Commitment to excellence in education, clinical care and research drives efforts to advance well being
Orange, Calif., Sept. 29, 2023 — The University of California, Irvine has launched an initiative to address the toll diabetes takes on Orange County’s Latinx community and ensure greater well-being for a population that is disproportionately affected by the disease.
The initiative, developed in collaboration with the UCI–OC Alliance, is rooted in three elements: prevention, research and treatment. As a world-class public research institution, UCI is uniquely equipped to develop the educational, clinical and research-based resources necessary to advance this collaboration’s mission.
“This is the beginning of an exciting journey toward a healthier future in the Latino/a community,” said Dr. Alpesh N. Amin, Thomas and Mary Cesario Endowed Chair of the Department of Medicine in the UCI School of Medicine and associate dean for clinical transformation.
“Our aim is to alter the way diabetes healthcare is managed and improve the well-being of Orange County’s growing Latino/a population.”
Death, disability and underdiagnosis
A leading cause of death and disability in the U.S., diabetes has become a public health issue.
According to the American Diabetes Association, in 2019, more than 37 million Americans had diabetes and another 96 million had prediabetes. Every year, the disease now causes more deaths than breast cancer and AIDS combined. One in five people with diabetes do not know they have it.
Diabetes’ disproportionate impact
Diabetes affects the Latinx community disproportionately. Almost 40% of its adult population is currently diagnosed with the disease, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC also notes that Latinx:
- Have higher rates of diabetes-related kidney failure and vision loss
- Have a greater than 50% likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes over their lifetime
- Are more likely to have prediabetes
- Are developing type 2 diabetes as adults at a younger age
Expanding access to treatment, prevention
The diabetes initiative is designed to enhance healthcare delivery, expand access to quality treatment, and foster a culture of preventive care, said Amin, who will lead the effort.
“Health treatment is a shared responsibility, and by working together, we will be able to achieve visible and measurable outcomes,” he said.
Designated as a Hispanic-serving institution by the U.S. Department of Education in 2017, UCI has embraced the opportunity to engage with the region’s Latinx community to address health concerns.
The initiative’s steering committee, comprised of UCI health specialists, five members of the alliance and other community leaders, recently approved initial recommendations tied to prevention, research and treatment:
- Organizing dance exercise classes by partnering with UCI’s dance groups and other community organizations
- Reconstituting UCI’s Diabetes Group Medical Visitation Program and group education sessions
- Research ways to make the UCI Health electronic medical records messaging system more effective in improving the standards of care and the risk profile for diabetic patients
Amin said the vision is for these initiatives to be followed by other health activities focused on the Latinx community, and further engaging with the local community and other non-UCI health organizations.
Commitment to world-class clinical care and research
UCI Health, the university’s clinical enterprise, has deepened its commitment to providing leading diabetes care.
The UCI Health Diabetes Center is the region’s only comprehensive academic diabetes center. This summer, U.S. News & World Report included the UC I Health Diabetes and Endocrinology program among the top 50 in the country.
The university’s commitment to research is also critical in moving the needle. Stimulated by support from the UCI Diabetes Research Executive Council, UCI’s endocrinologists and diabetes experts have received seed funding in the areas of prevention and treatment. Such funding supports research that may attract further support from the National Institutes of Health. An NIH award was recently renewed to support the efforts of UCI endocrinologist Dr. Qin Yang and Dr. Wei Li in the department of bioinformatics in studying epigenetic regulation of insulin production.
