Pathway to Stop Diabetes Awards - NOMINATIONS OPEN DEADLINE AUGUST 1

The goal of the American Diabetes Association’s Pathway to Stop Diabetes program is simple, yet revolutionary: find a new generation of scientists at the peak of their creativity, and provide them with the freedom, autonomy, and resources to set them on the road to breakthrough discoveries in translational science that lead to breakthroughs in diabetes science.

The Pathway to Stop Diabetes program is designed to transform diabetes research by attracting innovative scientists, physicians, and researchers through financial support and professional mentorship.

Since the program’s inception in 2014, 36 scientists have been selected and 100 percent have secured their first independent faculty positions, 46 invention disclosures and patent applications have been filed, 16 start-ups have been launched, and over 233 manuscripts have been published in peer-reviewed journals by Pathway awardees. After a pause in the program due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ADA is proud to renew the program and continue fostering new leadership and medical breakthroughs for diabetes research.

ADA's Pathway to Stop Diabetes initiative is transforming diabetes research and improving the lives of people living with diabetes or its burdens.

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Meet our Newest Pathway to Stop Diabetes Awardees!

Anna Kahkoska, MD, PhD

Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Project: Fusing rapid-cycle testing and adaptive interventions: A scientific pipeline to translate and individualize evidence-based psychosocial and behavioral interventions in routine type 1 diabetes care.

This project seeks to investigate how to integrate and tailor evidence-based mental health resources and interventions into routine patient care for people living with type one diabetes. “Psychological well-being is foundational for reaching treatment goals in type 1 diabetes, and interventions that support behavioral and psychosocial aspects of living with diabetes are a critical aspect of providing comprehensive, person-centered care,” said Dr. Kahkoska. “The Pathway award will allow me to build a scientific pipeline to translate interventions from research settings to the clinic and individualize them to meet each patient’s unique needs.”

Lisa Beutler, MD, PhD

Northwestern University Medical School

Project: Dissecting sugar-induced modulation of gut-brain circuits This project seeks to understand how sugar consumption alters the connection between the gut and the brain, and how this may link to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

“Excessive sugar intake is clearly linked with the development of diabetes and obesity, but the mechanisms underlying this association are not completely understood,” said Dr. Beutler. “I want to determine how what we eat alters the activity of brain centers that control appetite and blood glucose at single-cell resolution. This will allow us to understand how certain diets promote the development of diabetes and obesity by disrupting neural activity. Ultimately, we hope this will lead to better treatments for obesity and its complications, including type 2 diabetes.”

 

PATHWAY SYMPOSIUM AT ADA'S SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS

At ADA's 2022 Scientific Sessions, Pathway hosted our annual virtual Symposium, which highlighted many of our innovative and brilliant research awardees. The following were our researchers who showcased their scientific updates:

Mayland Chang, PhD University of Notre Dame	Project Title: A therapeutic option for diabetic foot ulcers
Ebony B. Carter, MD, MPH Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis	Project Title: Targeted Lifestyle Change (TLC) Group Prenatal Care
Zhen Gu, PhD Zhejiang University	Project Title: A Translational Pathway of Smart Insulin Patch
Sumita Pennathur, PhD University of California, Santa Barbara	Project Title: Untethering diabetes through innovative engineering
Michael Stitzel, PhD The Jackson Laboratory	Project Title: Single cell genomic resolution of human islet cell type-specific defects in type 2 diabetes
Sarah Tishkoff, PhD University of Pennsylvania	Project Title: Identification of genetic risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Africans