Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster), Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach), and Dr. Jason Kim (Advisor)
Session 1: Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Medical School)

Our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, now partnering with the American Diabetes Association, successfully kicked off yesterday with the Opening Session, where our Diabetes Virtual Camp team of Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim were introduced along with the goals, format, and learning objectives of our Fall Camp.

The Opening Session was followed by Session 1, “Introduction to Diabetes,” where Dr. Kim introduced the topic of diabetes and discussed different types and diagnostics criteria of diabetes, characteristic features of type 1 & type 2 diabetes, diabetic complications, the importance of glucose homeostasis and how insulin regulates our glucose levels, and insulin resistance and its role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Session 1 ended with a discussion on how to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes using lifestyle modifications (healthy diet & exercise) and different types of drugs with their modality of actions.

Thanks for joining our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, and see you next weekend!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster), Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach), and Dr. Jason Kim (Advisor). The opening session outlines the goals, format, and learning objectives of this program.

Session 1: Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (Professor of Molecular Medicine, Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, Director of Metabolic Disease Research Center, MD/PhD Admissions Committee, University of Massachusetts Medical School). This session introduces the topic of diabetes: different types and diagnostic criteria of diabetes, characteristic features of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, diabetic complications, importance of glucose homeostasis and how insulin regulates our glucose levels, and insulin resistance and its role in development of type 2 diabetes. The session ends with a discussion on how to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes using lifestyle modifications (healthy diet and exercise) and different types of drugs.

Beautiful Fall weather and foliage here in Massachusetts, and we hope all of you are enjoying the Fall season wherever you are!

Our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp continues this weekend with the following sessions on Saturday.
Session 2: How the Environment and Genes Contribute to Diabetes by Dr. Mitchell Lazar (University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine)
Session 3: Living Lifelong with Diabetes: So Much Accomplished, Yet So Much Still to Be Done by Dr. Robert Eckel (President of the American Diabetes Association, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus)

They will be followed by Sunday’s sessions.
Session 4: COVID-19 in People with Obesity and Diabetes by Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis (Tulane University School of Medicine)
Session 5: The Fundamentals of Ethics for Conducting Scientific Research by Dr. Rohit Kulkarni (Harvard Medical School)

Please remember that all sessions will start at 11 am (Eastern Time in Boston), and check the corresponding time in your time zone. The email containing the link and password for each day’s Zoom sessions will be sent out 1 hour before the start of the session, at 10 am (Eastern Time in Boston), and you must enter the Zoom session by 10:45 am to be admitted. Please login as early as possible using your first and last names that match our registration record. If you do not receive the Zoom link, please contact us.

See you all Saturday!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 3: Living Lifelong with Diabetes: So Much Accomplished, Yet So Much Still to Be Done by Dr. Robert Eckel (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus)

One of the key attributes of a good scientist is managing unanticipated events and improvising to continue science. Our Diabetes Virtual Camp is no exception when it comes to this important life lesson.
One of our Experts, Dr. Mitch Lazar, had a minor accident at home and could not host his session this morning. So we had to improvise as Dr. Jason Kim presented a short topic on Investigative Research, where he discussed the essential steps in the investigative process, a requisite tool shared by scientists and physicians alike to conduct research and practice medicine.
This was followed by Session 3, “Living Lifelong with Diabetes: So Much Accomplished, Yet So Much Still to Be Done,” where Dr. Robert Eckel (President of the American Diabetes Association) shared the personal and inspiring story of his living with type 1 diabetes and a historical perspective and prospects on diabetes.

Dr. Bob Eckel is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, and Cardiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He is the current President of the American Diabetes Association and the past President of the American Heart Association. So just from that alone, I’m sure you can tell that he is one of the most respected leaders in our field. Dr. Eckel had a humble beginning of receiving his undergraduate degree in Bacteriology, followed by his M.D. at the University of Cincinnati in 1973. He then received clinical training at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and the University of Washington. Dr. Eckel began his academic career at the University of Colorado as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in 1979 and established his world-renowned research program in lipid orders and diabetes over the years. He has far too many awards to mention, but I’ll just name a few here. He is the 2017 recipient of the W. Virgil Brown Distinguished Achievement Award by the National Lipid Association, Robert H. Herman Award by the American Society for Nutrition, and Clinical Investigator Award of the Endocrine Society in 2016. Dr. Eckel has published more than 330 peer-reviewed articles in some of the top scientific journals, and I am truly privileged to have known him for almost 20 years as a collaborator and a close colleague.

