James Beard

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Biography

Born at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. (This was replaced around 1970 with a larger hospital in Washington County, and has been renamed Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.)

James spent his whole childhood in Portland. Attended Laurelhurst School for kindergarten, All Saints School for grades 1 - 8, and Central Catholic High School, class of 1968. Named as Presidential Scholar at end of high school. Graduated from Yale College with AB in English (1972) and from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with MD (1976). Completed residency in internal medicine at Tulane (1979).

Completed fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at University of Washington, at the VA site under tutelage of Dr. Dan Porte, Jr, with research topics including pancreatic islet physiology and the relationship between insulin sensitivity and insulin secretory dynamics. Continued as faculty member for several years. In 1988, went to Washington University in St. Louis for fellowship in medical informatics. Masters thesis involved use of statistical methods to characterize insulin-dose selection behaviors of patients using intensive insulin therapy to control their type 1 diabetes.

In 1991, joined long-standing clinic practice at Portland Diabetes & Endocrinology Center (where he had briefly been a patient in the 1970s). For several years, was medical director of The DIabetes Institute at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. Also wrote software to download data from home blood-glucose testing monitors, and later participated in a startup company dedicated to enhancing clinical patient care by making best use of patient-generated data. Worked as clinical endocrinologist with a special interest in managing unstable type 1 diabetes for 28 years at PDEC, retiring in late 2019.

Active over the years in local Catholic parish; since 1991, this has been St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Portland.

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by James Beard at registration.