About Us

Swarna Varma, M.D. is a practicing Endocrinologist (specializing in disorders of blood sugar and glands) and president and founder of Pittsburgh Endocrine and Diabetes Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has been practicing since 1984 and has presented her outcome data for control of blood sugars, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels at a national meeting.

Dr. Varma's practice uses a "team of four" approach, which includes the physician, medical staff (two practice managers, a receptionist, three medical assistants, one registered nurse, and referrals to diabetes educators as necessary), the patient, and caring family members. Each person is made aware that failure of a single team member could contribute to poor outcomes. Achieving goals as set by national guidelines and treating disease states before the onset of expensive and devastating complications is a passion, which the physician and her staff share with their patients. With these methods, Dr. Varma's practice has achieved superior outcomes, which have been published in both abstract form and a peer-reviewed journal article. This practice has also received a favorable report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper. (See Press)

In 2006, Dr. Varma developed the Institute for Metabolic Improvement (IMI). Two years later, she began developing this website to educate a worldwide audience on how to take control of their own health. Her team looks forward to seeing the impact of using this websites' checklists on health care outcomes worldwide.