Carol Recklein, RN, a diabetes nurse with the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research, was awarded the prestigious St. Louis Magazine’s Excellence in Nursing Award 2017 in the area of Research. Carol was honored at the awards dinner on April 19, 2017 at The Chase Park Plaza.
Specializing in type I diabetes, Recklein coordinates research and oversees clinical trials for Washington University’s Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research. She contributes to investigator-initiated and pharmaceutical trials—but that’s just the start. She’s “met patients off hours, at their homes or workplaces, to complete research-related tasks,” notes a Washington University physician. “She takes patient concerns to heart and goes above and beyond research-related duties.”
On her job: “We are basically detectives: Patients come in with all their blood sugars, and we have to look for patterns, interview patients, listen for the little things they don’t tell. Our job is to put together the whole story. I’m a dot collector—I connect all the dots.”
On how the field is evolving: “I’ve been involved in every major drug for diabetes that’s on the market—it’s kind of history-making… We’re going to see a lot of changes in technology and medicine over the next five years, and it’s very exciting to be a part of it.”
See the winners of St. Louis Magazine’s Excellence in Nursing Awards 2017