The document discusses the University of Virginia Health System's commitment to conquering diabetes through collaboration across specialties and departments. It highlights the team-based approach to treating and researching diabetes and its complications. This includes teams that help transplant patients manage diabetes and care for diabetic patients undergoing pancreas or islet cell transplants. The increasing worldwide prevalence of diabetes poses a major health challenge that UVa is working to address through leadership in treatment, research, and new therapies.

1. Conquering diabetes. The pledge to
eradicate this disease begins at the
highest levels of the University of
Virginia Health System and extends
across the entire organization.
This commitment has made UVa a
national leader against a degenerative
disease that affects one in three UVa
Medical Center patients and 20 per-
cent of the United States population.
Diabetes affects every cell and
system in the body. Complications
include heart disease, kidney fail-
ure, stroke, eye problems and much
more. Understanding, treating and
curing this disease and its complica-
tions requires doctors, nurses, dieti-
cians, educators, lab technicians and
other experts to work together – and
it is the foundation for UVa’s leader-
ship in the diabetes fight.
“Collaboration is the cornerstone
of what our academic medical center
has to offer. No one of us could do
it without the others,” says Inpatient
Transplant Coordinator, Carol
Lawson, R.N., N.P., who joins a team
of doctors, nurses, diabetic educators
and nutritionists to help transplant
patients manage diabetes. This team
also cares for diabetic patients who
come to UVa’s transplantation pro-
gram to be cured via full-organ pan-
creas and islet cell transplants.
Thanks to the increasing indus-
trialization of developing countries
and shifts to high-fat diets and less
exercise, diabetes is poised to be
the next worldwide epidemic.
More than 60 million people
in the U.S. alone have diabetes or
It Takes A Team. At the forefront in the fight against diabetes is a team of specialists in patient
care, transplantation and cellular research. Team leaders include (L to R): Kenneth Brayman, M.D.,
director, Center for Cellular Transplantation and Therapeutics; from the Division of Endocrinology
and Metabolism: Professor of Medicine Eugene Barrett, M.D., Ph.D.; Chief Jerry Nadler, M.D.;
Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology Raghu Mirmira, M.D., Ph.D.
Leading the Fight Against Diabetes
UVa collaborates on state-of-the-art treatments, cures
Low
back
pain
Employee
discounts
Paging
goes
personal
A U G U S T 2 0 0 6
LINKFOR&ABOUT: The Health System Community
P.2
See “Diabetes” on page
New UVa Health Magazine Debuts
P.3
P.5
NEWSINFORMATION
Going for the Green
August marks the launch of Vim
Vigor, a new magazine that shares
the expertise of UVa Health System
faculty and staff with more than
50,000 households in our region.
This free, quarterly consumer pub-
lication will be placed in all UVa
Health System clinics and mailed to
women in the wider community the
Health System serves.
In addition to articles on treatment,
prevention, nutrition, exercise and fit-
ness, each issue will feature informa-
tion from UVa Health System doctors,
nurses, dietitians and other experts.
The goal of Vim Vigor is to build
a relationship with consumers as a
trusted resource for health informa-
tion and preferred health provider.
Research shows that women make
70 percent of family healthcare deci-
sions, spend nearly two-thirds of
healthcare dollars and are frequent
users of health services. Vim Vigor
targets the woman who considers
herself the informed decision-maker
regarding her family’s care.
“Women are routinely charged
with many tasks, from deciding what
the family is going to have for din-
ner to helping parents sign up for
their new Medicare prescription
plan,” says Susan Kirk, M.D., associate
professor, Division of Endocrinology
and Metabolism and associate dean
for graduate medical education. “To
make the day-to-day – and at times,
life-altering – decisions, we have to
take the time to educate ourselves on
a wide variety of topics.
“Vim Vigor is intended to pro-
vide useful and timely information
geared toward helping women make
their lives and the lives of their fami-
lies healthier and, hopefully, better
balanced.”
For a free subscription, go to myuvahealthsource.com.
s
s
s
P.6

