A contingent from our diabetes team— Stephanie Eid, PhD, Evan Reynolds, PhD, and Lexi Gagne, MPH—headed to New Orleans for the American
Diabetes Association 82nd Annual Scientific Sessions. Dr. Rodica Pop-Busui was also there as ADA Present-elect, Medicine and Science. Between presenting their groundbreaking research, hearing about the latest in diabetes science, and, of course, sampling the fabulous cuisine in The Big Easy, our representatives report it was quite an incredible weekend.
They each shared their experiences and science with us.
Stephanie Eid, PhD, Rose C. and Nathan L. Milstein Family Emerging Scholar and Postdoctoral Fellow:
Presentation: “Mitochondria as New Therapeutic Targets in Diabetic Neuropathy”
- It was my first in-person meeting post-pandemic, so I loved being able to interact with everyone and share scientific ideas face to face.
- Getting input from leaders in the field on our research during my talk was extremely helpful.
- I was super excited to learn more about the beneficial effects of lifestyle interventions on diabetes and its complications. This parallels our growing interest in implementing diet and exercise as a non-pharmacological approach to improving nerve function in obesity, prediabetes, and diabetes.
- The food in NOLA is phenomenal!
Evan Reynolds, PhD, Lead Statistician and Postdoctoral Fellow:
Poster Presentation: “The effect of surgical weight loss on diabetes complications in the severely obese”
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This was my first time at the ADA Scientific Sessions, and I was immediately blown away by the breadth and depth of diabetes research being pursued. Of particular interest to me were the many clinical studies aiming to improve healthcare delivery and/or test the effect of weight-loss interventions on diabetes and its complications.
- Given my goal to become a leading diabetes data scientist, I really enjoyed hearing about ongoing research that utilized machine learning techniques in diabetes risk prediction. Upon returning from the meeting, I have additional enthusiasm that these cutting-edge statistical methods might improve our understanding of diabetes complications.
- I especially enjoyed having the opportunity to spend evenings exploring the city and eating some delicious food. On Sunday evening, Stephanie and I were able to eat at Brennan’s restaurant, the original home of the world-famous Bananas Foster, which was prepared tableside. Very cool.
Lexi Gagne, MPH, Research Coordinator of the Flint Neuropathy Story:
Poster Presentation: “Prevalence and patient recognition of distal symmetric neuropathy (DSP) in a predominantly low-income U.S. patient population”
- This was my first conference, and I really enjoyed my time there. It was great to see the various dimensions of diabetes and how so many people from all over the world can come together to discuss the disease.
- From a symposium on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology for diabetes care, I learned that it can be a game-changer in managing the disease. CGM enables patients with diabetes to be fully engaged with managing their glucose levels by watching them fluctuate pre- and post-meals, medications, stress, sleep, exercise, etc. I think it’s important for these tools to become more widely available to all kinds of people with diabetes (regardless if it is T1D, T2D, insulin-dependent or non-insulin-dependent), so patients are less burdened in managing their diabetes care.