St. Luke's Hospital Nutrition Wellness & Diabetes Center

Our Team

Studies show that people with diabetes live longer and healthier lives when they have support from a healthcare team. The St. Luke's team of certified professionals understand your needs and will work with you and your physician to give you the services you need to effectively manage your diabetes. They also offer classes and counseling on healthy eating, and provide services to help with weight loss and weight management.

Heather Verble, RD, LD, CDCES
Heather received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from Fontbonne University. She completed her internship at St. Louis University. She is a diabetes prevention program lifestyle coach and a Board Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management (CSOWM) under the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). A CSOWM is a health professional who possesses comprehensive knowledge of and expertise in obesity and weight management. Heather's background is primarily working with people in weight management and metabolic surgery.

Julie Pozzoli, RD, LD, CDCES
Julie received her undergraduate degree at Southeast Missouri State University and then completed the dietetic internship program at St. Louis University. In 2001, she obtained her initial certification as a diabetes educator and has maintained this credential since. Julie is a previous quality coordinator of the St. Luke's Hospital diabetes education program (recognized by the American Diabetes Association). She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, the Diabetes Dietetic Practice Group, and the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists. She has worked at St. Luke's Hospital for over 25 years.

Mary Lynn LeBeau, RD, LD, CDCES
Mary Lynn LeBeau has been a Registered Dietitian for thirty years. She has been able to realize her passion for disease prevention and promoting a healthy lifestyle through one-on-one individualized counseling and teaching group classes at St. Luke's Nutrition Wellness and Diabetes Center. Mary Lynn is a Certified Diabetes Educator and enjoys working in the Albert Pujols Wellness Center for Adults with Down Syndrome. She also provides nutrition education in the community through St. Luke's Passport to Wellness department.

Emily Haffner, MS, RD, LD, CDCES
Emily holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Health Science, Dietetics from Indiana University. She completed her dietetic internship at Saint Louis University where she continued her education to obtain her Master of Science degree in Medical Dietetics. She started out working in a private OB/Gyn office providing nutrition education and nutrition counseling for weight management, PCOS, as well as managing the gestational diabetes patient population. Emily is the quality coordinator of the St. Luke's Hospital diabetes program (recognized by the American Diabetes Association). She is also a member of the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists.

Prajakta Khare-Ranade MSc, RD, LD, CDCES, FAND
Prajakta Khare-Ranade works as an outpatient Certified Diabetes Educator and diabetes prevention program lifestyle coach at St. Luke's Hospital. Prajakta has managed the operations of the large multi-center clinical trial Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study and has co-authored scientific papers at Washington University. Prajakta has actively participated on various committees in the St. Louis Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Prajakta was the recipient of the Wimpfheimer-Guggenheim Award for International Exchange in Nutrition, Dietetics and Management in 2014. Prajakta completed her dietetics internship from Saint Louis University and has earned a Master's Degree in Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics from Nirmala Niketan College of Home Science, Mumbai, India.

Jessica Cope, MS, RD, LD, CDCES
Jess is a Registered Dietitian and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. She has experience in acute nutrition care, community nutrition, and outpatient medical nutrition therapy. She works with patients who have a variety of concerns including diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, weight loss, pregnancy nutrition, and more. Jess completed her dietetic internship and received a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition at the University of Missouri before earning a Master of Science Degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Alabama.