University researchers, health officials team up to improve diabetes outcomes

Improving health outcomes and quality of life for people living with type 2 diabetes are the goals of a project between a new research center at the University of Michigan (UM) and university, health and public officials in North Carolina.

The Center for Geospatial Medicine, which recently moved from Duke University to U-M's School of Natural Resources and Environment, is a partner in a $6.2 million grant announced today by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation as part of its national diabetes initiative, Together on Diabetes.

The project's other partners are the Duke University Medical Center and the Durham County Health Department. The project will focus on residents of North Carolina's Durham County, home to Duke.

"The Center for Geospatial Medicine will be developing geospatial informatics tools to improve the design and delivery of treatment approaches for persons with T2DM. We are grateful to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation for its belief in our work," said Marie Lynn Miranda, the center's director and a professor at the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment.

Miranda joined SNRE from Duke, where she founded the centre and remains an adjunct professor. Miranda becomes dean of SNRE on Jan. 1, 2012.

"Attacking a complex problem like diabetes requires a committed team, resources, community engagement and alignment of health care and societal forces," said Dr. Robert Califf, vice chancellor for clinical research at Duke and leader of the steering committee for the Durham Diabetes Coalition. "We're excited by this chance to build on the vibrant relationships that already exist among Duke, the Durham health department and other community stakeholders.