Diabetes mellitus is a significant health burden in the United States, affecting more than 20,000,000 people and costing more than $100 billion annually. The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is growing rapidly; the CDC estimates that up to 1/3 of Americans will have diabetes by the year 2050. The burden of T2DM is particularly great among ethnic minority populations and those of lower socioeconomic status. The evidence base for the prevention and care of T2DM is one of the most well-established of any chronic illness: clinical trials have shown the efficacy of cardiometabolic therapies in preventing mortality and morbidity in diabetes, and programs such as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) have demonstrated that diabetes can be prevented in high-risk patients. However, the overall quality of care for diabetes remains sub-optimal, significant disparities in diabetes care and prevention persist, and there are very few effective populationbased efforts to systematically reduce prevent diabetes and reduce diabetes risk. Programs that can effectively translate high-quality, evidence-based diabetes prevention and treatment into widespread practice are desperately needed. In response to this need, diabetes researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) created the Health Delivery Systems Center for Diabetes Translational Research (HDS-CDTR) in 2011 (P30 DK092924). This CDTR fosters and supports translational research in diabetes within health care delivery systems affiliated with the Health Care Systems Research Network (formerly known as the HMO Research Network) and with UCSF. The HDS- CDTR brings together a multi-disciplinary network of well-established investigators with a strong history of receiving federal and foundation funding in diabetes translational research. The HDS-CDTR is structured around three Translational Research Cores in the areas of health care disparities; diabetes and obesity prevention; and health information technology. HDS-CDTR investigators have strong relationships with delivery systems, ranging from large integrated delivery systems to networks of safety net providers that serve as key partners for translating effective interventions into real-world clinical settings. Our CDTR will continue to be a strong resource to underresourced delivery systems across the U.S. through its Resource Core, which will continue and expand our support of these systems in their efforts to provide high quality diabetes prevention and care. In addition, the HDS-CDTR is expanding its mission to address disparities through the creation of a new Core for Underserved Populations that will develop a strong partnership with junior and senior Underrepresented Minority (URM) investigators at the Morehouse School of Medicine.
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