Charles A. Reasner II: Pioneer in Diabetes Care and Endocrinology (1954–2017)

Charles A. Reasner II, physician, educator, and founding medical director of the Texas Diabetes Institute, the oldest of three children of Charles and Corinne Reasner, was born in Melbourne, Florida, on September 24, 1954. His father was in the United States Air Force, and the family moved quite often in his early years, including a brief time in Japan, where he attended high school and excelled in sports and academics. He attended Andrews University in Michigan and completed his B.S. with academic distinction in three years. While at Andrews, Reasner met Marilyn Marie McConnell. They married on December 19, 1976, and later had two children, Cynthia and Charles III. The couple made their home in Loma Linda, California, where Reasner attended Loma Linda Medical School under a full U.S. Air Force scholarship. After medical school, he did his internal medicine residency at Wilford Hall located at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. He then had an endocrinology fellowship. After his fellowship, he served in the U.S. Air Force for many years before entering private practice and later transitioning into academic medicine. The family lived in Mississippi in the early 1980s. In 1989 Reasner joined the faculty of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He was initially the director of medical resident education. Later, he became the chief of the Department of Clinical Endocrinology at UT Health San Antonio, and he held this title until he retired in 2010.

 In 1999 Reasner was appointed as the founding medical director of the Texas Diabetes Institute (TDI), where he helped provide integrated care and education in diabetes treatment and prevention across South Texas. The TDI is located on San Antonio’s West Side, on the former site of Lutheran General Hospital (originally a tuberculosis sanitorium), which had to close due to bankruptcy. This site is also in an area with one of the highest diabetes rates in America and with fewer medical institutions than wealthier parts of San Antonio. The institute treats approximately 80,000 patients each year and focuses on patient care and education, diabetes prevention, and research.

Beyond his clinical work, Reasner also made several contributions to endocrinology through research. Some of his research focused on lipid therapy, such as the drug Niaspan, which corrects low HDL-cholesterol (“good cholesterol”) in patients with diabetes or abnormal blood sugar. He also contributed to the classification of diabetes mellitus (Type I vs. Type II vs. gestational) and how different types can be caused. Lauded as both a clinical physician and a skilled teacher, Reasner also gave lectures to medical professionals worldwide.

Reasner was named one of the “Best Doctors in America” in endocrinology and metabolism in 2012. To qualify for the award, doctors have to be nominated by their peers and “master the key roles that drive patient care—advocate, collaborator, communicator, decision maker, expert, manager, scholar.” He was also a “Best Doctors” honoree for UT Medicine in endocrinology and metabolism in 2014. Reasner provided integrated diabetes care and education and impacted the research of endocrinology. His patients described him as “honorable,” “compassionate,” and “gentle.” His work persists in UT Health San Antonio’s diabetes and endocrinology programs and the Texas Diabetes Institute.

In addition to his medical achievements, Reasner was an avid ballroom dancer, competing nationally and internationally. In his free time, he enjoyed golfing and watching the Dallas Cowboys. After his wife Marilyn passed away in May 2014, he married Debbie Kennedy on February 14, 2015. Charles A. Reasner II passed away on June 4, 2017, at his home in Spring Branch, located in the Hill Country near San Antonio.