Albert Einstein College of Medicine to help shed light on causes and treatments of type 2 diabetes

May 27 2011

Fifty years ago, adult-onset diabetes was relatively rare, affecting less than one percent of the adult population in the United States. Today, more than 25 million Americans over the age of 20 battle the disease - an alarming 11 percent of the population. The condition has been renamed type 2 diabetes because nearly a quarter of a million children also have it. The Bronx has been especially hard hit, with approximately 150,000 adults and children affected.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University will help shed light on the causes and treatments of this devastating condition during the latest installment of its ongoing Community Health Series. The event, "Diabetes: Addressing the Epidemic Among Us," which will be held on Wednesday, June 15 at 5 p.m., is free and open to the public. Food and refreshments will be provided prior to the presentations.

"More than one in 10 adults in the Bronx have diabetes," noted Norman Fleischer, M.D., chief of endocrinology at Einstein and Montefiore Medical Center, who will host and moderate the event. "We think it's important to arm members of the community with the information they need to help prevent and manage the condition and stay healthy."

Three Einstein researchers, who also are physicians at Montefiore, will discuss various aspects of the disease, beginning with Rubina Heptulla, M.B.B.S., professor and chief of pediatric endocrinology at Einstein and Montefiore. She will address the rapid rise in childhood obesity - which impacts nearly 1 in 4 children in New York City - and its impact on health, including type 2 diabetes.

Joel Zonszein, M.D., professor of clinical medicine at Einstein and director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore, will follow, explaining the mechanisms, symptoms and risks of diabetes and exploring current treatments.

Jill Crandall, M.D., director of the Diabetes Clinical Trials Unit at Einstein, will round out the presentations by reviewing major diabetes trials conducted at Einstein and explaining how these studies have informed treatment options for patients.