Lorena Alarcon-Casas Wright

Facultad de Medicine (Faculty of Medicine) where Wright attended Medical School. and grew up seeing many of her family members suffer from diabetes in her home country. This motivated Wright at a young age to provide care for people in the LatinX community with diabetes. In 1996, she graduated with a Diplôme Superieur (Higher Diploma) in French studies. where she completed her medical Internship at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in 2007. In 2009, Wright obtained her medical Residency at the same institution. After completing her medical residency, Wright attended the University of Washington School of Medicine where she pursued her medical Fellowship under the Division of Metabolism/Endocrinology. Wright completed her medical fellowship in 2012 and has continued to practice medicine in the Seattle area. == Personal life ==

Wright is fluent in English, Spanish, and French. Outside of being a physician and scientist, Wright enjoys cooking and spending time with family, friends, and her pets. She also likes outdoor activities such as running and gardening. == Career ==

Wright is a licensed physician in the states of Washington and California, The LatinX Diabetes Clinic creates culturally sensitive care for LatinX patients with Diabetes. The goal is to teach medical students and residents about culturally appropriate care and social factors affecting prevention and management of Diabetes in the LatinX community. Wright's future plan for the LatinX Diabetes Clinic includes connecting patients to clinical trials, which will help improve representation of LatinX populations in medical research. UW Diabetes Institute At the UW Diabetes Institute, Wright is member of the UW Diabetes ECHO Project, a partnership between the University of Washington and Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). Wright is part of a team of Endocrinologists and physicians from different medical specialties like Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine to increase primary care provider and clinic access for underserved people with Diabetes in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region. Wright provides gender affirming hormone therapy for transgender patients and teaches medical students, residents, and fellows about transgender care. The course also emphasizes cultural considerations when interacting with Spanish-speaking patients. This emphasis helps both the physician and patient feel more comfortable in a clinical setting. == Advocacy work ==

In addition to Wright's health equity work at the LatinX Diabetes Clinic, she is also actively involved in increasing diversity in medical education. Wright does this by mentoring underrepresented pre-meds and medical students, She is also a committee member of UW Medicine's Diversity Council. Wright has used her platform to speak on news outlets about the lack of LatinX physicians in Washington state and the lack of cultural awareness for LatinX patients. According to Wright, when it comes to eradicating health disparities that are disproportionately impacting LatinX communities in Diabetes care, knowledge of not just language but also culture is important. These inequities have led Wright to advocate for more LatinX Spanish-speaking doctors in the United States. == Scientific contributions ==

Wright is also involved in clinical research mainly related to Diabetes care. and treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, the impacts of pregnancy on patients with Diabetes, The project tests the efficacy of a culturally sensitive Diabetes self-management program for LatinX patients in urban areas. and has offered advice to people with Diabetes. == Selected publications ==

• Wei ET, Koh E, Kelly MS, Wright LA, Tylee TS Patient errors in use of injectable antidiabetic medications: A need for improved clinic-based education. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association 2020 Sep - Oct; 60; 5; e76-e80; • Wright LA, Hirsch IB Non-insulin treatments for Type 1 diabetes: critical appraisal of the available evidence and insight into future directions. Diabetic Medicine 2019 Jun; 36; 6; 665–678; • Howe CG, Eckel SP, Habre R, Girguis MS, Gao L, Lurmann FW, Gilliland FD, Breton CV Association of Prenatal Exposure to Ambient and Traffic-Related Air Pollution With Newborn Thyroid Function: Findings From the Children's Health Study. JAMA Network Open 2018 Sep 7; 1; 5; e182172; • Wright LA, Hirsch IB Metrics Beyond Hemoglobin A1C in Diabetes Management: Time in Range, Hypoglycemia, and Other Parameters. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics 2017 May; 19; S2; S16-S26; • Ruzevick J, Koh EK, Gonzalez-Cuyar LF, Cimino PJ, Moe K, Wright LA, Failor R, Ferreira M Clival paragangliomas: a report of two cases involving the midline skull base and review of the literature. Journal of Neuro-Oncology 2017 May; 132; 3; 473–478; • Wright LA, Hirsch IB, Gooley TA, Brown Z 1,5-ANHYDROGLUCITOL AND NEONATAL COMPLICATIONS IN PREGNANCY COMPLICATED BY DIABETES. Endocrine Practice 2015 Jul; 21; 7; 725–33; • Faulenbach MV, Wright LA, Lorenzo C, Utzschneider KM, Goedecke JH, Fujimoto WY, Boyko EJ, McNeely MJ, Leonetti DL, Haffner SM, Kahn SE, American Diabetes Association GENNID Study Group. Impact of differences in glucose tolerance on the prevalence of a negative insulinogenic index. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications 2013 Mar-Apr; 27; 2; 158–61; • Kahn SE, Suvag S, Wright LA, Utzschneider KM Interactions between genetic background, insulin resistance and β-cell function. Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism 2012 Oct; 14 Suppl 3; 46–56; • Marina AL, Utzschneider KM, Wright LA, Montgomery BK, Marcovina SM, Kahn SE Colesevelam improves oral but not intravenous glucose tolerance by a mechanism independent of insulin sensitivity and β-cell function. Diabetes Care 2012 May; 35; 5; 1119–25; • Smits MM, Boyko EJ, Utzschneider KM, Leonetti DL, McNeely MJ, Suvag S, Wright LA, Fujimoto WY, Kahn SE Arm length is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japanese-Americans. Diabetologia 2012 Jun; 55; 6; 1679–84; == References ==