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Friends and supporters gathered  Nov. 14 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the opening of a new facility for the USF Diabetes Center on the fifth floor of the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare, and to recognize the impact the Center has had since then on patients and families coping with diabetes.

The USF Diabetes Center Fifth Anniversary Celebration, held on World Diabetes Day, was attended by the center’s friends and supporters.

Surrounding the demonstration kitchen in the USF Diabetes Center, founding benefactors, current patients and their families, and supportive USF Health faculty and staff mingled and shared memories that spanned the five years. Guests then moved to the on-site classroom to hear updates on the Center’s progress. Remembering when the original space was only a shelled out, incomplete floor, Henry Rodriguez, MD, medical director and pediatric endocrinologist, recalled the excitement for designing a space with patients in mind.

“Back when this floor and the floor above us was all shelled space, when you could see from one end of the building to the other, we walked through a taped off area of the Diabetes Center,” Dr. Rodriguez said. “Since that time, we have done some pretty remarkable things. We have grown over the years and continue to expand our providers, our research team and our patient population.”

 Dr. Henry Rodriguez talks about what’s on the horizon in the next 5 years.

Dr. Rodriguez also presented statistics that mark the reality of diabetes for more than 30 million Americans, offering greater insight into the disease’s prevalence, impact, and projected increase in the number of diagnoses.

 Dr. Rodriguez comments on the USF Diabetes Center’s TrialNet Clinical Center.

Henry Rodriguez, MD, medical director of USF Diabetes Center

“I don’t need to convince anyone here of the urgency of looking at prevention to improve the lives of those affected by diabetes,” Dr. Rodriguez said. “Diabetes is expensive, because medical expenses for people with diabetes are double that of people who do not have diabetes. It’s also demanding, because it requires constant vigilance. And it’s a pain, because individuals with diabetes report a lower quality of life compared to the general population.”

 Dr. Rodriguez shares some advances in diabetes research.

The conversation turned to Jeffrey Krischer, PhD,  Distinguished University Health Professor and director of the USF Health Informatics Institute, which has an internationally renowned team of experts in Type 1 diabetes and related autoimmune disorders.  He offered details about new research that may impact current knowledge on how diabetes works and how it can be treated.

“Research is my passion and, as evidenced by the growth of our program over the last five years, my passion extends to helping children and adults who are affected by Type 1 diabetes,” Dr. Krischer said. “In the last five years, the amount of research here has grown and continues to grow. We have more to offer and more ways we can benefit our patients who come to us for care. We are a blend of both clinical care in a warm and supportive, multidisciplinary setting, and access to the latest, state-of-the-art therapies and research advancements that you can only find in this kind of setting.”

Jeffrey Krischer, PhD, Distinguished University Health Professor and director of the USF Health Informatics Institute

 Dr. Jeffrey Krischer explains the role of the USF Health Informatics Institute.

In answering a guest’s question about coordinating information among the multiple clinical centers, Dr. Krischer said, “Some 200 (clinical centers) participate with my office directly and we coordinate all of that research worldwide. So it’s done right here, on this campus, less than a tenth of a mile away from where we’re sitting right now. All of those programs look to us for these results. Research is complex these days and requires coordination, and I’m really proud of the fact that this is where it’s happening.”

 Dr. Krischer on the questions scientists seek to answer about diabetes and related autoimmune disorders.

The USF Diabetes Center opened in 2011, coinciding with World Diabetes Day, a day that marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin in 1922. Today, the Center sees primarily patients with Type 1 diabetes, with about half adults and half children and adolescents.  Most patients live in the region served by USF Health, but many are from across the state.

