Griselda Villanueva, FNP, ND, CDE
Endocrinology nurse practitioner

As a nurse practitioner with 11 years of experience at Rush (six in endocrinology), I provide service through direct patient care, consultation, research, education and collaboration with other heath care professionals and my physician colleagues in Rush Consultants in Endocrinology. I care for adults with endocrine disorders, especially diabetes mellitus. Assessment, diagnosis, treatment/care planning, implementation and patient education are all part of the process. I value the importance of quality care and the need to educate patients in order to empower them to control their disease and prevent further complications. As a nurse practitioner, I promote collaboration between disciplines to ensure cost-effective and quality patient care. Being fluent in Spanish allows me to care for Spanish-speaking patients and help minimize the language barriers such patients face with health care.

Education: 

• Doctorate of nursing practice – Rush University
• Bachelor of Science in nursing – Rush University

Board Certification:

• Family nurse practitioner
• Diabetes educator
• Registered nurse

Interests/ Professional focus:

• My focus is the management of adult patients with all types of diabetes mellitus (i.e. type 1, type 2, steroid-induced) in the outpatient setting. My approach is comprehensive by managing the associated risk factors and/or complications of diabetes such as hypertension and elevated cholesterol.
• My clinical strength and interest is management of patients who develop diabetes or elevated blood sugars after an organ transplantation. It is common that patients can develop high blood sugars after a transplant secondary to the anti-rejection medications or other risk factors. The management I provide is specific to this population with the knowledge of the protocol approach to caring for transplant recipients.
• I collaborate with the Diabetes Center team to offer education, patient resources, insulin pump trainings and glucose sensor initiation/interpretation.
• I continue to perform research and/or assist in our clinical research trials that can improve clinical outcomes for patients with diabetes mellitus

Publications:

Munoz, C., Villanueva, G., Fogg, L., Johnson, T., Hannold, K., Agruss, J., Baldwin, D. (2008). Impact of a subcutaneous insulin protocol in the emergency department: Rush Emergency Department Hyperglycemia Intervention (REDHI). The Journal of Emergency Medicine. In press 2009

Datta, S., Qaadir, A., Villanueva, G., and Baldwin, D. Once daily insulin glargine vs. six hourly sliding scale regular insulin for control of hyperglycemia after bariatric surgery: a randomized clinical trial. Endocrine Practice, 13:225-231, 2007

Donaldson, S., Rondinelli, L., Villanueva, G., and Baldwin, D. Rush University Guidelines and Protocols For the Management of Hyperglycemia in Hospitalized Patients: Elimination of the Sliding Scale and Improvement of Glycemic Control Throughout the Hospital. The Diabetes Educator, 32:954-962, 2006

Baldwin, D., Villanueva, G., McNutt, R. Eliminating the use of inpatient sliding scale insulin: a re-education project with medical house staff. Diabetes, 28:1008-1011, 2005.

Villanueva, G., and Baldwin, D., Rosiglitazone Therapy of Posttransplant Diabetes Mellitus. Transplantation, 80:1402-1405, 2005