CONTACT:
Ellen Beth Levitt, Ira Allen or Barbara Richardson
410-328-8919
UM MEDICAL CENTER TO BE SITE FOR NEW JOSLIN CENTER FOR DIABETES
The University of Maryland Medical Center has signed an agreement with the world renowned Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston to open a comprehensive interdisciplinary center providing medical care and education to the 146,000 adults and children in Maryland and Delaware who have diabetes.
The new center in Baltimore will be the first Joslin location in the Maryland-Delaware region, joining 11 other affiliates across the country. The Joslin Diabetes Center, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is the world leader in diabetes research, education and treatment.
With Americans living longer and getting fatter, the number of diabetes cases is at an all-time high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and research indicates that about half of the 16 million people in the United States who have diabetes do not know it.
ìThe combination of the University of Maryland Medical CenterÃs reputation for development of excellent outpatient services, the quality of its medical staff and the multidisciplinary resources of a major academic medical facility made it the best choice for a Joslin affiliate,î says John W. Hare, M.D., director of the Joslin Affiliated Centers Program in Boston. ìThese qualities and JoslinÃs expertise will enable the University of Maryland Medical Center to provide a comprehensive program that will be a high-quality resource for physicians and for people with diabetes.î
Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other foods into the energy needed for daily life. It affects children and adults, it is the leading cause of blindness and kidney failure and it can lead to heart disease, stroke, severe foot problems and nerve damage. Obesity, as well as lack of exercise and a family history of the disease, are risk factors for diabetes. People in certain ethnic groups, such as African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans also are at increased risk. Symptoms include frequent urination, excess thirst, extreme hunger, weight loss, fatigue, irritability, frequent infections, blurred vision, cuts or bruises that are slow to heal and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.
The center, which will open in February 1998, will be staffed by a team of specialized doctors, nurse educators, dietitians, social workers and exercise physiologists who will receive continual training and consultation from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.
ìWe are pleased to bring JoslinÃs expertise and resources to such a large and critical population of people with diabetes,î says Alan Shuldiner, M.D., who will be director of the new center. ìDiabetes requires a team approach in which education and patient involvement are key. Existing clinical expertise at the University of Maryland Medical Center, combined with JoslinÃs know-how to bring it all together, is a winning formula,î he says.
The Joslin Diabetes Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center will provide a
comprehensive and convenient diabetes treatment program including educational programs on diabetes management, nutrition, exercise, insulin therapy and self-monitoring of blood
glucose. It also will provide one-on-one consultation to patients and their families for the treatment of diabetes and for screening, prevention and treatment of diabetic complications. The center will serve as a referral site for community doctors who treat complicated diabetes cases.
In addition, the center will offer people with diabetes the opportunity to participate in and benefit from clinical trials to investigate alternative treatments for managing diabetes and related
complications. Alternative treatments may include new drugs, technologies, therapies and drug delivery systems.
Dr. Shuldiner is head of the Division of Diabetes, Obesity and Nutrition at the University of Maryland Medical Center and a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical School and specializes in understanding the role of heredity and genetics in the development of diabetes, insulin resistance and the propensity to gain weight. Dr. Shuldiner studies genes for diabetes in African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Pima Indians and the Amish of Lancaster County.
Thomas Donner, M.D., and Kristi Silver, M.D., will serve as associate medical directors. Debra Counts, M.D., is the head of the pediatric diabetes team.
The University of Maryland Medical Center already is well known for diabetes treatment and has the second busiest pancreas transplant program in the United States. The Joslin Center for Diabetes will be located at 22 S. Greene Street. For more information call 800-492-5538.
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