Heather Kleitgen is a registered nurse and certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES). She received her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Maria College in Albany, NY, and proceeded to earn her CDCES certification. She is a member of the American Diabetes Association and the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists. Heather has a passion for spreading awareness of the enormity of pre-diabetes and diabetes in the U.S. and globally.

Heather entered the healthcare world as a certified nursing assistant and fell in love with the field. She went on to become an LPN and then pursued an associate’s degree to become an RN. As a primary care nurse, Heather started working with patients with diabetes and felt drawn to the specialty. She loves working with people with diabetes to help them understand they have the power to control the disease and lead a healthy life.

As a diabetes specialist, Heather spends a lot of time teaching the basics of diabetes; however, she believes it’s really about communicating with the patient to find out where the person is, their personal health goals, and how the team can help them achieve those goals. Moreover, as a nurse, Heather’s whole perspective is to see the bigger picture, the person, their family, social settings, education, financial resources–all the things that influence a person’s life. She thinks getting to know and understanding all of those things helps patients and herself become a team.

Heather is an active member of the NYS Medical Reserve Corps, and more recently, she volunteered at a variety of COVID vaccine clinics through Whitney Young. Outside of medicine, Heather loves tending to her flower and vegetable garden.

Heather is also the host of Latham Medical Group’s Diabetes Education Series, informational videos to help people with diabetes and their caregivers understand and manage their diabetes. To learn more, visit lmg.communitycare.com/news.