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UT Health San Antonio on Monday launched a new Center for Excellence in Diabetes to advance treatment and work toward a cure for a disease that impacts about one in six people in San Antonio.
Dr. Robert Hromas, dean of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, said diabetes is a complex condition that requires coordinated expertise across specialties.
“It takes a team to attack a disease as diverse as diabetes. Everyone has to do their part. Because if the left tackle misses a block, that quarterback gets sacked,” Hromas said.
“We’re mobilizing all of our forces and all of our specialists against diabetes,” he added. “To stop the epidemic that’s happening right now in South Texas.”
The center will bring together clinicians, researchers and trainees to better understand the wide range of symptoms and complications that can vary from patient to patient.
Dr. Carolina Solis-Herrera, the center’s founding director, said the effort will focus on clinical trials, treatment strategies and translating research into patient care.
“The purpose of the center is to bring together multidisciplinary clinicians and researchers to drive the clinical trials, innovative treatment strategies, and meaningful translation into clinical practice,” she said.
A key focus is prevention. Solis-Herrera said a new clinical trial will study people with prediabetes in an effort to stop the disease before it develops.
“If you can reverse prediabetes, then you can prevent diabetes and reduce its prevalence in San Antonio,” she said.
Most people with diabetes have type 2, which accounts for more than 95% of cases in San Antonio. About one in five people with diabetes do not know they have the disease.
The center will also collaborate with researchers across the United States and internationally, including partners in Mexico.
“So this center will be a collaborative center with the rest of the country, and also we have a binational collaboration with Mexico, where physicians and scientists will come and learn our research strategies so that they can take them to their countries,” she said, reflecting San Antonio’s expanding role in diabetes research and treatment.
Bonnie Petrie contributed to this report.
Disclosure: UT San Antonio is a sponsor of Texas Public Radio. We cover them as we would any other institution.
