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LAFAYETTE, Ind. Dr. Sarah Hallberg, the medical director at Virta Health, was recently awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash award for her work in diabetes research.

The Sagamore of the Wabash first started in 1946 with then-Indiana Gov. Ralph Gates. Gates was on his way to a conference of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio officials when he learned that the then-Kentucky governor, Simeon S. Willis,planned to award gates the Kentucky Colonel, the state's highest honor.

Not to be outdone by Kentucky, Gates named Willis the first recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash. Since then, thousandsof people have received this honor, including David Letterman, Muhammed Ali, and now, Dr. Hallberg.

According to its description, TheSagamore of the Wabash is the "highest honor, which the governor of Indiana bestows. It is a personal tribute usually given to those who have rendered a distinguished service to the state or to the governor."

"Among these who have received Sagamores have been astronauts, presidents, ambassadors, artists, musicians, politicians, and ordinary citizens who have contributed greatly to our Hoosier heritage."

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There is no official record of how many have been presented with this honor, as each governor has kept their choicesdocumented using different methods.

"I was just floored," Hallberg said about she show felt when she won the award. "I'm so lucky to have had this career where I can really help people improve their lives, and be a real patient advocate."

Before joining Virta Health, Hallberg worked at IU Health Arnett Hospital where she founded the Supervised Weight Loss Program.This clinic served as the host for Virta's clinical trials.

"What I came across was carbohydrate restriction," Hallberg said, "and we opened the clinic as a carbohydrate-restricted clinic. That was the nutrition intervention that we were using. What we were seeing in patients was just remarkable. When we were putting them on a therapeutic, carbohydrate-restrictive diet, their diabetes was going away."

These clinics took place about a decade ago, according to Hallberg, and up until thatpoint, Type 2 Diabetes was seen as a chronic and progressive disease. Seeing the effects a carb-restricted diet has on patients motivated Hallberg to expand her research to beyond her clinic in central Indiana.

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Dr. Stephen D. Phinney, the chief innovation officer and co-founder of Virta Health, and Hallberg have worked and continue to work on a number of published papers together to help get the news of reversible diabetes through carb-restriction out there.

"The biggest thing is that this study, in central Indiana, changed the American Diabetes Association guidelines," Hallberg said. "We did this research that impacted the guidelines that haveimpacted so many Americans. And that happened here in central Indiana."

Four years ago, Hallberg was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. She explained howher diagnosis and her work experience being a patient advocate both affected her.

"Being a patient advocate for so long and just wantingto empower and teach them (the patients) with the science," Hallberg said, "really came into play for me four years ago when I became a patient myself. So all the advocacy I've done for my patients, I was really fortunate in that I could turn that into being an advocate for myself with an advanced cancer diagnosis."

Margaret Troupis a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email herat mtroup@jconline.com and follow heron Twitter@MargaretTroup2

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Hallberg given Sagamore of the Wabash for work in diabetes research - Journal & Courier

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