. She is an insulin-dependent Type II diabetic, diagnosed in 2008. She is passionate about working with under-served populations, especially those that live with the combined stressors of mental health issues and long-term/lifelong illness intersections, and particularly in Native communities. Dawn graduated University of California, Santa Cruz in 2017, with dual Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Cognitive Science. During her undergraduate studies, Dawn studied abroad and attended Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand where she worked on projects involving indigenous communities and the integration of indigenous holistic health models with westernized health models. She also holds three Associate's degrees in Natural Science, Social Science and Accounting, all with honors. She plans on returning to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in the next few years. |
Taylor Johnson, MA, CMHC (pending)Taylor Johnson went to St. Edward's University for a Bachelor's degree in psychology. She got a Masters Degree in Applied Psychology at Angelo State University. Taylor is the Mental Health First Aid Team Lead since January 2021 in Austin, Texas. Taylor will be finishing up her secondary degree in mental health counseling and start her licensure process in the new year. When she's not at work, she can be found out exploring with her diabetes alert dog, Claire.
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Sara MobäckSara Mobäck was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes more than 20 years ago. Today she runs Sweden's largest blog and Instagram about diabetes. Through the blog saramoback.com, she wants to inspire and motivate people with type 1 diabetes to not stop dreaming despite chronic illness. Sara lectures on the subject she is most passionate about: Diabetes and eating disorders. In 2013, she founded Diabeteskvinnan.se. She was tired of all myths and the huge lack of knowledge of her illness. She wants to encourage a positive perspective and way of living with Type 1 Diabetes. Today, she has a daily reach of thousands of people all over the world. A few years later, she bumped into another roadblock. Her focus on food and showing the best blood sugar curve made her stop eating, and daily training became a must – in 2016 she was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa. With her recovery, Sara gained the insight that the most obvious thing in life, apart from breathing, is that food can become quite a big problem. Through talks, blogs, meet-up events and much more – Sara has dedicated her life to share her extensive experience of challenges that can arise for people with diabetes.
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Dr. Sian Morris, PhD.Dr. Sian Morris is a Counselling Psychologist who as part of her Doctorate researched the lived experience of Diabulimia - individuals with Type 1 diabetes restricting/omitting insulin for weight control. Sian has presented her research findings at several conferences and has advised healthcare professionals on how to best support individuals with type 1 diabetes and disordered eating. Sian has recently joined the board of Diabulimia Helpline and divides her time between her clinical practice, supervising doctoral research, lecturing, and her own scholarly pursuits. Outside of work Sian enjoys walking in the woods with her dog Loki, who she initially had hoped would be a therapy dog, but he seems to be better suited to stealing socks and playing fetch.
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Melissa AchurraMelissa comes to us with more than 10 years of experience in the marketing communications industry. Melissa attended the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) receiving her bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in marketing. Her experience includes implementing strategic media relations plans and promotions as well as integrated marketing communications experience implementing and executing marketing campaigns. Since becoming part of the eating disorder community, Melissa has had the privilege of working with every level of care available to those suffering from "traditional" eating disorders to those with diabetes and eating disorders. Melissa is acting CMO on Diabulimia Helpline's Board of Directors over the last 5 years; she has helped the organization further its mission by partnering and educating treatment programs, creating outreach opportunities and events, and handling media affairs. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys her home in the Reno/Tahoe area, from hiking on the weekends with her furry child, Lola, to spending time on the slopes over looking Lake Tahoe with her husband, Marc, she's always on the move.
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We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, entirely volunteer-run with no paid staff. All of our client services are offered free of charge. If you find value in the resources and information provided by DBH, please consider making a donation below to help us continue this important work.