Key milestones for the USF Diabetes Center include:

• 2011: Ribbon Cutting that opened the USF Diabetes Center’s new facility on the fifth floor of the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare.
• 2012: The inaugural meeting of the Tampa Bay Diabetes Society, offering patients and families a resource for support and services.
• 2013: The USF Diabetes Center begins an Insulin Pump Program that provides new technology to patients and enhances patient care.
• 2014: USF named one of 19 TrialNet Clinical Centers in North America.
• 2015: USF Health consolidates the diabetes and endocrinology services to offer more streamlined care and expanded service locations.
• 2016: Sam Fuld’s Sports Camp, partnered with the USF Diabetes Center, is recognized by the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Office of Communications. 

Jeffrey Krischer, PhD, Distinguished University Health Professor and director of the Health Informatics Institute at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, has been appointed Vice Chair of Research for the college’s Department of Internal Medicine.

In his new role within Internal Medicine, Dr. Krischer – who attracts record federal research dollars to USF – will work with leadership to recruit National Institutes of Health R01-funded researchers and mentor junior faculty with the goal of strengthening federal research funding in basic, translational and clinical sciences.

Jeffrey Krischer, PhD

Dr. Krischer has a longstanding commitment to diabetes research and to understanding the mechanisms of autoimmunity and disease progression.  His NIH-funded research in the latest Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research report totals more than $64 million, making him the #1 highest funded principal investigator in the world.

Dr. Krischer oversees the Health Informatics Institute in the Morsani College of Medicine. The Institute coordinates, analyzes and maintains research data from several international, NIH-sponsored clinical networks investigating the causes and outcomes of type 1 diabetes, including The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY), Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, and the Trial to Reduce IDDM in the Genetically at Risk (TRIGR). Members of the Institute have funding from industry, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the NIH for studies in oncology, type 2 diabetes, molecular biology and “big data” (‘omics).

He is also principal investigator for a major NIH data coordinating center that supports the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network, which addresses the challenges of diagnosing and treating rare diseases. The Network includes more than 250 university medical centers worldwide.

Dr. Krischer holds a USF Endowed Chair in Diabetes Research and is director of the USF Diabetes Center. He is a professor and head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Pediatrics, with joint appointments as a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and in the Department of Neurology.

Dr. Krischer received a PhD in applied math from Harvard University. Before joining USF in 1993, he was professor and chief of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. For 10 years Dr. Krischer served as Associate Center Director and Chief Information Officer for Moffitt Cancer Center.

The USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare was bathed in blue light in celebration of World Diabetes Day on Wednesday night, Nov. 14.   Inside the USF Diabetes Center, the spirit of the universal celebration was represented by the blue clothing worn by many guests, including patient Hailey Platz, 4, her sister, mother and grandmother, who all sported powder blue T-shirts decorated with a blue circle, the global symbol for diabetes.

Counterclockwise from center: Emma Platz, 3, and her sister Hailey, 4, a patient of the USF Diabetes Center, with their mother Heather Platz and grandmother Trish Godbey, who decorated the blue shirts they wore with the World Diabetes Day logo.

The Platz family of Tampa was among the more than 100 patients and family members, community partners, staff, volunteers and others who gathered to help reinforce the USF Diabetes Center’s commitment to increase awareness of diabetes and shed light on ways to prevent and more effectively treat the pervasive disease that affects people of all ages.

This was the center’s second annual celebration of World Diabetes Day, exactly a year following the 2011 ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official opening of its new expanded clinical space on the Morsani Center’s fifth floor.   Friends of the center gathered again to mingle, tour the center, watch a cooking demonstration by a Carmel Café’s chef in the teaching kitchen and sample the diabetes-friendly hors d’oeuvres. 

The fountain sculpture outside the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare was illuminated blue for the World Diabetes Day celebration.

Hosts Jeffrey Krischer, PhD, director of the USF Diabetes Center, and USF Health pediatrician Henry Rodriguez, MD, the center’s clinical director, updated guests on the center’s progress.

“It’s an opportunity to celebrate how far USF has come in our goal to establish a world-class, multidisciplinary diabetes center that focuses not only on providing state-of-the-art care, but also on making sure our patients benefit from the latest advances in treatments and technology,” Dr. Rodriguez said.   

