Virginia Peragallo-Dittko has been the  Director of the Diabetes Education Center at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, New York since 1985. She holds academic appointments as clinical associate faculty for graduate education at City University of New York, Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, Molloy College department of Nursing, and Adelphi University School of Nursing. 

Ms Peragallo-Dittko is a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), Metropolitan New York Association of Diabetes Educators, Professional Section of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and American Medical Writers Association. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of Program Publications for the American Diabetes Association. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2004 Administrator of the Year and the 2002 Diabetes Educator of the Year awards, both from the Metropolitan New York Association of Diabetes Educators, and was also chosen as the Diabetes Educator of the Year in 1990, an award conferred by the AADE.  She also serves on the Education Council for the National Diabetes Education Initiative^®. 

The author of more than 60 books, articles, book chapters, monographs, and abstracts relating to diabetes management, Ms Peragallo-Dittko is an editorial board member of Diabetes Self-Management and Diabetes Digest and a reviewer for Applied Nursing Research. Ms Peragallo-Dittko received her master's degree in Delivery of Nursing Services from New York University.