Dr. Timothy J. Lyons
Executive Medical Director
Dr. Timothy J. Lyons, executive medical director of Diabetes Free SC (DFSC), is an endocrinologist who trained in both the United States and the United Kingdom. He brings over 30 years’ experience in diabetes clinical care. At DFSC, Lyons is committed to applying existing knowledge to preventing and treating diabetes and its complications and addressing the health disparities that affect our state.
Prior to joining DFSC, Lyons served as professor, director and the John A. Colwell Endowed Chair of the Division of Endocrinology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where much of his research was conducted. Prior to MUSC, Lyons served as professor and chief of the Section of Endocrinology at the University of Oklahoma, where he was the Chickasaw Nation chair for the director of the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center.
Lyons has worked extensively with the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial as a physician and translational laboratory investigator. He has also worked with the Veterans Affairs (Type 2) Diabetes Trial since its inception in 2001. His work on major federally funded studies contributed to understanding of diabetes-related disease and developing treatment and prevention.
Noreen O’Donnell
Program Director
Noreen O’Donnell is the program director of DFSC. In this role, she is responsible for planning, initiative development and administration of the program. She sits on the executive committee of Healthy Palmetto and workgroups of the state health improvement plan.
Prior to joining the DFSC team, Noreen was the director of the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Patient Centered Medical Home program and worked at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, overseeing the agency’s HIV care and support services programs. Noreen has a master of social work from the University of South Carolina and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa.
Dongxu (Arthur) Fu, PhD
Data Scientist
Dr. Dongxu (Arthur) Fu is a data scientist for DFSC. He is responsible for data management and analysis and uses data mining techniques to generate real-world evidence and prediction systems to maximize the efficacy of existing diabetes programs. He is responsible for collective reporting and data analysis that contributes to the measurable impact of DFSC programs across the state.
Prior to joining DFSC, Dr. Fu held research appointments at the University of Virginia, Queen's University Belfast and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, with a focus on translational research in diabetes. Dr. Fu has a master of applied data science from Syracuse University and a doctorate in immunology from Harbin Medical University.
Misti Leyva, PhD
Project Strategist
Dr. Misti Leyva is the project strategist and administrator of the pregnancy and surgical initiatives of DFSC. Her primary role is to provide oversight and coordination of the Management of Maternal Diabetes (MOMs) program offered at three clinical partner locations.
Prior to joining DFSC, Leyva held research positions at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and MUSC focused on understanding, treating and preventing diabetic complications. She has served in elected positions of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. Dr. Leyva is a registered dietitian and holds a doctoral degree in nutrition from Oklahoma State University.
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