Jane started her professional career selling produce at Green Acres Fruit Farm in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. Although that job did not prepare her for nursing, diabetes education or writing, she did get really skilled at counting back change and identifying different types of apples. Her favorite is still the Macoun, which, unfortunately, is hard to find outside of New England.
Jane worked at McDonald’s, Sears and Theo’s Restaurant during her high school years.
During her years at St. Olaf College, Jane was the Tour Guide Coordinator for the Admissions Department. She spent those summers as a counselor at Clara Barton Camp for Girls with Diabetes, a student nurse at Clara Barton Camp and a nursing assistant at Hampton Hills Nursing Home.
While a student at Yale School of Nursing, Jane worked as a nursing assistant at the Yale Health Plan and then as a nurse tech at Yale-New Haven Hospital. In 1992, Jane began her nursing career as a graduate nurse on the Adolescent Unit at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Jane took care of adolescents with all sorts of health challenges, but mostly cystic fibrosis, asthma, GI disorders and cancer. Jane really enjoyed working with this age-group (for real).
After earning her master’s degree and becoming a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, Jane took a job in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. There she worked with kids of all ages who had cancer and blood disorders. She truly enjoyed working with these kids and their families, but her first love, diabetes, called her home to Massachusetts.
In 1995, Jane returned to The Barton Center for Diabetes Education as their Director of Clinical Services and Education. She was responsible for planning, developing, implementing and overseeing all clinical aspects of the programs at Barton. This included summer camp for girls with diabetes and year-round programs for kids with diabetes and their families.
When Jane went back to school for her PhD, she served as a Graduate Assistant at UConn School of Nursing, where she ran the Center for Nursing Research.
Jane completed her doctoral dissertation in Colorado, where she relocated to be with her husband. In 1999, she began working for Yampa Valley Medical Center (YVMC), and in 2000, she developed and implemented YVMC’s Diabetes Education Program. Jane has been providing diabetes education to community members, health care providers and anyone else who is interested or has a need, ever since.
In 2009, Jane began teaching master’s degree nursing students online for University of Phoenix. She also started teaching Human Anatomy & Physiology on campus at Colorado Mountain College (CMC) in Steamboat Springs. She taught Human Nutrition online for CMC as well.
Jane became the Program Director/Lecturer for the Diabetes Education and Management (DEDM) Masters Program at Teachers College Columbia University in March of 2011. The DEDM program launched in September of 2011 and accepts student applications on a rolling basis (all year long).
Jane published her first book Diabetes Karma in 2012, and her second book People with Diabetes Can Eat Anything in 2013. She also keeps busy with consulting and public speaking.