In March, Laura Syron, President & CEO of Diabetes Canada, published an op-ed in Healthy Debate looking at the need for increased research on diabetes in women.
As she writes, “Women deserve better, including more thoughtfully designed clinical and research studies, particularly when it comes to chronic conditions.”
Visit the Healthy Debate website now to read the full piece.
In January, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) announced funding for the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Canada Consortium, which will improve Canada’s ability to conduct clinical trials for therapies that could have a positive impact on health outcomes for Canadians.
ACT brings together hundreds of researchers over 28 networks, 11 clinical trial units, Patient Partners, members of the biotechnology industry, government, and other experts. Diabetes Action Canada will be involved through its participation in the Diabetes Clinical Trial Network, led by Dr. Hertzel Gerstein (Deputy Director of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences).
The ACT Consortium, explains Gerstein, will help move clinical trials forward faster and more effectively. “It was recognized that there is a tremendous amount of clinical trial expertise in this country. A lot of it is in different parts of Canada, and we may not be interacting with each other as much as would be optimal.” ACT will help facilitate interactions and collaborations and accelerate the process of moving trials forward.
The Diabetes Clinical Trial Network includes diabetes clinical trial researchers from across the country. One of its members is Dr. Gary Lewis, who represents not only his own work as a clinical trialist, but the work of Diabetes Action Canada. Lewis will help ensure the role of Patient Partnership for diabetes-related clinical trials that may be facilitated by this network. .
“Patient engagement is an important part of the whole ACT Consortium for all disease areas, and the patient expertise related to diabetes is already in Diabetes Action Canada,” says Gerstein. “If this consortium is successful, then at the end of the day there will be a robust network of clinical trial units and research networks that start to work together, and that are supporting and doing high impact clinical trials, both Canadian and international. The involvement of patient expertise through groups like Diabetes Action Canada will ensure there is patient input into both the design and the knowledge mobilization that comes after the trials are finished.”
The entire concept is one that Gerstein thinks will make a real difference in how Canadian organizations conduct and manage clinical trials, which will have positive outcomes on people living with diabetes and other health conditions. “The premise of this is to make a bigger impact with trials for both patients and providers. I think the exciting part is that it will hopefully develop into a robust, growing infrastructure that will facilitate clinical trials in all disease areas.”
All of us at Diabetes Action Canada were saddened to learn about the recent passing of Elder and Knowledge Keeper Clarence Nepinak. Clarence, alongside his wife Barbara, was a driving force within our Indigenous Patient Circle and an tireless advocate for his community. He will be deeply missed.
Read a tribute to Clarence by CBC News
Recently, Diabetes Action Canada’s Dr. Val Rac and Patient Partner Ryan Hooey appeared on a Diabetes Canada webinar presentation about diabetic retinopathy and sight loss.
The webinar, hosted by Brooks Roche, discusses the importance of annual screening and talks about the Diabetes Action Canada diabetic retinopathy screening program, which Dr. Rac is leading.
Watch the video now!
Rebecca Bodoarca, MD ∙ Roseanne O. Yeung, MD, MPH ∙ Darren Lau, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Volume 46, Issue 7 p691-698October 2022
This article reviews the impact of new diabetes treatment guidelines on the eligibility for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists in Canada, assessing how the revised criteria affect patient access to these medications. The findings highlight the potential benefits and challenges of the updated guidelines in managing type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Action Canada supported this research by providing access to the NDR and advocating for the inclusion of patient voices and collaborating with stakeholders to improve access to these innovative therapies.
By Krista Lamb
In October 2022, Dr. Cindy Bell became the new Chair of the Diabetes Action Canada Steering Council.
Dr. Bell is an accomplished scientist and the parent of two now adult daughters with type 1 diabetes. She has been an advocate and ally for the diabetes community for more than thirty years.
Dr. Bell was the Canadian lead on the establishment of the first Medical Research Council of Canada – JDRF partnership in the mid-1990s. This partnership funded two cycles of projects in Canada, including work on the Edmonton Protocol. In addition, she and her husband have organized multiple golf tournaments in partnership with JDRF to raise research funds.
“’I’ve spent many years of my career working on getting research implemented and into the healthcare system in particular. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to continue doing that in another capacity,” she says.
