Message from Norman Rosenblum, INMD Scientific Director
June 2021
When I first began my term as the Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes in January 2018, I recognized that I would be providing leadership leading up to, and including, the year that would mark the centenary of one of the most important discoveries in the history of clinical medicine, the discovery of insulin. Since that time, I have been leading the development of a CIHR initiative to mark this occasion, 100 Years of Insulin: Accelerating Canadian Discoveries to Defeat Diabetes, as well as partnerships and activities with health charities and other health research funders to mark this anniversary.
I am especially pleased to have had the opportunity to partner with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to co-host the Heterogeneity of Diabetes: Beta Cells, Phenotypes and Precision Medicine Symposium, June 2-3, 2021. We were honoured to have both the Director of the NIH, Dr. Francis Collins, and CIHR President, Dr. Mike Strong, as well the Director of the NIDDK, Dr. Griffin Rogers open the Symposium. This virtual symposium featured a variety of researchers from the U.S. and Canada who provided their insights into heterogeneity at the cellular and phenotypic levels, and how new tools and big data are providing a deeper understanding into how this may lead to new precision medicine approaches to more effectively prevent and treat diabetes. It was clear from the interaction during the panel discussions and the comments on Twitter that the attendees were engaged and enthusiastic.
It was an absolute privilege to work with my colleague, Dr. William Cefalu, Director of the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases of the NIDDK, and his terrific team to plan this Symposium. I also want to thank Dr. Christopher Pin (Children’s Health Research Institute, Western University), Dr. Bruce Verchere (University of British Columbia and B.C. Children’s Hospital), and Dr. Minna Woo (University of Toronto, University Health Network and Sinai Health System), who participated on the planning committee and as moderators in the symposium. Finally, I wish to thank the fabulous speakers, who were generous in agreeing to participate and engaging in the panel discussions. I am inspired by what our final panelists described as their respective “moonshots”, or opportunities for the greatest impact in diabetes research in the coming years. I look forward to the day when these moonshots become a reality.
If you missed the symposium, you will be able to listen to the recorded sessions when they become available on the NIDDK website. More information will be included in the INMD Newsletter and on Twitter.
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