Category: Endocrinology and Metabolism
Featured Staff Member: Alex Kass
Alex Kass, MSN, MBA, RN, CDCES, is a member of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. His personal experience with type 1 diabetes led him to purse a career where he can help others with the disease. Alex is also a space enthusiast and enjoys playing adult kickball.
Bionic Pancreas Improves Type 1 Diabetes Management Compared to Standard Insulin Delivery Methods
This nationwide clinical trial funded through the National Institutes of Health including participation from patients at the UNC Diabetes Center, led by John Buse, MD, PhD. A device known as a bionic pancreas, which uses next-generation technology to automatically deliver insulin, was more effective at maintaining blood glucose (sugar) levels within normal range than standard-of- … Read more
Two Popular Diabetes Drugs Outperform Two Others in Head-to-Head Comparison
Dr. John Buse and colleagues complete first study comparing commonly used medications for type 2 diabetes Diabetes affects more than one out of every ten Americans and about one out of every three people in their lifetime. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugars, carbohydrates, or starches from the … Read more
Drs. Rubin, Styner Publish “The Skeleton in a Physical World”
Janet Rubin, MD, is the Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and vice chair for research in the Department of Medicine. Maya Styner, MD is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. In the article, Drs. Rubin and Styner consider how the cells responsible for remodeling skel … Read more
Dr. John Buse’s 21-Year Career as Division Chief
John B. Buse, MD, PhD, is Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Verne S. Caviness Distinguished Professor, Director of the Diabetes Center and Director of the NC Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute. Sometimes, the path in life we think we are least likely to travel is the place we are meant to end up. “Apparently, what I was told is that my first career choice was a g … Read more
Congratulations, Carolina Care Excellence Awardees!
Every year, UNC Hospitals conducts the Press Ganey Medical Practice survey to obtain input from patients. Patients are asked if they would refer their provider’s practice to friends and family in the survey. Over the last year, 154 providers within UNC Hospitals received the highest recommendation from more than 89 percent of their patients, putting them in the top quartile natio … Read more
Emily Pfaff, PhD, Leads Study Using Machine Learning Models to Help Identify Long COVID Patients
A study published in The Lancet Digital Health led by Emily R. Pfaff, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, shows how the National COVID Cohort Collaborative used XGBoost machine learning (ML) models to better define long COVID and identify potential long-COVID patients with a high degree of accuracy. Clinical scientists used ML models to explo … Read more
Dr. Young Awarded NIH Grant to Study Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support
Dr. Laura Young, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Division of Endocrinology, has received a grant from the National Institute of Health to increase uptake of diabetes self-management education. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 37.3 million people live with diabetes. The challenges, costs, and complications of living with diabetes can be minimized with prop … Read more
ASBMR Webinar on Intelligent Exercise for Osteoporosis Patients
Physicians who treat osteoporosis are frequently asked by their patients for advice to exercise programs – how to use exercise to impact bone density, how to prevent falls and fractures, or just how to get moving again. Patients complain that doctor’s don’t address exercise, and don’t know the basics. The goal of this webinar, led by Dr. Janet Rubin, the Sarah Graham Kenan Distin … Read more
UNC Department of Medicine Announces New Chief of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Ron Falk, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine, announced today that Janice Jin Hwang, MD, MHS, has been named Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism effective September 1, 2022. Hwang will join UNC from the Yale School of Medicine where she has served as an assistant professor of endocrinology for the past five years while researching the use of novel neuroimag … Read more
Hemoglobin Glycation Index, Calculated From a Single Fasting Glucose Value, as a Prediction Tool for Severe Hypoglycemia and Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in DEVOTE
Klara R. Klein, MD, PhD, fellow in the division of endocrinology and metabolism and trainee in the UNC Physician Scientist Training Program, and John Buse, MD, PhD, chief of the division of endocrinology and metabolism, are authors of a new study published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care. Hemoglobin glycation index is the difference between observed and predicted glycated … Read more
Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction with Cystic Fibrosis and Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes
Ischemic heart disease is rarely reported in people with cystic fibrosis despite multiple potential risk factors. In a paper published in the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, Jennifer Goralski, MD, Sirisha Thambuluru, MD, Katherine (Alex) Despotes, MD, and Deepa Kirk, MD, report on two cases of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), both in young women with cystic fibrosis and cy … Read more