As a scientist, Dr. Bell also brings a research lens to her role with Diabetes Action Canada. She retired from her role as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development with Genome Canada in 2021, after more than twenty years in leadership roles with the organization. There, she was responsible for establishing partnership and providing policy and strategic advice on scientific and other aspects of Genome Canada’s programs, including overseeing and managing the peer review process used to establish research programs.
Her interest in the work of Diabetes Action Canada stems from her own passion for trying to change health systems to better align with the needs of patients and caregivers. “It’s incredibly important. I don’t know how many times throughout my science career and personal life, and not just related to diabetes, that I personally was frustrated with an inability to really contribute to the patient care that I was receiving, or that a loved one was receiving. It’s not any fault of an individual physician or care team, but just more of the system,” she says. “In the dynamic between a doctor and patient, the patients seldom feel empowered. And yet, we know from great experience that you have to listen to patients, you have to take into consideration their experiences.”
In her role of Chair for the Steering Council she hopes to ensure the Diabetes Action Canada team has the support they need and the input they require to make strong decisions around strategy and programming. She also hopes to see the organization’s work result in better outcomes for those living with diabetes. “I’m very committed to bringing new innovations and new technology to the healthcare system. I think our Canadian healthcare system needs to be better at adopting new techniques, technologies, skill sets, whatever it is to accomplish what we need to do for the patient. That will always be in the back of my mind as I’m working with Diabetes Action Canada,” she says.
| Ahmad Haidar | Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, McGill University. |
| Alan Cruess | Professor, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. |
| Andrew Paterson | Full Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. |
| Aurel Schofield | Associate Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dentistry& Ophthalmology, University of Alberta. |
| Babak Aliarzadeh | Data Analytics Manager, University of Toronto Practise Based Research Network.(UTOPIAN) |
| Baiju Shah | Associate Professor, Department of Medicine &Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. |
| Barry Lavallee | Director Student Support and curriculum Development Centre for Aboriginal Health Education Section of First Nation, Metis and Inuit Health Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. |
| Benoit Lamarche | Professor, Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Laval University |
| Bernard Hurley
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Vitreoretinal Surgeon;
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology; Fellowship Director & Program Director, Department of Ophthalmology The University of Ottawa Eye Institute, The Ottawa Hospital Attending Staff Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
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| Caroline Chartrand | Clinical Assistant Professor, Université de Montréal
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| Caroline Jose | Adjunct Research Professor, Centre de formation médicale, Université de Moncton
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| Catherine Yu | Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
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| David Cherney | Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine & Division of Nephrology, University of Toronto
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| David Wong
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Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences, University of Toronto |
| Donna Manca | Associate Professor & Research Director, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry- Family Medicine, University of Alberta |
| Eva Grunfeld | Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto |
| Geetha Mukerji | Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto |
| Gillian Booth | Associate Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
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| Héléne Lee- Gosselin | Professor, Department of Management, Laval University |
| Holly Witteman | Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Laval University
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| Ilana Halperin | Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto |
| Jean-Francois Ethier
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Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Université de Sherbrooke
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| Joyce Dogba | Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Emergency medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University |
| Julie Gilmour | Professor, International Relations Program Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
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| Karen Tu | Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto |
| Liisa Jaakkimainen
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Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto |
| Lori MacCallum
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Assistant Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
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| Lorraine Lipscombe
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Associate Professor, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto |
| Marie Claude Tremblay | Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Emergency Medicine & Office of Education and
Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University |
| Mathieu Ouimet | Full Professor, Political Science, Laval University |
| Melanie Campbell | Professor, Department of Physics, University of Waterloo
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| Michael Hillmer
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Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto |
| Monica Parry | Associate Professor, Nurse Practitioner Field of Study, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. |
| Neil Drummond | Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta
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| Noah Ivers | Assistant professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto |
| Onil Bhattacharrya | Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
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| Peter Juni | Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto |
| Phil Segal | Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto |
| Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret | Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal |
| Rick Bhirtwhistle | Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and Epidemiology, Queen’s University
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| Robin Mason
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Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto |
| Rose Yeung
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Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta |
| Serge Dumont
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Professor, School of Social Work, Laval University |
| Sherif El Defrawy
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Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences -University of Toronto,Ophthalmologist-in-Chief – Kensington Eye Institute , Active Attending -University Health Network
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| Sophie Desroches
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Assistant Professor, Department of Food & Nutrition Sciences, Laval University |
| Stephen Kosar
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Assistant Professor, Northern Ontario School of Medicine |
| Tara Kiran | Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto |
| Valeria Rac | Assistant Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy & Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto |
| Varun Chaudary
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Associate Professor, McMaster University & Associate Member, McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering |
| Xiaolin Wei | Associate Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health – University of Toronto |
As we move into phase two of Diabetes Action Canada, the Network has a clear goal of translating the research and learnings from our first phase into understandable and implementable deliverables that aim to better support those living with diabetes in Canada. To further this, we are pleased to announce funding support from Diabetes Canada for our Mobilizing Knowledge and Implementing Equitable and Cost-Effective Health and Social Care Services for Persons Living with Diabetes in Canada project.