Thanks for joining our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, and see you all tomorrow!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 3: Living Lifelong with Diabetes: So Much Accomplished, Yet So Much Still to Be Done by Dr. Robert Eckel (Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes and Cardiology, President of the American Diabetes Association, and Past President of the American Heart Association, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus). Dr. Eckel welcomes our interns. This session will discuss the historic perspectives and future of diabetes care and treatment.

I am delighted to tell you that Dr. Mitch Lazar will be giving us his presentation tomorrow following the scheduled Session 4 & 5, starting at 11 am (Eastern Time in Boston), Sunday.So this will be a special 3-session day for 90 minutes to hear the exciting topics from 3 renowned physician-scientists in our field!

Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom Session 4, 5 & 2 on Sunday, October 11, 2020.
Session 4: COVID-19 in People with Obesity and Diabetes by Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis (Tulane University School of Medicine)
Session 5: The Fundamentals of Ethics for Conducting Scientific Research by Dr. Rohit Kulkarni (Harvard Medical School)
Session 2: How the Environment and Genes Contribute to Diabetes by Dr. Mitchell Lazar (University of Pennsylvania).

I hope all of you are excited to meet these three amazing Experts and see you all soon on Sunday!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 2: How the Environment and Genes Contribute to Diabetes by Dr. Mitchell Lazar (University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine)
Session 4: COVID-19 in People with Obesity and Diabetes by Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis (Tulane University School of Medicine)
Session 5: The Fundamentals of Ethics for Conducting Scientific Research by Dr. Rohit Kulkarni (Harvard Medical School)

The fabulous weekend as our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp hosted great sessions by Dr. Bob Eckel, Dr. Mitch Lazar, Dr. Rohit Kulkarni, and Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis, who are amazingly accomplished physician-scientists. Our students from all around the world joined in to learn about the importance of diabetes and COVID-19, scientific integrity, and exciting research on environmental and genetic factors contributing to diabetes. Diabetes Virtual Camp is educating and inspiring our next generation of physicians and scientists!

Yesterday’s Session 4, “COVID-19 in People with Obesity and Diabetes,” began where Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis (Tulane University School of Medicine) discussed current knowledge of mechanisms by which COVID-19 severity and mortality are more pronounced in older individuals with diabetes (type 1 and type 2) and metabolic syndrome.

This was followed by Session 5, “The Fundamentals of Ethics for Conducting Scientific Research,” where Dr. Rohit Kulkarni (Harvard Medical School) discussed the ethics of scientific research in understanding the causes of diabetes and obesity and the precautions that scientists take to ensure that the appropriate choices are made to choose the right organism to use for research. He further presented the use of appropriate statistical methods that are necessary to ensure the research is conducted in a manner that will be useful for the prevention and treatment of disease and prolonging the health of humans.

Then, the exciting finale Session 2, “How the Environment and Genes Contribute to Diabetes,” where Dr. Mitchell Lazar (University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine) discussed type 2 diabetes being most common and strongly associated with obesity. He explained how diabetes and obesity run in families and are highly hereditary, but the epidemic is also due to the impact of the modern environment, including fattening diets, not enough exercise, and exposure to light around the clock, especially for people doing shift work. He further discussed how these environmental challenges overwhelm normal physiology, in large part, by altering the expression of genes in tissues important for metabolism. The session ended with him explaining that the factors other than the sequence of the genome that determine how genes are expressed are collectively referred to as the epigenome, with his research focusing on how and what goes wrong with the epigenome in obesity and diabetes.

Thanks for joining our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, and see you all tomorrow!

