Patient Impact

While scientific breakthroughs provide critical insights into the mechanisms and potential interventions for diabetes, their true value is realized when applied directly to improve patient outcomes. By moving research into clinical settings, we can ensure that innovative therapies, precision medicine approaches, and preventive strategies reach the individuals who need them most. This alignment between research and care not only accelerates the pace of discovery but also empowers patients by offering tailored treatments that address their unique needs, ultimately driving better health outcomes and quality of life.

The Weight Navigation Program (WNP) has anchored its efforts around two key patient- and family-centered care themes: providing dignified and respectful care and remaining flexible to the unique needs of patients and families. Obesity affects approximately 70 million Americans. It is a very complex metabolic disease that occurs because of both genetic makeup and environmental forces. Led by Andrew Kraftson, MD, and Dina Griauzde, MD, MSc, with CDI support, the WNP utilizes data to define the efficacy of each constituent program for patients with specific parameters and determines gaps in weight loss programs. The program conducts continuous improvement work and identifies best practices for long-term weight management, utilizing the latest research and clinical strategies. And it does so with patients and families at the center of the program. The program also is designed to reduce the stigma associated with weight management.

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The Diabetes and Mental Health (DMH) initiative will help CDI ensure that we support the whole person with diabetes - physical, mental, emotional and social. 

 

Led by Dr. Briana Mezuk, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the U-M School of Public Health, and Co-Director of the Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, the overall goal is to understand the mental health and social needs of patients with diabetes and identify and address healthcare system gaps in addressing these needs.

 

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Pediatric patients facing obesity and its complications often encounter significant emotional and psychological stress, which can impede their progress. Effective care coordination and emotional support are crucial for the success of these young patients.

The CDI has partnered with Dr. Susan Woolford from the Division of General Pediatrics at Michigan Medicine to launch the Michigan Intensive Pediatric Lifestyle and Navigation (MIPLAN) program to address the increasing need for effective weight management interventions for pediatric patients and their families. 

Preventing diabetes in children is crucial not only to protect their immediate health but also to reduce the likelihood of chronic conditions that can arise later in life. Early intervention, such as promoting healthy eating, regular physical activity, and weight management programs, is essential to break the cycle of obesity and diabetes. Reducing and preventing diabetes in children is critical to ensuring a healthier future and reducing the long-term burden on the healthcare system.

MiPLAN aims to demonstrate capacity to address the increasing need for effective weight management interventions for pediatric patients and their families and supporting pediatric primary care providers by offering specialized resources and expertise to manage more complex weight management cases.

The policy impact program is committed to creating meaningful change by integrating policy, research, and patient advocacy into a cohesive strategy for advancing diabetes prevention, care, and the search for a cure. By leveraging evidence-based data, CDI will help shape sound policy decisions, ensuring that diabetes, obesity, and related metabolic diseases are addressed with the most accurate and up-to-date information, and that the focus is on issues most important to patients and the community.

 

One component of this effort, CDI supports the Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research (MCDTR) in helping early-stage investigators translate findings on social risk factors into effective interventions. Grants will fund partnered research between a University of Michigan researcher and a policy partner (e.g., health department, social services) to conduct rigorous, policy-relevant evaluations of programs or policies.

 

CDI also provides critical information and expert testimony to state and federal legislators to shape policies that improve access to affordable diabetes medications and technology and other efforts to advance treatments and improve diabetes outcomes for the broader population. 

Info coming soon