“In order for all of the work done over the past six years to really have an impact on the health of people living with diabetes, it must be shared effectively,” says Diabetes Action Canada Executive Director, Tracy McQuire. “Our Knowledge Mobilization team, led by Dr. Monika Kastner, has developed tools to optimize the sustainability and scalability of our research learnings. This crucial funding from Diabetes Canada will ensure outcomes are easily accessible to the community and adopted more readily into practice and policy.”
This funding will support Diabetes Action Canada in having a Knowledge Mobilization team member embedded with each research program. This means that throughout the project, there will be an emphasis on how these findings will be explained, shared and used by those who could benefit. This is a much more effective process, as too often Knowledge Mobilization is left to the end, when needed changes cannot be made and valuable opportunities for successful implementation are lost. This new process also allows the planning for how to spread and scale research findings to happen simultaneously with the research itself.
“Diabetes Canada is excited about our continued partnership and funding support for the ongoing work of Diabetes Action Canada,” says Laura Syron, President & CEO, Diabetes Canada. “The Knowledge Mobilization Program will help bridge the gap between science and practice through engagement with the diabetes community. This is essential to shaping research projects and innovations in care to help improve the quality of life for those living with diabetes.”
For the Diabetes Action Canada research community and in particular our Patient Partners, making sure the organization’s work moves beyond the lab is a critical step to improving the lives of people living with diabetes. This new Diabetes Canada funding will help ensure that happens.
By Krista Lamb
A new paper from the lab of Dr. Robin Mason of our Sex and Gender team has been published in the Canadian Journal of Diabetes. The paper, Exploring the lived experience of diabetes through an intersectional lens: A qualitative study of adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, takes and in-depth look at how a person’s lived experience affects their diabetes outcomes.
“In terms of research findings, I think the key takeaway from our study is that care and treatment decisions really need to be discussed with and tailored to the individual and that having this kind of conversation requires care providers engage in a different kind of relationship with their patients,” says Mason. “But the other key takeaway from this project has less to do with the study findings and more to do with the research process itself, specifically how working with the Patient Partners enriched not just the study in all kinds of ways but also our understanding of what it is to live with diabetes.”
Two Diabetes Action Canada Patient Partners, Virtue Bajurny and André Gaudreau, were members of the research team and co-authors on the paper.
“This project was a long time in development. The idea for the study arose out of conversations and presentations I heard during past Diabetes Action Canada annual conference and meetings. There were, for example, comments by young women about the unpredictability of their blood sugars when they were menstruating and how little they had learned about this possibility from their physicians. I was interested in what other potentially “unknown” experiences there might be,” says Mason. “At one of the annual meetings I floated the idea and asked if there were patients who would be interested in partnering in a collaborative study about living with diabetes. A few people expressed interest and some of them stayed interested over the next year (and more) while we worked to get the study underway and found the right person, Dr. Zoey Jones, to lead, and Jenn Akerman to help with the study. We sent email updates to the interested individuals and when we were in a position to begin, we met regularly via Zoom. Patient Partners were full partners to the extent they had the time and interest. They helped develop the interview guide, participated in the training on the coding software, coded transcript excerpts, helped with the thematic naming and organization of results, etc.”
This study is a great example of how people with diabetes can be fully embedded in a research study and provides important learnings on the need to incorporate a person’s life experience into research on potential therapies for diabetes.