Diabetes Virtual Camp TeamLauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 2: How the Environment and Genes Contribute to Diabetes by Dr. Mitchell Lazar (Willard and Rhoda Ware Professor in Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Director of Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine)

Dr. Mitchell Lazar is the Willard and Rhoda Ware Professor of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases and Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lazar received an S.B. degree in Chemistry from M.I.T. and his M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University. After his clinical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in Endocrinology at MGH of Harvard Medical School, he began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in 1989. For over 24 years, he has served as the Chief of the Penn Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, and is the Founding Director of Penn's Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism.  Dr. Lazar has made landmark discoveries in the nuclear receptor field, the circadian nuclear receptor REV-ERBa and adipocyte expression of PPARg, that have shaped the direction of our field for the last two decades, and as a result, he has received numerous awards from the American Thyroid Association, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Endocrine Society, as well as the Rolf Luft Award of the Karolinska Institute. Most notably, he is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Session 2: How the Environment and Genes Contribute to Diabetes by Dr. Mitchell Lazar (University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine). There is a pandemic of diabetes in the US and around the world. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2, with type 2 diabetes being most common and strongly associated with obesity. Diabetes and obesity run in families and are highly hereditary, but the epidemic is also due to the impact of the modern environment, including fattening diets, not enough exercise, and exposure to light around the clock especially for people doing shift work. These environmental challenges overwhelm normal physiology, in large part by altering the expression of genes in tissues important for metabolism. The factors other than the sequence of the genome that determine how genes are expressed are collectively referred to as the epigenome. The Lazar lab studies how and what goes wrong with the epigenome in obesity and diabetes.

Session 4: COVID-19 in People with Obesity and Diabetes by Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis (Price-Goldsmith Professor of Nutrition and Professor of Medicine, Director of Diabetes Discovery Research & Sex-Based Medicine Laboratory, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tulane University School of Medicine)

Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis is Price-Goldsmith Professor of Nutrition and Professor of Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. He is also the Director of the Tulane Diabetes Research Program. Dr. Mauvais-Jarvis was born in Paris and received his Bachelor’s degree, and M.D. from Paris Descarte School of Medicine in France in 1991 and further received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Paris-Saclay School of Medicine in 2002. After his clinical training in endocrinology, he came to the Joslin Diabetes Center of Harvard Medical School for fellowship training. He began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, then became an Associate Professor at Northwestern University, and joined Tulane University to direct their diabetes center in 2013. Dr. Mauvais-Jarvis is a leading physician-scientist in sex hormones and their role in diabetes, having authored more than 130 publications, and received numerous awards, including Induction to American Society for Clinical Investigation and Lilly Research Award.

Session 4: COVID-19 in People with Obesity and Diabetes by Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis (Tulane University School of Medicine). This session will discuss current knowledge of mechanisms by which COVID-19 severity and mortality is more pronounced in older individuals with diabetes (type 2 and type 1), obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Session 5: The Fundamentals of Ethics for Conducting Scientific Research by Dr. Rohit Kulkarni (Margaret A. Congleton Chair and Professor of Medicine, Senior Investigator, co-Section Head of Islet & Regenerative Biology, and Associate Director of Diabetes Research Center, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School)

Dr. Rohit Kulkarni is Margaret A. Congleton Chair and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also a Senior Investigator, co-Section Head of Islet & Regenerative Biology, and Associate Director of Diabetes Research Center at Joslin Diabetes Center. Dr. Kulkarni received his M.D. from St. John’s Medical College in Bangalore, India, and went on to receive a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of London in 1996. Following his clinical training in endocrinology in London, Dr. Kulkarni came to the U.S. for fellowship training at Joslin Diabetes Center. He became an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School in 2004 and rose the rank over the years to his current tenure at Harvard. Dr. Kulkarni is a leading scientist in islet biology and metabolic signaling and received the prestigious Ernst Oppenheimer Laureate Award from the Endocrine Society and the Albert E. Renold Prize from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. He has authored more than 180 publications, mostly in top scientific journals, and serves on the editorial board for Diabetes and Endocrinology.

Session 5: The Fundamentals of Ethics for Conducting Scientific Research by Dr. Rohit Kulkarni (Harvard Medical School). This session will focus on discussing the ethics of scientific research in understanding the causes of diabetes and obesity. It will cover the precautions that scientists take to insure that the appropriate choices are made to choose the right organism to use for research work. It will cover the use of appropriate statistical methods that are necessary to insure the research work is conducted in a manner that will be useful for the prevention and treatment of disease and prolonging the health of humans.

