Diabetes Dateline
Fall 2009

NIDDK News

NIDDK Summer Research Program Helps Meet Demand for Physician-Scientists

More than 80 students from 40 medical schools across the United States gathered August 5–6 at Vanderbilt University to present data from summer research projects in diabetes. The projects were part of a new research training program funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) that gives medical students the opportunity to conduct hands-on research.

“The purpose of the NIDDK Medical Student Research Program is to expose medical students to diabetes-related research early in their careers,” said Alvin C. Powers, M.D., professor of medicine and molecular physiology and biophysics at Vanderbilt University and the director of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center. “The program encourages careers in research with the ultimate goal of training the next generation of physician-scientists in the areas of diabetes and obesity.”

The prevalence of diabetes has steadily increased during the past 30 years. About two–thirds of Americans ages 65 and older have diabetes or pre-diabetes. Diabetes inhibits the body’s ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood glucose, also called blood sugar. Chronically high blood glucose levels can cause eye, kidney, and nerve damage. Among adults, 90 to 95 percent of diabetes cases are type 2, which has been linked to obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The NIDDK has a variety of programs to attract new physicians to research, such as loan repayment and fellowship programs and early career development awards, but the Medical Student Research Program is the first to target medical students.

NIDDK Medical Student Research Program

If accepted into the program, students spend the summer between their first and second years of medical school conducting mentored basic, clinical, or translational diabetes or obesity research at one of 17 NIDDK-funded diabetes research centers—either a Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (DERC) or a Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC). The diabetes research centers foster collaborative research environments through shared access to technical resources and expertise to facilitate the development of better ways to prevent, treat, and ultimately cure diabetes.

In addition to conducting research under the direction of an experienced investigator, students attend webcast seminars addressing various clinical and research aspects of diabetes and its complications. At the conclusion of the program, participants convene at a symposium to present their projects and attend lectures by invited diabetes experts. This year’s symposium took place at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

The program, in conjunction with the NIDDK-funded diabetes centers, provides stipends to pay for housing, living expenses, and travel to the symposium and assists students with finding a mentor and a project.

Diverse Projects

Last summer’s projects showed great diversity, ranging from basic laboratory research to clinical research involving humans to research of diabetes care practices.

Basic science projects conducted by students included mouse studies of pancreatic development, an investigation of the destruction and regeneration of beta cells—the cells in the body that make insulin—and the exploration of a potential strategy to protect beta cells from autoimmune targeting.

Other students worked on clinical projects, including a study of the performance of insulin pumps among youth, the design of a trial aimed at extending the weight loss benefits of lifestyle intervention, and an analysis of the prevalence of autoimmune disease among people with diabetes and their families.

Projects in the health services arena included the development of software to improve the accuracy and usefulness of electronic medical records, an exploration of the influence of patient-provider communication on treatment adherence, and an examination of how cultural assimilation may affect obesity risk among Hispanic/Latino children.

  Mirna Toukatly

Mirna Toukatly, a medical student at the University of Washington, studied pancreatic tissue from deceased donors with and without type 2 diabetes. Under the guidance of Rebecca Hull, Ph.D., and Steven E. Kahn, M.D., at the University of Washington DERC, Toukatly used a computerized microscope system to examine associations between pancreatic amyloid deposition and beta cell replication and death. Amyloid is a fibrous protein mass that is associated with a variety of degenerative diseases and is a pathological hallmark of type 2 diabetes.

Toukatly said participating in the program sharpened her ability to collect and interpret data. She also said the program gave her a greater appreciation of science and research. “As a medical student, it’s easy to accept facts without regard to the extensive research that supports them,” said Toukatly. “But as a future doctor, I think it’s critical to think as a scientist.”

  Diana Miller

Diana Miller, a student at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School with previous research experience, learned new molecular biology techniques. The focus of Miller’s project, which was guided by Lori Sussel, Ph.D., at the Columbia University DERC, was a search for genes regulating the development of pancreatic islets—cell clusters in the pancreas that contain the insulin-producing beta cells.

Miller said she and many of the other students who participated in the summer research program will consider careers as physician-scientists as a result of the program. “But even those who do not pursue a career involving bench research left with an appreciation of why basic science training is important or found that clinical research was appealing to them.”

Symposium

In preparation for the symposium, students write abstracts summarizing their projects and create posters to present their data. A panel of visiting professors also attended this year’s symposium. In addition to attending the poster sessions and discussing their research with students, panel members gave talks about their experiences in research, including advice on how to develop a career in research as a physician-scientist.

“Students come away from the program with a better sense of the important contribution physician-scientists make,” said Powers, who is already looking forward to next year’s program. “They realize that physicians’ involvement in research is critical to developing new ideas and moving research findings into the clinical arena.”

First-year medical students interested in applying should visit the program’s website at www.medicalstudentdiabetesreseach.org.

For more information about NIDDK-funded DERCs and DRTCs, visit www.diabetescenters.org.

NIH Publication No. 10–4562
November 2009

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