Actions on Diabetes

Clinical trials are the way we test new drugs or therapies on people, and they're incredibly important to moving diabetes research forward. However, they can be challenging and complicated to develop and fund. That's where the new Diabetes Clinical Trials Network in Canada comes in. This episode's guests are Dr. Hertzel Gerstein, who is leading this new Network. Dr. Gerstein is an endocrinologist and Professor at McMaster University and holds the Population Health Research Institute Chair in Diabetes. He is also Director of the Boris Clinic Diabetes Care and Research Program, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.  We'll also be talking to Diabetes Action Canada's Executive Director, Tracy McQuire, about why the organizations have partnered with a goal of improving the pathway to moving the best clinical trials in diabetes forward faster. 

Diabetes is a 24-hour condition with no vacations or days off. Those who live with it understand that diabetes distress – the term for mental health challenges specific to diabetes – is very real and can be very challenging to manage. It can also have a big impact on other aspects of diabetes care – like this A1Cs doctors are always checking. This episode's guests will give listeners lots to think about when it comes to diabetes and mental health – and how Diabetes Action Canada is at the forefront of new programs aimed at improving mental health in everyone with diabetes. Host Krista Lamb with talk to guests Dr. Carly Whitmore, an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University, and Linxi Mytkolli, Diabetes Action Canada's Lead of Patient Engagement and Knowledge Mobilization and a person living with diabetes.  

Often newcomers don't know about access to eye screening, or there are cultural or other barriers that aren't being addressed. But early detection of diabetic retinopathy can save sight and have a huge impact on the overall health of a person. Today's guests want to make sure those barriers are overcome. Host Krista Lamb talks to Dr. Joyce Dogba from the University of Laval and Patient Partner Pascual Delgado about their work on the Diabetes Action Canada Immigrant Patient Circle and on reducing barriers to care for all.

On this episode of Actions on Diabetes, host Krista Lamb will be chatting with two guests who are looking at ways to improve the coordination of care for people living with type 1 diabetes. The Reshape T1D project tries to understand how people interact with the health care system by involving those living with T1D and their clinicians in designing the research process. Our guests are Jamie Boisvenue, a PhD student at the Alberta Diabetes Institute and the University of Alberta, and Patient Partner Kathleen Gibson. They are hoping to highlight have lived experience to help clinicians provide better patient-forward care. Learn more about Reshape T1D.   

Host Krista Lamb talks with Dr. Diana Sherifali from McMaster University's School of Nursing and Patient Partner Seeta Ramdass who are working together on a project aimed at using virtual health coaching to better support people living with type 2 diabetes.

Think Patient Partners can't participate in discovery-level research? Think again! Host Krista Lamb talks with Dr. Rob Screaton from the University of Toronto, Patient Partner Zoe Hilton and trainee scientist Cassie Locatelli. These three guests are working on a project incorporating Patient Partners into an islet biology training program.  

On this episode Dr. Anne-Sophie Brazeau and Nathalie Kinnard discuss the BETTER registry and the research they are doing in Quebec to help people with T1D manage or prevent hypoglycemia.

While people living with diabetes are at increased risk for diabetic retinopathy, they often face barriers to getting their eyes checked—or simply don't know they need to go every year. In this episode, Malcolm Sissmore and Dr. Michael Brent from UHN Research discuss their work on Project OPEN, a research program that's trying to make eye screening much more accessible for people living with diabetes.

Using data to improve health care is an important area of research, especially since so many people don't quite understand how and why it's done. Guests Devin Cleary and Dr. Alanna Weisman discuss their research projects in this area - in particular how they are trying to improve outcomes for people with type 1 diabetes.

Older adults often live with multiple chronic conditions, including diabetes. But they are rarely involved in research into how they are managing. At Diabetes Action Canada, the Aging, Community and Population team is working to change this. In this episode, Ron Beleno and Dr. Rebecca Gannan discuss their work on involving older adults and their caregivers in diabetes research.