Our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp continues this weekend with the following session on Saturday.
Session 6, “Obesity & Diabetes: Marriage Made in Clinic” by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Medical School).

This will be followed by Sunday’s sessions.
Session 7: “Pancreatic Beta Cell Regeneration: Perspectives of a Physician-Scientist” by Dr. Laura Alonso (Weill Cornell Medical College) and
Session 8: “Linking Obesity and Diabetes” by Dr. Rexford Ahima (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine).

Please remember that all sessions will start at 11 am (Eastern Time in Boston), and check the corresponding time in your time zone. The email containing the link to Saturday’s Zoom session went out today, and the email for Sunday’s Zoom sessions will be sent out tomorrow. Please login as early as possible, starting at 10 am (Eastern Time), using your first and last names that match our registration record. If you do not receive the Zoom link, please contact us.

If you have not yet donated, please consider donating as your generous contributions will support diabetes research, education, and care. The donation site will remain open throughout the program.

For students from Hawaii (-6 hours), please log in to the Zoom session using a password from 4 am to 4:45 am (Hawaii time) on Saturday as the session will start at 5 am.For students from Spain (+6 hours), please log in to the Zoom session using a password from 4 pm to 4:45 pm (Spain time) on Saturday as the session will start at 5 pm.For students from Hong Kong (+12 hours), please log in to the Zoom session using a password from 10 pm to 10:45 pm (Hong Kong time) on Saturday night as the session will start at 11 pm.For students from Korea and Australia (+13 hours), please log in to the Zoom session using a password from 11 pm to 11:45 pm (Korea & Australia time) on Saturday night as the session will start at midnight.

If you get disconnected during the session, just log in again, and we’ll admit you back into the session. Thanks, and see you all on Saturday!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 6: Obesity & Diabetes: Marriage Made in Clinic by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Medical School)

On a gorgeous Saturday in fall, our students from all around the globe joined in to learn about the important relationship between obesity and type 2 diabetes.

In yesterday’s Session 6, “Obesity & Diabetes: Marriage Made in Clinic,” Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Medical School) discussed why we are so prone to become obese and what may drive the current obesity pandemic and hormonal regulation of body weight. He further discussed the current paradigms explaining the molecular link between obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as aging and type 2 diabetes, and the clash between diabetes and COVID-19 associated inflammation. The session ended with a discussion on lessons from the past on how we have failed to control obesity and what we must do now and in the future to prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Thanks for joining our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, and see you all tomorrow!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 6: Obesity & Diabetes: Marriage Made in Clinic by Dr. Jason Kim (Professor of Molecular Medicine, Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, Director of Metabolic Disease Research Center, MD/PhD Admissions Committee, University of Massachusetts Medical School). This session introduces the topic of obesity and its role in type 2 diabetes: why we are so prone to become obese and what may drive the current obesity pandemic, and hormonal regulation of body weight. This session further discusses how obesity is a major cause of type 2 diabetes, current paradigms explaining the molecular link, aging and diabetes, and the clash between diabetes and COVID-19 involving inflammation. The session ends with a discussion on lessons from the past on how we have failed to control obesity and what we must do now and in future to prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Session 7: Pancreatic Beta Cell Regeneration: Perspectives of a Physician-Scientist by Dr. Laura Alonso (Weill Cornell Medical College)
Session 8: Linking Obesity and Diabetes by Dr. Rexford Ahima (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Dr. Alonso and Dr. Ahima welcome our interns.

Session 7: Pancreatic Beta Cell Regeneration: Perspectives of a Physician-Scientist by Dr. Laura Alonso (Professor of Medicine, Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, and Director of Weill Center for Metabolic Health, Weill Cornell Medical College)

Dr. Laura Alonso is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Weill Cornell Medical College. She is also Director of the Weill Center for Metabolic Health. Dr. Alonso earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Harvard College and an M.D. from University of Pennsylvania in 1998. Following her clinical training in endocrinology at the University of Chicago and NYU, and research fellowship at the Rockefeller University, Dr. Alonso began her academic career as an Assistant Professor at University of Pittsburgh in 2008. She then came to our UMass Medical School as an Associate Professor in 2013 where she became a star on campus with exceptional research and clinical programs, until joining Cornell last year. As a world-renowned expert in islet biology and pancreatic beta cell regeneration, Dr. Alonso has numerous awards including being elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2019 and selected to Empowering Professional Women for Executive Roles Award in 2017.

