News Archives - Inspired NIHR

New findings of huge increase in diabetes rates in rural Tamil Nadu within 15 years – press conference 25th February 2020

Chennai : February 25th 2020. In order to study the current status of diabetes in rural Tamil Nadu, the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) and the University of Dundee have taken up a joint research collaboration to screen 15,000 people in 25 selected villages in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu. The programme called is the TREND (Telemedicine pRoject for screENing Diabetes and its complications in rural Tamil Nadu) project has already screened over 8000 people till date. Headed by Professor Colin NA Palmer, Associate Dean for Research and Chair of Pharmacogenomics, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee and Dr.V.Mohan, Chairman and Chief Diabetologist – Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Centre and Director MDRF, the TREND project focuses on finding the burden due to diabetes and its complications in rural Tamil Nadu and providing novel solutions for its management. read more

The press conference created much interest with many write-ups in the press as well as in the electronic media (Television and Social media) including The Times of India, Trinity Mirror and The Hindu.

Investigative Meeting, Chennai, 24th and 25th February 2020

Professor Colin Palmer and Dr V Mohan, Directors of the NIHR Global Health Project held an Investigative meeting in Chennai on Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th February.

Principal Investigators from both Scotland and India were in attendance. Each of the five Work Packages Leveraging large scale health record data, Genetic epidemiology and pharmacogenetics, The Retinome as a clinical phenotype screening tool, Integrative predictive algorithms, and Next generation telemedicine, from the INSPIRED project were discussed.

We were also joined by collaborators from Afghanistan and Ethiopia.
Dr Aziz Amir is heading a next generation precision medicine pilot study in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Dr Adem Dawed the UK PI leading a Diabetes Epidemiologist Network in Sub Saharan Africa (DENSSA) pilot was joined by Mr Assefa Baye from Ethiopia. The project will develop the network and evaluate the barriers and solutions to implementing next generation precision medicine for diabetes in Butajera, Ethiopia and Enugu State, Nigeria.

The two-day event culminated with an “Into the Future” discussion as to how we progress with the research and the successful collaborations. It was agreed we co-host an MDRF/INSPIRED meeting in early 2021 to mark MDRF’s 25th anniversary and the closing of the first phase of the INSPIRED project.

Agreement sees Dundee’s diabetes expertise exported to Afghanistan

Image of Professor Palmer and Professor Amir Dundee’s NIHR funded Global Health Research Unit , headed by Professor Colin Palmer is to work to improve outcomes for diabetes patients in Afghanistan while training local researchers to carry out future studies into the disease.

The unit will collaborate with the Dr Aziz Amir at the Moraa Educational Complex to investigate the incidence of diabetes in patients attending the outpatient department of the Kabul hospital with the aim of offering sustainable solutions for individuals with the disease.

The Moraa Educational Complex is a female-focused project addressing the need for a safe educational environment for Afghanistan woman from kindergarten through to adulthood with a focus on medical training, helping to address the need for female healthcare workers in the country.

In 2017, the University of Dundee was awarded a £7 million grant from the National Institute of Health Research Global Health programme to establish INSPIRED, a major new Scotland-India clinical partnership to combat diabetes.

https://www.dundee.ac.uk/stories/agreement-sees-dundees-diabetes-expertise-exported-afghanistan

GoDARTS 20th Anniversary celebration seminar in Pitlochry

students and post docs attended the GoDARTS 20^th Anniversary celebration seminar in Pitlochry, September 2018.

Following the seminar, Professor Palmer and team walked to the summit of Ben Vrackie before heading back to Pitlochry for some well earned pub food.

Dr V Mohan receives 2018 Harold Rifkin Award

INSPIRED – Dr V Mohan – American Diabetes Association’s 2018 Harold Rifkin Award

Dr V Mohan received the American Diabetes Association’s 2018 Harold Rifkin Award for distinguished International Service in the Cause of Diabetes.

Viswanathan Mohan, MD, PhD, received the American Diabetes Association’s® (ADA’s) 2018 Harold Rifkin Award for Distinguished International Service in the Cause of Diabetes. This award honors individual outstanding service in the cause of diabetes, performed with an international perspective and with international impact. Dr. Mohan was recognised with this honor at the ADA’s 78th Scientific Sessions, June 22-26, 2018, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Internationally renowned, Dr Mohan works tirelessly to address the challenges of diabetes in India and developing countries. He is actively involved in Indian Government health policy and advocacy programs related to diabetes, and he has served as President of the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India.

“Thank you, Dr Mohan, for your commitment to serving people with diabetes and to bringing systematic changes to improve populations. Congratulations on this accomplishment,” said the ADA’s 2018 President of Health Care and Education Felicia Hill-Briggs, PhD, ABPP. “Your efforts to ensure that the best diabetes care is available to people in India and other developing countries have improved millions of lives.”