91亚色 Professors Chris Ardern, , Paul Ritvo and Lauren Sergio will work on site聽for one to聽two days a week with hospital clinicians to foster research collaborations and knowledge exchange, and engage in joint knowledge mobilization efforts.

The partnership will realize important benefits to the research communities at both institutions and for the general public, says 91亚色 Professor (right), associate vice-president research, science & technology, who led the effort to develop the partnership with Southlake Regional Health Centre.

"The embedded 91亚色 researchers are senior scientists who will explore and cultivate research collaborations between 91亚色 and Southlake researchers and clinicians," says Siu. "They will act as 'matchmakers' and brokers and will bring聽91亚色's聽research expertise and knowledge to Southlake to聽facilitate collaboration.

"The partnership will broaden the research capacity for both 91亚色 researchers and the Southlake clinicians," says Siu. "91亚色 does not have a Faculty of Medicine聽or聽a teaching hospital. As a result,听University researchers do not聽have the patient access聽they would like to have. By working with Southlake,听the University is enhancing a collaboration that would benefit both parties."

The embedded聽University scientists聽bring to Southlake Regional Health Centre聽their recognized expertise in biomedical and health research. Southlake is the only community-based hospital in Ontario to offer six regional tertiary programs, including child and adolescent mental health, maternal and child,听cardiac and cancer care.

"We anticipate this to be an outstanding opportunity for both Southlake and 91亚色," says , director of research at Southlake.

"Serving some 1.5 million people through our regional programs and providing tertiary level care in many areas, the depth and breadth of programs and services, and the unexplored opportunities for reasearch collaboration between Southlake and 91亚色 are endless," says Clifford.

"Southlake is interested in strengthening its research in terms of breadth and depth and in fact, Southlake is developing a research institute with a plan to聽become a teaching hospital with an official affiliation with a Canadian university," says Siu.

91亚色 is聽a preferred candidate for this kind of partnership with Southlake, says Siu,听because the two institutions have shared goals and visions, and a willingness to work together.

The partnership offers exceptional training and educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate聽students working in the research teams, says Siu.

In addition, the opportunity presented by the collaboration between the聽two institutions聽is consistent with the goal of integrating teaching and research with the world outside the University that was articulated in聽91亚色's recent .

More about the 91亚色-Southlake embedded researchers

Chris Ardern (left) is a professor in the School of Kinesiology聽& Health Science in 91亚色's Faculty of Health.聽His current research聽interests include the epidemiology of physical activity, obesity and cardiometabolic risk. His most recent work has focused on the use of risk algorithms, behavioural profiling and trajectory modelling approaches to identify high-risk subgroups for the development of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease mortality.聽Arden is currently investigating the role of geospatial analysis to improve the surveillance of cardiovascular disease in 91亚色 Region, and is a co-investigator on the Pre-diabetes Detection聽& Physical Activity Intervention and Delivery (PRE-PAID) program, a six-month trial of culturally-preferred physical activity.聽Ardern will be embedded in Southlake's chronic disease portfolio.

In her research, (right) works on a family of proteins known as nucleoside transporters. These transporters play significant roles in a number of clinical settings because they transport drugs used in cancer and are targets of drugs used in some cardiac care settings. Despite their clinical relevance, Coe, who is a聽professor of biology in 91亚色's Faculty of Science & Engineering, says researchers聽know very little about how these transporters work and how they differ in terms of their distribution, activity and regulation in individual patients.聽Using a molecular diagnostics approach, Coe and her team will work with Southlake clinicians from both the cardiac care and oncology聽portfolios to investigate the transporter profiles in individual patients and correlate these profiles with drug treatments and outcomes. The ultimate goal of this work is to contribute to the efforts to develop more personalized approaches to the treatment of disease.

Paul Ritvo (left) is a behavioural scientist who will serve as the research adviser, physical and mental health liaison and special projects scientist. A professor in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health, Ritvo鈥檚 research interests focus on electronic health interventions that employ cell phones, smartphones and online programs to change health behaviours in diabetics, HIV-positive individuals and individuals with mental health difficulties. Ritvo will work with Southlake clinicians to extend current intervention studies that use Blackberry smartphones and innovative software applications to help patients reduce health risks by way of healthy exercise, diet and improved medication adherence.

Lauren Sergio (right) is a neuroscientist working in 91亚色's Sherman Health Science Research Centre. Her聽current research projects examine the effects of age, sex, neurological disease and past head injuries (of athletes versus non-athletes) on the brain's control of complex movement. In her role with Southlake Regional Health Centre, Sergio will be an embedded researcher in the chronic disease, emergency medicine and surgical portfolios.聽She works with a wide range of adult populations, including professional hockey players and Alzheimer's disease patients. Her findings have implications for neurological disease diagnosis and rehabilitation and for understanding the fundamental brain mechanisms for movement control. She is using cognitive-motor integration research to test if new instrumentation developed in her laboratory can differentiate between聽types of dementia. She is also聽researching the long-term effects of concussion in young athletes. Sergio is a member of the .