Session 7: Pancreatic Beta Cell Regeneration: Perspectives of a Physician-Scientist by Dr. Laura Alonso (Weill Cornell Medical College). As a physician-scientist studying ways to regenerate pancreatic beta cells to restore the body’s capacity to make insulin, I have the best job in the world. Each week I spend some of my time helping patients try to keep their diabetes under control using existing therapies, and the rest of my time leading a research laboratory seeking better treatments. In this session I’ll review the path to becoming a physician-scientist, along with some of our advances in beta cell biology.

Session 8: Linking Obesity and Diabetes by Dr. Rexford Ahima (Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Diabetes, Professor of Medicine, Director, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, and Leader of Johns Hopkins Diabetes Initiative, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Dr. Rex Ahima is Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Diabetes, and Professor of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also Director of Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Hopkins. Dr. Ahima received his Bachelor’s degree in Endocrinology from University of London, his M.D. from University of Ghana Medical School in 1986, and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Tulane University in 1992. Following his clinical training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and fellowship training in endocrinology at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Ahima began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He rose the rank to be the Full Professor and Associate Director of Penn Institute for Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, until 2016 when he moved to Johns Hopkins to direct the Johns Hopkins/University of Maryland Diabetes Research Center. Dr. Ahima has numerous awards including Fellow of the American College of Physicians and Presidential Visiting Professor of Yale University in 2019. Authoring more than 165 peer-reviewed publications, he is a leading expert in CNS and peripheral actions of adipose-derived hormones, adipokines.

Session 8: Linking Obesity and Diabetes by Dr. Rexford Ahima (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine). My research focuses on how adipokines act in the brain and other organs to regulate feeding, energy homeostasis and glucose and lipid metabolism. Abnormal adipokine signaling has been linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Another fabulous weekend as our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp hosted great sessions by Dr. Jason Kim, Dr. Laura Alonso, and Dr. Rexford Ahima for our interns from worldwide.

Yesterday’s Session 7, “Pancreatic Beta Cell Regeneration: Perspectives of a Physician-Scientist,” began with Dr. Laura Alonso (Weill Cornell Medical College) sharing personal insights on her role as a physician-scientist studying ways to regenerate pancreatic beta cells to restore the body’s capacity to make insulin. She gave us a glimpse of her life in academic medicine as she spends her time helping patients try to keep their diabetes under control using existing therapies and the rest of her time leading a research laboratory seeking better treatments. She further discussed the path to becoming a physician-scientist, along with some of the recent advances made by her research team in beta cell biology.

This was followed by Session 8, “Linking Obesity and Diabetes,” where Dr. Rexford Ahima (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) discussed how adipokines act in the brain and other organs to regulate feeding, energy homeostasis, and glucose and lipid metabolism in our body. He further explained how abnormal adipokine signaling has been linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Thanks for joining our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, and see you all next weekend!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week.Our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp continues this weekend with the following Saturday’s sessions.
Session 9 “A New Approach to Liver Disease in Type 2 Diabetes” by Dr. Michael Czech (University of Massachusetts Medical School), and
Session 10 “Developing New Systems for Investigating Diabetes Genetics” by Dr. Seung Kim (Stanford University School of Medicine).

This will be followed by Sunday’s session.
Session 11 “Preparing for Medical School & Graduate School” by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Medical School).

Thanks, and see you all on Saturday!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 9: A New Approach to Liver Disease in Type 2 Diabetes by Dr. Michael Czech (University of Massachusetts Medical School)
Session 10: Developing New Systems for Investigating Diabetes Genetics by Dr. Seung Kim (Stanford University School of Medicine)

Dr. Czech and Dr. Kim welcome our interns.

