Connect

"I finally got to where I need to be because somebody believed in me."

This is the latest installment in our Connect article series “Hope at Work” — showcasing inspiring stories about how our team members contribute to UVA Health’s 10-year strategic plan: “One Future Together Health and Hope for All.” No matter where you work, you have an opportunity to inspire hope in others. These stories show how:

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and Nov. 14 is World Diabetes Day. This year’s theme is “Early Action on Diabetes” — highlighting the critical need to identify diabetes sooner, as more than 40% of people globally with diabetes remain undiagnosed. The focus also is on risk reduction and improved access to care.  

At UVA Health University Medical Center, when Rachel Suits, MSN, RN-BC, Director of Ambulatory Operations, Women's Health and Medical Surgical Specialties, got the green light to a hire a new manager for the Diabetes Education and Management Program (DEMP), the team was fielding 1,500 to 2,000 inpatient referrals a year, but many primary care providers didn’t even know the program existed. 

The need for something more was clear. "We needed an expert who could make this more of a cross-continuum program," Suits recalls. "Someone who could serve patients at discharge and beyond." 

Suits hired Steven E. Zortman, MPH, RN, PMH-BC, CDCES, in October 2025. Since joining UVA Health as Program Manager, Zortman has been on a mission to transform DEMP into a more integrated model of care. “This is the best career move I've ever made in my life,” he declares. “I absolutely love it here!”

“Steve is really helping grow and transform this program into something more all-encompassing. I’m just lucky to get to work with him," notes Suits.

For Zortman, success means meeting patients where they are: "There's no greater feeling than having a patient come back after several visits of struggling and hear them say on their return visit, 'You know what? I finally figured it out. I finally got to where I need to be because somebody believed in me.'"

Clinical Expertise and Lived Experience

After his three-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2013, Zortman, who did not work in the medical field at the time, realized he wanted to pursue a career in diabetes education. "I looked at my wife and said, 'That's what I'm going to do with the rest of my life!'"

Zortman enrolled in nursing school and became a certified diabetes care and education specialist. His commitment grew even stronger when his son also was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and he himself was reclassified with the same condition after an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis. "It’s been the wildest, craziest ride as far as how diabetes has impacted my personal and professional life," he says. "If I could take this away from my kids, I would. But I honestly wouldn't change anything else." 

Shaped by his experiences in medical settings and at home, Zortman focuses on empowering patients from day one by starting with a simple but intentional question: "What's one thing you think is going well? Let's start with the positive, that's my approach."

He also draws on his experience in psychiatric mental health nursing to fill a significant gap he perceives in diabetes care. "I 100% believe diabetes is as much a mental health condition as it is a physical health condition," he states. "The rates of burnout, depression, and anxiety in this population are alarmingly high, and we aren't doing nearly enough to address these issues."

Zortman's story caught the attention of leadership, and over the summer, he was put in a "superhero" spotlight by UVA Health CEO and UVA EVP for Health Affairs, Mitch Rosner, MD, MACP, FRCP, in the premiere episode of Dr. Rosner's new video series: Beyond the Badge.

Expanding Access

To build the holistic program they envision, Suits and Zortman are partnering with Jennifer L. Kirby, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, UVA School of Medicine; and Kimberly D. Miller, DNP, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CDCES, BC-ADM, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Diabetes Management.

“This partnership includes tremendously impactful outreach to primary care, obstetrics, and pediatric patients,” describes Rachel Nauman, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Ambulatory, UVA Health University Medical Center.

Under Zortman’s leadership, DEMP is expanding their services in several ways:

• Growing Team | Including Zortman, the DEMP team consists of nurses or registered dietitians:
  • Inpatient Care Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and Clinical Program Coordinator Chris E. Memering, MSN, RN, CDCES, BC-ADM, FADCES
  • Two Inpatient Diabetes Care and Education Specialists: Malcolm Carver, BSN, RN, CDCES, and Saul Tolton, BSN, RN, COS-C
  • Four Outpatient Diabetes Care and Education Specialists: Kimberly Morris, BSN, RN, CDCES, CPT; Beverly Shield, BSN, RN, CDCES, CFCN, CPT; Viola Holmes, MS, RDN, CDCES; and Jacqueline van der Linde, BSN, RN
• New Education Offerings | A self-described “diabetes tech nerd,” Zortman has launched in-person, insulin pump classes and kicked off additional classes for Type 1 and Type 2 patients. These small group sessions do more than educate — they foster community beyond the hospital. "I've seen families and patients exchange contact details for additional support," he observes. 
• Improved Hospital-to-Home Transitions | A new Emergency Department referral process connects patients with undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes directly with DEMP. At the same time, the team is working to make the transition between inpatient and outpatient care smoother for people with new diagnoses or complications, and to support them after they leave the hospital. 
• Expanded Primary Care Access | Two of the team’s seven educators currently travel to primary care sites twice a week. The team is working to expand their outreach to more primary care sites across Virginia.
• Support for Teen Patients | Zortman is partnering with Pediatrics to develop new materials for the transition of care program. 

National Impact

Congratulations to Memering and Zortman, who've been elected to serve in key leadership positions with the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES). After serving on the Board of Directors, Memering has been elected as President-Elect and will serve as President of ADCES in 2028. Zortman will serve as a member of the Nominating Committee of ADCES in 2027.

"Our professional organizations help to shape, enhance, and advocate our practice and those we serve," describes Memering. "It's been a professional goal of mine to give back to my specialty through the honor of serving as the President of ADCES. I'm incredibly proud to do this as a UVA Health nurse, having started my career here at UVA School of Nursing. This is definitely a homecoming for me!"

Memering graduated from UVA School of Nursing's Second Degree program in 2002, earned her MSN in diabetes nursing from Capella University in 2020, and worked in inpatient care of the person with diabetes for 19 years. She's also served ADCES and presented on diabetes care and education on the local and national level for nearly two decades.

"We're incredibly proud to see both of them recognized and active at the national level and look forward to the impact they'll have in helping shape the future of diabetes care and education," hails Nauman. "This recognition is a reflection of the exceptional talent we're privileged to have at UVA Health, and our patients and community are better because of their commitment and service."