The embedded researcher program at Southlake Regional Health Centre is an example of the collaboration between the Faculty of Science & Engineering and the Faculty of Health at 91亚色 and is part of an ongoing commitment by the Faculties' deans to work together.

For more information on 91亚色's聽partnerships with聽regional聽hospitals, see YFile,听April 17, 2009 and 聽April 21, 2009.

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor.

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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The PRE-PAID project, funded by the and , targets groups at high risk for diabetes and uses a community-based approach to engage them in the physical activities they enjoy. The 91亚色 study has been operational since November 2009, and several diverse ethnic neighbourhoods in the Toronto area have participated. The Sault College project will involve individuals of First Nations descent.

"The PRE-PAID team is very excited to partner with Sault College for this important initiative,鈥� states Chip Rowan, Researcher and Certified Exercise Physiologist at 91亚色. 鈥淭hrough this partnership, we hope to extend our program to a community that has a well documented risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Through the provision of free screening and targeting individuals with pre-diabetes, we hope that our physical activity intervention program will prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes for as many people as possible."

Canadian Diabetes Association Regional Branch Co-ordinator, Janie Bringleson, says the statistics involving those with diabetes are alarming. Nearly 1 in 4 Canadians either has diabetes or pre-diabetes and more than 20 people are diagnosed with the disease every hour of every day. The Health Council of Canada states that diabetes is much more common, and growing more quickly, among First Nations adults, who are two to eight times more likely to have diabetes than the overall Canadian population, depending on age group. Researchers hope to show participants the benefits of engaging in no cost, enjoyable physical activities. Second, it is hoped that the project will demonstrate the importance of investing in exercise to prevent diabetes. Through these interventions they expect to reduce diabetes by 60%.

The complete article is available on . More information about the is available through the Research website archives.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post 91亚色 partners with the Sault College in diabetes prevention program appeared first on Research & Innovation.

A team of researchers from the Physical Activity聽& Chronic Disease Unit in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health is working on a new research project investigating ways to prevent this disease and its complications from developing. The Pre-diabetes Detection聽& Physical Activity Intervention Delivery Project (PRE-PAID) is examining the effectiveness of community-based interventions on the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.

They are looking for Chinese, South Asian, African and African-Caribbean people who have pre-diabetes by screening members of these high-risk populations. 91亚色 community members who are of these ethnicities are encouraged to take part in the project.

The project, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is now working with the Black Creek Community Health Centre and other community organizations to recruit Chinese, South Asian, African and African-Caribbean people who are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes based on their age (40 to 64 years old), risk factors (family history and weight) and a lack of physical activity.

Half of these people will take part in a six-month, supervised exercise program (free of charge) that will include a variety of fun activities, including dance activities such as socacize, Bollywood, line dancing and other physical activities. The other half of the participants will take part in a six-week educational workshop that provides hands-on instruction for diabetes prevention, including information about diet and physical activity education.

The goal of the program is to prevent people who are pre-diabetic from developing Type 2 diabetes. Previous research has shown that regular exercise and diet are the most effective ways to reduce Type 2 diabetes risk.

If successful, this program will lead to many more similar programs in other communities and prove that聽community-based interventions are possible and effective in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.

The PRE-PAID team will be hosting pre-diabetes screening sessions every Monday morning on the Keele campus, from 7:45 to 11am, in 120 Norman Bethune College. Screening sessions will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

If you fit the above risk profile and are interested in becoming a participant in the project, contact Chip Rowan, PRE-PAID project coordinator, at 647-378-6777 or stopdiab@yorku.ca.

For more information, please visit the Diabetes Prevention Program Web site.

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That鈥檚 what several 91亚色 researchers are hoping to find out. If successful, their Pre-Diabetes Detection and Physical Activity Intervention Delivery (PRE-PAID) Program could become the model for provincewide intervention.

91亚色 Professors Michael Riddell, Norman Gledhill, Veronica Jamnik, Chris Ardern, Jennifer Kuk and Paul Ritvo in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science鈥檚 Physical Activity & Chronic Disease Unit in the Faculty of Health, along with 91亚色聽PhD candidate Chip Rowan, PRE-PAID project coordinator, are now deep into Phase聽2 of their study and so far the results are promising. They have found there is an overwhelming need for programs such as PRE-PAID, as a high percentage of the participants tested already had pre-diabetes. In addition, there is a real lack of close and聽affordable fitness programs.