Session 9: A New Approach to Liver Disease in Type 2 Diabetes by Dr. Michael Czech (Isadore and Fannie Foxman Professor, Founding Chair of Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School)

Dr. Mike Czech is Isadore and Fannie Foxman Chair in Medical Science and Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is also the Founding Chair of the Program in Molecular Medicine, the only department on campus that hosts a Nobel Laureate, Dr. Craig Mello. Dr. Czech received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Brown and after his Master’s in Biochemistry from Duke, he returned to Brown where he received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1972. He began his academic career at Brown University as an Assistant Professor in 1974 and joined the UMass Medical School in 1981 to chair the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Then in 1989, he founded then new Program in Molecular Medicine and served as the beloved Chair until just recently in 2018 when he stepped down from his role. Dr. Czech pioneered some of the early discoveries in insulin signaling and adipose function in metabolic disease, and he continues to make groundbreaking discoveries, more recently using RNAi and CRISPR-based technologies to define the biological principles of type 2 diabetes. Dr. Czech authors more than 300 publications and has far too many awards to mention here, but just to name a few: he is the recipient of prestigious Banting Medal and Albert Renold Award by the American Diabetes Association, Elliot P. Joslin Medal from Joslin Diabetes Center, and MERIT Award from the NIH.

Session 9: A New Approach to Liver Disease in Type 2 Diabetes by Dr. Michael Czech (University of Massachusetts Medical School). One of the major diseases associated with type 2 diabetes is fatty liver, leading to inflammation and “gummy” lesions known as fibrosis. Together, these symptoms in the liver are known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This is a major health problem since NASH is now becoming the most common reason for needing a liver transplant in the USA. We are developing a therapy for NASH that involves a completely new type of medicine in the form of RNA, which need be injected only a couple times a year. Progress is exciting and we hope to be testing this therapy in monkeys in the near future.

Session 10: Developing New Systems for Investigating Diabetes Genetics by Dr. Seung Kim (Stanford University School of Medicine)

Dr. Seung Kim is Professor of Developmental Biology and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is also the Director of Stanford Diabetes Research Center since 2016 and Director of Stanford MSTP, overseeing the MD/PhD training of hundreds of Stanford medical students. Dr. Kim was born in South Korea, came to U.S. when he was 3 years of age. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and his M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford in 1992. Following his clinical training at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, he served as a Medical Oncology Fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Instructor at Harvard Medical School, and HHMI Research Fellow at Harvard University from 1994 to 1998. Then, Dr. Kim began his academic career as Assistant Professor at Stanford University in 1998 and has risen the rank to his current positions that also include co-directing the Stanford Pancreas Cancer Research Group and the JDRF Northern California Center of Excellence. As a leading expert in islet biology, having made major discoveries toward new approaches to create, expand, regenerate, and sustain pancreatic islets, he was selected to be an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 2008 and standing member of research study sections for the NIH. He has many awards including the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2013 recipient of the Gerald and Kayla Grodsky Basic Science Research Award from the JDRF, 2014 Ho-Am Prize in Medicine, and 2020 JDRF Innovator Award.

Session 10: Developing New Systems for Investigating Diabetes Genetics by Dr. Seung Kim (Professor of Medicine and Developmental Biology, Director of Stanford Diabetes Research Center and Stanford MSTP, Stanford University School of Medicine)

Session 10: Developing New Systems for Investigating Diabetes Genetics by Dr. Seung Kim (Stanford University School of Medicine). Genetic risk is an important regulator of diabetes pathogenesis. Our group has developed fruit fly and human islet genetics and physiology to advance our understanding of diabetes genetics. This has also led to development of new science teaching partnerships with secondary schools around the world, through a program called 'Stan-X'. See https://www.stan-x.org/. My presentation will summarize important relevant aspects of these efforts by my group and our collaborators.

On another picturesque Saturday in the fall, our students from all around the world joined in to learn some exciting topics on diabetes.

In yesterday’s Session 9, “A New Approach to Liver Disease in Type 2 Diabetes,” Dr. Michael Czech (University of Massachusetts Medical School) discussed that one of the major diseases associated with type 2 diabetes is fatty liver, leading to inflammation and “gummy” lesions known as fibrosis, and together, these symptoms in the liver are known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). He explained how this is a major health problem since NASH is now becoming the most common reason for needing a liver transplant in the United States. He further discussed how his team is developing a therapy for NASH that involves a completely new type of medicine in the form of RNA, which needs to be injected only a couple of times a year.

This was followed by Session 10, “Developing New Systems for Investigating Diabetes Genetics,” where Dr. Seung Kim (Stanford University School of Medicine) discussed that genetic risk is an important regulator of diabetes pathogenesis, and his group has developed fruit fly and human islet genetics and physiology to advance our understanding of diabetes genetics. He explained how this has led to the development of new science teaching partnerships with secondary schools around the world through a program called “Stan-X.”

Thanks for joining our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, and see you all tomorrow!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 11: Preparing for Medical School & Graduate School by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Medical School)

Another great weekend of the Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp took place yesterday.

In Session 11, “Preparing for Medical School & Graduate School,” Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Medical School) began with an introduction of his NIH-sponsored National MMPC program as a global scientific resource for researchers around the world. He further discussed how high school and college students can explore their interests in science and medicine, and how college curriculum and extracurricular activities can be organized to prepare for medical and graduate school. He then presented an overview of the admissions process for medical school and graduate school in the United States. The session ended with a discussion of what to expect and what challenges lie ahead in a winding path to a career in academic medicine and research, and the passion and service that defines this lifelong profession.

Thanks for joining our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, and see you all next weekend!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 11: Preparing for Medical School & Graduate School by Dr. Jason Kim (Professor of Molecular Medicine, Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, Director of Metabolic Disease Research Center, MD/PhD Admissions Committee, University of Massachusetts Medical School). This session introduces how high school and college students can explore their interests in science and medicine, and how college curriculum and extracurricular activities can be organized to prepare for medical school and graduate school. This session further presents a bird’s-eye view of the medical school and graduate school admissions process. The session ends with a discussion on what to expect and what challenges lie ahead in a winding path to a career in academic medicine and research, and the passion and service that define this lifelong profession.

It’s hard to believe that four weeks have already passed, and tomorrow will be our final closing session. We hope that all of you have enjoyed and learned a lot from Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp.

Session 12: “The Role of the Gastrointestinal Tract in T2D – Lessons from Bariatric Surgery” by Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Patti (Harvard Medical School)
Session 13: “The Benefits of Accidental Discovery” by Dr. Thomas Gardner (University of Michigan Medical School), and
Closing Session by Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim (Diabetes Virtual Camp Team)

At tomorrow’s Closing Session, we will address any questions you have and give you instructions on how to request a Certificate of Completion of our virtual internship program.Looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow, and Happy, Safe Halloween to all!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Happy Halloween!Our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp came to an end with two exciting sessions from Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Patti and Dr. Thomas Gardner and a Closing Session, where our interns learned about more exciting topics on diabetes.

In today’s Session 12, “The Role of the Gastrointestinal Tract in T2D – Lessons from Bariatric Surgery,” Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Patti (Harvard Medical School) discussed how the gastrointestinal tract, our stomach and intestines, is an important regulator of our body’s metabolism, and that surgery which rearranges the gastrointestinal tract can actually improve glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes to an even greater extent than medication, for some people. She further discussed what we have learned from these studies and what the implications are for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

This was followed by Session 13, “The Benefits of Accidental Discovery” by Dr. Thomas Gardner (University of Michigan Medical School), who shared his personal story on his path to becoming an ophthalmologist and a leading academic researcher in diabetic retinopathy. His inspirational presentation further discussed how accidental findings and persistence pay off in science and life.

The Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp ended with a Closing Session, led by Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim (Diabetes Virtual Camp Team), that invited Ms. Rebecca Barnett from the American Diabetes Association to share her triumphant personal story of living with type 1 diabetes, a series of polls for students’ feedback on the session topics & speakers and the overall program, final Question & Answer period to address remaining questions on the Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, and the prospect of our Diabetes Virtual Winter Camp to take place in January of 2021.

It was most delightful to meet all of you from so many different places across the United States and around the world. We sincerely hope that the Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp has provided important learning and experiential opportunities to advance your knowledge of diabetes research and treatment and continues to stimulate your interest in pursuing medicine and research.We are confident that all of you, as our next generation of physicians and scientists, will make significant advances in diabetes research and medicine while addressing the critical health disparities in medicine and science as they relate to gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic equality, thereby creating a better world of health care and quality life for all.