Jeffrey Krischer, PhD, director of the USF Diabetes Center, has made USF the world’s epicenter for type 1 diabetes research.

“Our research program is focusing on therapies that may preserve the ability to produce insulin in newly diagnosed patients, working with basic scientists to mark the progression of diabetes, and investigating new avenues to promote the growth of (insulin-producing) beta cells,” he said. “It’s really the collaboration and coordination of all those efforts that will help us make a major contribution toward finding a cure for type 1 diabetes and improving the lives of those who live with the disease every day.”

Henry Rodriguez, MD, clinical director of the USF Diabetes Center, updated guests on the center’s progress over the last year.

The center’s accomplishments over the last year include:

–          An expansion of clinical services to approximately 1,500 patients – primarily children and adults with type 1 diabetes, but also adults with type 2 diabetes requiring intensive therapy and pregnant women with diabetes

–          Addition of several pediatric endocrinologists and a diabetes nurse educator with expertise in insulin pumps

–          Launch of the  patient-based diabetes management system MyCareTeam, which integrates with the Allscripts electronic health record so that patients or their family members can track blood sugar readings, communicate electronically with members of the diabetes care team, and receive online coaching.

–          More classes for all patients affected by diabetes, including such topics as routine care, stress management and use of new technologies.

A chef from Carmel Cafe treated those attending the USF Diabetes Center event to a cooking demonstration, complete with diabetes-friendly appetizers and recipes to take home.

–          Through the international Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet consortium, coordinated by the pediatric epidemiology center led by Dr. Krischer, USF continues to identify those at higher risk for type 1 diabetes and offer them opportunities to enroll in prevention trials. Dr. Rodriguez chairs the TrialNet Natural History Pathway to Prevention Study, which oversees the worldwide screening of people at higher risk for type 1 diabetes.

–          Started four clinical trials investigating therapies for children with type 2 diabetes.

–          Applied for a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Translational Center grant, which drew upon interdisciplinary collaboration with researchers across USF.

–          Strengthened partnerships, including working with the American Diabetes Association and JDRF at the national and local levels, and building education and research collaborations with diabetes care providers across the Tampa Bay region

–          Working with Hillsborough County School Board to advocate for a more comprehensive policy covering care of students with diabetes.

USF Diabetes Center staff, volunteers and community partners provided information about diabetes management and clinical research opportunities.

Hailey was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in March, and her mother Heather Platz says even at a young age her daughter shows remarkable understanding of a disease that requires a commitment to daily blood sugar checks, insulin injections and lifestyle changes.

In addition to checking her own blood sugar (with supervision), Hailey is mindful of what she eats and has everyone around her “counting carbs,” Platz said.  “She’s definitely a lot more mature than the average 4 year old child and very responsible about taking care of her diabetes.”Both Hailey’s mother and sister Emma, 3, are enrolled through the USF Diabetes Center in TrialNet, a study to learn more about how type 1 diabetes develops in at-risk individuals, including siblings of those diagnosed with type 1.   

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the body’s cells that produce insulin. Proteins known as autoantibodies are markers of the damage, and can often be detected in the blood up to 10 years before someone is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. 

Hailey Platz, left, and younger sister Emma take time out for play at the USF Diabetes Center celebration.

 When Emma was screened for these insulin antibodies, the test indicated she had several.

“As a result, she may qualify for the oral insulin study,” Heather Platz said.  “It would be really good to get her on a prevention track, because her risk of developing type 1 is significantly higher than normal… If there’s anything we can do to help delay or prevent the onset of diabetes, we’re all for. Even if the research doesn’t help Emma, it may help end up helping other children.”As her daughters laugh and play while enjoying evening’s festivities,  Platz says the USF Diabetes Center’s team has helped the family cope with the stress of living with a child who has diabetes.

“Since Heather’s diagnosis, everyone has been so good about explaining everything and answering every question. The Center’s staff is always available for us when we need them,” Platz said. “It’s such a positive experience coming here.”

– Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications