Beverly Thomassian, RN, MPH, CDE, BC-ADM, is a nurse entrepreneur, educator and clinician with a passion to improve diabetes care.

In 1998, this passion inspired her to start her own company, Diabetes Education Services (DES). The goal of DES is to support health care professionals in their journey to advance their careers in diabetes. This support is provided through live and online training programs, free webinars, one-to-one correspondence and consultation. Beverly is in demand as a keynote speaker for diabetes events nationwide.

As the director of a local Diabetes Education Program, she keeps her clinical skills fresh through one-one education, group classes and consultation. Beverly is also associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF) and a visiting professor at California State University, Chico (CSU Chico), where she promotes excellence in diabetes care through education and advocacy.

Beverly has a special knack for translating complex diabetes information into understandable terms that can be immediately applied in the clinical setting. She also believes that learning about diabetes should be meaningful and fun. Her diabetes education courses combine cutting edge science with games, case studies and real life application, so her students leave feeling re-energized and excited about diabetes education.

Fun Facts about Beverly
Bev worked at Ying’s Kitchen Chinese food for 8 years through high school and nursing school, and can count to twenty in Cantonese.

Bev ran the LA Marathon in 1990 and finished all 26 miles. Flo Jo (FLorence Griffith Joyner) signed her T-Shirt and Mohammed Ali started the race.

Bev is married to a hard-working pharmacist and has two wonderful boys. Her husband is Armenian and Beverly is Canadian, so he loves his pita bread and she loves her mashed potatoes.

Bev’s TV broke in 2008 and she never replaced it. She is a Newsweek Junkie and NPR radio addict.

Bev is co-founder of the dance troupe ReBellyon and sings the praises of belly dancing. “More than just providing great exercise, dancing is lots of fun, improves right /left side brain coordination and provides a sense of community.”

One of Bev’s favorite comedies is Nacho Libre. It stars Jack Black and is about a luchador (wrestler). The town and people in the movie fondly remind Bev of the rural Mexican pueblo where she lived and volunteered as a health care provider. Her favorite quote from the movie is, “Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.”

Her favorite inspirational quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, commited citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead