Sansum Diabetes Research Institute

DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE IMPACTED BY DIABETES THROUGH RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND CARE.

RESEARCHRESEARCH TYPE 1 DIABETES: SDRI IS COMMITTED TO RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE IMPACTED BY DIABETES IN ALL FORMS. FOR OVER A DECADE, SDRI HAS BEEN A GLOBAL LEADER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS (AP), PARTNERING WITH SUCH ILLUSTRIOUS INSTITUTIONS AS HARVARD UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA, MAYO CLINIC, MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER AND THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, TO NAME JUST A FEW. THE GOAL OF THE AP SYSTEM IS TO PROVIDE AUTOMATED GLUCOSE REGULATION THROUGH CONTROLLED INSULIN DELIVERY IN RESPONSE TO DETECTED PATTERNS OF CHANGE. SDRIS ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS PROGRAM PROVIDES TRAINING AND SUPPORT FOR PATIENTS WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES WHO HAVE BEEN PRESCRIBED THIS TREATMENT BY THEIR PHYSICIAN OR AS PART OF ONE OF OUR RESEARCH STUDIES. SDRIS CERTIFIED TRAINERS MEET WITH PATIENTS ONE-ON-ONE TO TRAIN AND THEN MONITOR THEIR USE OF THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY. APPOINTMENTS INCLUDE EDUCATION ON GLUCOSE MONITORING, INSULIN SENSITIVITY FACTORS, AND OVERALL WELL-BEING. IN 2018, SDRI AND ITS COLLABORATORS WERE AWARDED THE FIRST EVER RESEARCH GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH) TESTING THE AP SYSTEM IN PREGNANCY. SDRI SCIENTISTS ALSO ENGAGE IN RESEARCH AND CLINICAL STUDIES TESTING NEW DEVICES AND MEDICATION AS WELL AS INVESTIGATOR-INITIATED RESEARCH DESIGNED TO UNDERSTAND THE DIABETES PROCESS AND OPTIMIZE TREATMENT. RECENTLY, ONE OF OUR RESEARCH PROGRAMS CONTRIBUTED TO FDA APPROVAL OF THE OMNIPOD 5 AP SYSTEM FOR PATIENTS WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES. RESEARCH TYPE 2 DIABETES:UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF OUR NEW CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, DR. SAMUEL KLEIN, SDRI HAS DEVELOPED A NEW PROGRAM IN THE SCIENCE OF PRECISION METABOLISM. THIS PROGRAM WILL CONDUCT RESEARCH STUDIES TO CREATE EVIDENCE-BASED NUTRITION SOLUTIONS FOR METABOLIC HEALTH AND MULTI-ORGAN SYSTEM FUNCTION, PARTICULARLY RELATED TO TYPE 2 DIABETES AND OBESITY. IT IS ENVISIONED THAT SDRI WILL BECOME A CLINICAL RESEARCH HUB WITH BASIC SCIENCE COLLABORATIONS INVOLVING LEADING ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA AND THE US. IN 2021, SDRI ESTABLISHED THE SANTA BARBARA NUTRITION HEALTH COALITION. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS COALITION IS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE AT HIGH RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASES LIVING IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, BY DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY-BASED, AND EVIDENCE-BASED NUTRITION INTERVENTION PROGRAMS.

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY OUTREACH: SDRI CONDUCTS MULTI-FACETED EDUCATION SERIES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY TO RESIDENTS WITH OR AT RISK OF DIABETES. THIS INCLUDES CLASSES AIMED AT CERTAIN TARGET POPULATIONS. TO HELP WOMEN WHOSE PREGNANCIES ARE COMPLICATED BY DIABETES, SDRI OFFERS EDUCATION FOR BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER PREGNANCY TO GIVE WOMEN WITH DIABETES THE SAME CHANCE OF BIRTHING A HEALTHY BABY AS WOMEN WITHOUT DIABETES. ALL OF OUR CLASSES ARE TAUGHT IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. SDRIS DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT EDUCATION SERVICES (DSMES) ARE FULLY ACCREDITED BY THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION. EDUCATION PROGRAMS HAVE REACHED OVER 4,000 PARTICIPANTS. PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THOSE MOST AT RISK OF DIABETES OR WITH PREDIABETES OR ALREADY LIVING WITH DIABETES TO PROVIDE MORE STRUCTURED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS OFFERED. IN ADDITION, THE PROGRAM CAN REFER PATIENTS TO A PROVIDER FOR FOLLOW UP TREATMENT, WHETHER AT SDRI OR OTHER PROVIDERS. SDRIS VEGGIE IQ PROGRAM IS AN INNOVATIVE EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAM FOR LOW-INCOME, UNDERSERVED YOUTH TO IMPROVE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND CONSUMPTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, WHICH LEADS TO MEASURABLE HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS, BETTER MENTAL HEALTH, AND IMPROVED PHYSICALITY. OVER THE COURSE OF 10 MONTHS, STUDENTS ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN BIMONTHLY SCIENCE SESSIONS TOPICS INCLUDE FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION, HOW FOOD IMPACTS ACTIVITY FOR OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLBEING, AND MANY MORE. COVID 19: AS SOON AS A VACCINE BECAME LOCALLY AVAILABLE IN EARLY JANUARY 2021, SDRI APPLIED AND WAS APPROVED BY THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) AND THE LOCAL AND STATE DEPARTMENTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AS A COVID-19 VACCINATION SITE. ON JANUARY 27, 2021, SDRI BEGAN VACCINATING LOCAL RESIDENTS AGAINST THE VIRUS THAT CAUSES COVID-19, BEGINNING WITH PRIORITY POPULATIONS AND TRADITIONALLY HARD-TO-REACH GROUPS. SDRI FOLLOWED PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE WHILE PRIORITIZING OLDER ADULTS WITH TYPE 1 OR TYPE 2 DIABETES. BY THE CONCLUSION OF THE PROGRAM, MAY 14, 2021, SDRI HAD ADMINISTERED 2,294 DOSES OF THE VACCINE TO LOCAL SANTA BARBARA RESIDENTS IN 26 VACCINATION CLINICS AT SDRI OVER FOUR MONTHS. OF THE 2,294 DOSES ADMINISTERED, 1,234 (54%) WERE GIVEN TO PEOPLE 50 OR OLDER, INCLUDING 80 DOSES (4%) PROVIDED TO SENIORS 75 AND OLDER, 342 DOSES (15%) TO SENIORS AGED 65 TO 74, 234 (10%) TO SENIORS AGED 60 TO 64, AND 578 (25%) TO SENIORS AGED 50 TO 64. THE OLDEST VACCINATED INDIVIDUAL WAS 95 YEARS OLD.NEARLY THREE QUARTERS (74%) OF SDRIS VACCINE DOSES WENT TO LATINOS OVER DOUBLE THE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PROPORTION OF 33%. A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF SDRI DOSES WERE GIVEN TO MEN (52%) COMPARED TO SANTA BARBARA COUNTY (47%). NEARLY A THIRD (30%) OF SDRI DOSES WERE PROVIDED TO UNINSURED INDIVIDUALS, WHILE 11% WENT TO INDIVIDUALS ON MEDICAID/MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, AND 13% WENT TO MEDICARE ENROLLEES. THE PREDOMINANT ZIP CODES OF VACCINE RECIPIENTS WERE: 93101 (DOWNTOWN, 27%); 93103 (EASTSIDE, 15%); 93117 (GOLETA, 15%); 93105 (WESTSIDE, 11%); AND OTHER ZIP CODES (32%).

CARE: SDRI PROVIDED CLINICAL CARE IN 3 AREAS: DIABETES IN PREGNANCY, PEDIATRIC CARE AND ADULT ENDOCRINOLOGY. IN THE LAST YEAR ALONE, OUR STAFF HAVE HELPED OVER 150WOMEN NAVIGATE THE DIFFICULT ROAD OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATED BY DIABETES IN ORDER TO DELIVER HEALTHY BABIES. IT WASNT TOO LONG AGO THAT WOMEN WITH DIABETES WERE TOLD NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN GIVEN THE RISK OF POSSIBLE BIRTH DEFECTS. OUR LATE CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, DR. LOIS JOVANOVIC, DEVELOPED PROTOCOLS THAT HELPED WOMEN WITH DIABETES WORLDWIDE GIVE BIRTH TO HEALTHY BABIES. HER GROUND BREAKING WORK CONTINUES TODAY. OUR DIABETES AND PREGNANCY CLINICAL CARE PROGRAM SUPPORTS WOMEN WITH EITHER TYPE 1, TYPE 2, OR GESTATIONAL DIABETES. OUR PEDIATRIC DEPARTMENT SPECIALIZES IN WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS, SUPPORTING PATIENTS WITH ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS TECHNOLOGY, GLUCOSE CONTROL, AND INSULIN PUMPS. OUR PHYSICIANS CARE FOR BOTH TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 DIABETES AS WELL AS OTHER ENDOCRINE ISSUES.