Dr. Athena Philis-Tsimikas is a board-certified endocrinologist with over 25 years of experience in diabetes care, research, and education. She currently serves as Corporate Vice President at the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute in San Diego, California, and as Director of Community Engagement at the Scripps Research Translational Institute.
In her leadership role, she oversees the diabetes service line across five hospitals and 25 outpatient clinics at Scripps Health. She has developed and led numerous programs focused on improving diabetes care delivery and outcomes, especially for underserved populations.
Dr. Philis-Tsimikas is best known for founding Project Dulce, an innovative care model that combines nurse-led management with peer educators and primary care providers to improve diabetes outcomes in diverse communities. This model has received national recognition and has been widely implemented.
She also holds an academic appointment as Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
Dr. Philis-Tsimikas earned her medical degree from the University of Athens, Greece, and completed her residency in internal medicine and fellowship in endocrinology at the Medical Center of Central Massachusetts, UC San Diego, and Scripps Clinic.
Her work also focuses on integrating digital health technologies into diabetes management and expanding access to culturally sensitive care. She has been a principal investigator in numerous clinical trials and community-based research initiatives.