Right: From left, Michael Riddell, Veronica Jamnik, Chip Rowan and 91亚色 students and certified exercise physiologists Ajay Rampersad and Thomas Bok

The聽researchers also found that to reach people in high-risk areas聽they need to tap into existing social networks and聽make community contacts, as traditional media campaigns are not that helpful. With community engagement, they were able to increase their visibility and build partnerships to fight diabetes.

The goal of the PRE-PAID program is to identify those individuals from the highest risk populations, including Chinese, South Asian, African and African-Caribbean, who have pre-diabetes, and to provide them with targeted, accessible and monitored fitness programs, and hopefully prevent them from developing Type 2 diabetes.

It could save lives and millions of health-care dollars. Health-care costs for the treatment of persons with diabetes in Canada amounts to聽$9 billion annually. In recognition of this burden, the Ontario Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care has made the treatment and management of diabetes a priority.

鈥淭he costs are聽anywhere between聽$2,000 and $15,000聽a year per person with diabetes in direct and indirect costs, but if we can get that down to around $200 a year in investment for those with pre-diabetes to prevent the disease, that would save a lot. Not only that, but we can probably prevent six cases out of 10,鈥� says Riddell. 鈥淲e have to show this model will work and will save money in the long run over the health-care costs caused by the complications of diabetes. If we invest now in treating pre-diabetes, it will cost less in the future.鈥�

Left: A participant undergoes a聽finger prick blood test to check sugar levels

The PRE-PAID Program has screened some 428 people, aged 35 to 64, from the communities of 91亚色, Jane and Finch, Malvern in Scarborough,听and Agincourt for high risk, and are looking for more participants. A further 350 were given a finger-prick blood test, which measures the amount of sugar coating on red blood cells as a measure of average blood sugar control over the last three months. Of these, 238 were found to be pre-diabetic 鈥� all of whom were previously undiagnosed.

Right now, there is no outreach screening or treatment program in the province for people with pre-diabetes. This study, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is an important step toward changing that, say Riddell and Rowan.

Through community partnerships, all of those screened through the PRE-PAID Program with pre-diabetes are being given educational training on diabetes prevention and are聽provided with accessible and culturally preferred exercise sessions for six months.

Right:聽PRE-PAID participants聽in a聽bollyfit class

鈥淭he advantage of having the study at 91亚色 is they can use the students from the School of Kinesiology to hold the classes and many of them are of the same ethnicity as the participants, so we鈥檙e breaking down some of the cultural and language barriers,鈥� says Rowan. 鈥淏ecause we are so multicultural here, that really works.鈥�

So instead of expecting study participants to join a gym and run on the treadmill for half an hour a day, the project聽offers things like bollyfit, socasize, reggaerobics, line dancing and tai chi in easily accessible community centres with certified exercise physiologists, for free. The participants are also asked to incorporate walking into their weekly routine.

Through the PRE-PAID Program, participants who have been identified as pre-diabetic are 鈥減rovided with the opportunity and the encouragement. Then we track them to see how they comply,鈥� says Rowan. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 going to be sustainable, they really have to make that decision and that commitment.鈥� The participants are assessed at the beginning, at three months and again at six months.

Some of the factors that stand in the way of participating in fitness programs are cost, time and priorities. 鈥淧eople are busy and have other pressing priorities, priorities we can鈥檛 even imagine,鈥� says Riddell. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to alleviate some of these barriers.鈥�

By looking at studies done in the United States, India and China, 鈥渨e know that by doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, about 30 minutes a day, five days a week, we can lower the risk of developing diabetes from a state of pre-diabetes by about 50 per cent,鈥� says Riddell. 鈥淲hat is novel about this approach is we want to give them physical exercise that taps into culturally preferred activities. This is the first study I鈥檓 aware of that has done that.鈥�

The incidence of pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes continues to rise in Canada. It is estimated that about seven per cent (two million) of Canadians have diabetes with about half of them undiagnosed, while another five to seven per cent have pre-diabetes.

鈥淎ll the research has shown that exercise is the most effective preventative tool, even independent of dietary change,鈥� says Riddell. So it makes sense that people at the highest risk of becoming pre-diabetic would be caught early on.

The researchers are currently seeking funding for Phase聽3 of the project. In Phase聽3, the team will recruit an additional 500 to 1,000 subjects and will extend the eligible age range to 18 to 64, as recent findings have shown there is an increasing incidence of diabetes in young people.

The group is presenting some of their preliminary results at the International Congress聽on Physical Activity & Public Health, May 5 to 8 in Toronto.

For more information, visit the Diabetes Prevention Program Web site or contact Chip Rowan at 647-378-6777 or stopdiab@yorku.ca. For more information about diabetes, visit the Web site.

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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