Thank you for participating in our Diabetes Virtual Fall Camp, and see you all at the Diabetes Virtual Winter Camp!

Diabetes Virtual Camp Team
Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim

Session 12: The Role of the Gastrointestinal Tract in T2D - Lessons from Bariatric Surgery by Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Patti (Harvard Medical School)
Session 13: The Benefits of Accidental Discovery by Dr. Thomas Gardner (University of Michigan Medical School).
Session 14: Closing Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster), Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach), and Dr. Jason Kim (Advisor)

Dr. Patti, Dr. Gardner, Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Kim welcome our interns.

Session 12: The Role of the Gastrointestinal Tract in T2D – Lessons from Bariatric Surgery by Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Patti (Harvard Medical School)

Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Patti is Associate Professor of Medicine and Staff Physician at Harvard Medical School, and Principal Investigator of Joslin Diabetes Center. She is also Director of Hypoglycemic Clinic and Co-Director of Molecular Phenotyping Core at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Patti received her Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and her M.D. from Jefferson Medical College with magna cum laude. She then received her residency training from the University of Pittsburgh and fellowship training in endocrinology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Patti has many leadership roles that include serving as the organizer of the Keystone Symposium and Chair of the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions Planning Committee. Some of her distinguished awards include being elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation in 2009 and Fellowship in the American College of Physicians and Obesity Society in 2014. As a renowned physician-scientist, Dr. Patti’s NIH-funded research program focuses on identifying the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms by which nutritional exposures during early life increase diabetes risk in subsequent generations. Her exciting translational studies are further exploring the mechanisms contributing to diabetes resolution and hypoglycemia after bariatric surgery.

Session 12: The Role of the Gastrointestinal Tract in T2D – Lessons from Bariatric Surgery by Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Patti (Associate Professor of Medicine and Staff Physician, Principal Investigator, Director of Hypoglycemic Clinic and Co-Director of Molecular Phenotyping Core, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School). Did you know that the gastrointestinal tract - your stomach and intestines - is an important regulator of your body's metabolism? In fact, surgery which rearranges the gastrointestinal tract can actually improve glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes to an even greater extent than medication, for some people. We will discuss what we have learned from these studies and what the implications are for treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Session 13: The Benefits of Accidental Discovery by Dr. Thomas Gardner (University of Michigan Medical School)

Dr. Tom Gardner is Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular & Integrative Physiology at the University of Michigan Medical School. He is also Senior Scholar of Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute and Associate Chair for Research at the University of Michigan. Dr. Gardner received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Penn State University and went on to receive his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College in 1979. Dr. Gardner is an excellent example of how he explored different options after graduating from medical school. Following his clinical training in ophthalmology at Northwestern University, he began a private practice of medicine for several years. Then in 1991, he began his academic career as Assistant Professor at Penn State College of Medicine and rose the rank to be the Full Professor and Vice-Chair for Ophthalmology Research at Penn State. Then in 2010, his famed research program was recruited to his current institution. With more than 30 years of research and clinical practice as a world-renowned physician-scientist in diabetic retinopathy, Dr. Gardner directs the JDRF Center of Excellence at the University of Michigan and has many prestigious awards. Dr. Gardner is the current Program Chair for diabetic retinopathy for the American Diabetes Association, Charles Schepens Award of Merit in Retina Research in 2015, Research to Prevent Blindness Physician-Scientist Award in 2011, Mary Tyler Moore and Robert Levine MD Award for Excellence in Clinical Research from JDRF in 2003, and Physician-Scientist Award by the National Eye Institute.

Session 13: The Benefits of Accidental Discovery by Dr. Thomas Gardner (Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Professor of Medicine, Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes, and Molecular & Integrative Physiology, Senior Scholar, A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute, Associate Chair of Research, University of Michigan Medical School). This session will discuss how accidental findings and persistence pay off in science and life.

Session 14: Closing Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster), Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach), and Dr. Jason Kim (Advisor) thank our interns in closing remarks.