2. P.
When it comes to creativity and
protecting the environment, look
no further than UVa’s Facilities
Management, Health System
Physical Plant (HSPP).
In early June, when employees
in the West Complex discovered
thousands of bees swarming on
the roof, they requested assistance
from HSPP. Investigation revealed
honeybees searching for their
dream home.
Rather than kill the bees, HSPP
preserved this environmentally ben-
eficial species. Bees pollinate more
than 100 crops worth an estimated
$10 billion in the U.S. alone each
year. Bee population has declined
about 50 percent over the past 50
years, which has affected the food
supply worldwide.
Sherwood Gibson, supervisor
of the Mason/Plasterer Shop, and
Plumber Supervisor Freddy Snoddy
swept the bees into a cardboard box
with an entrance hole simulating
a hive. They then transported the
bees to a manmade hive far from
the Medical Center. In the process,
Sherwood received only seven stings.
But bee rescue and hiving is
not the only HSPP green initia-
tive underway. At UVa Children’s
Hospital Kluge Children’s
Rehabilitation Center (KCRC),
goats S’more and Nellie are clear-
ing weeds and invasive plants from
the site of a future mobility trail.
The trail will help children practice
walking and/or wheeling over var-
ied surfaces, as well as negotiating
the higher challenges of curb cuts
and stairs.
Instead of using pesticides, staff
time and money to eliminate the
poison ivy, Japanese honeysuckle,
Asiatic bittersweet, pokeweed, black-
berries and other invasive plants,
HSPP borrowed S’more and Nellie
from Trades Utility Senior Larry
BeBout. In addition to saving man-
hours, using the goats to clear veg-
etation is easier on the environment.
While on duty, the goats live
behind a fence in a KCRC site
surrounding an old swimming
pool. They get Goat Chow and all
the vegetation they can eat. “We
couldn’t have done this except in
an enclosed area,” says Will Shaw,
HSPP associate director. “This is
goat heaven.”
Kluge’s young patients have
enjoyed visiting the goats, says
Laurie Sewell, certified therapeu-
tic recreation specialist. “We’re so
fortunate to be in a setting where
nature can play a part in healing.
The kids and families are drawn to
the goats because of their connec-
tion to home and pets and wildlife.”
Toiling since mid-June, S’more
and Nellie will likely have the area
cleared by Labor Day, says Shaw.
UVa’s Facilities Management
Abuzz with Eco-friendly Initiatives
A Tight FIT
This 30-ton lime silo
section arrived in June.
Two sections attach to
form the storage silo
for the lime that is one
element of new air
pollution control
systems designed to
meet Environmental
Protection Agency
regulations. UVa
is engaged in a
$72 million project to
ensure availability of
reliable steam to the
Health System and the
rest of the University.
Instead of
using toxic
pesticides
and many
man-hours,
Facilities
Management
borrowed
Nellie (left)
and S’more
to clear the
land for a new
children’s
mobility trail at
UVa Children’s
Hospital Kluge
Children’s
Rehabilitation
Center.

3. P.
Walk through Radiology, Central
Supply or Surgery these days and
you’ll notice something new: It’s quiet.
That is, the constant stream of over-
head paging has disappeared.
Look around and you’ll see why:
a wireless device around the neck
or clipped to the clothing of many
employees. The Vocera® “badge” is 4.5
inches long, with a call button, micro-
phone, speaker and display that shows
caller ID and text messages.
The pilot program began in those
three departments in late spring. “We
targeted pretty intense areas, where
quick communication is key to manag-
ing good and safe patient care,” says
Jim McGowan, Ph.D., medical center
administrator, Surgery. The results were
dramatic. Staff estimated that within 24
hours overhead paging had declined
by 90 percent.
Medical Center Manager Glenn
Fielding serves as the project man-
ager for implementation and ongoing
program support. Sal Palumbo, R.N.,
clinician III, who specializes in clinical
application of information technol-
ogy for Vocera® and other systems in
Perioperative Services, provided sup-
port to all the staff and other users.
Medical Center Manager Alan Oktay
leads the Network Services group that
installed the wireless network that
Vocera® transmits on, and integrated
the new network into the existing
infrastructure and systems.
“Network Services played a pivotal
role in this project’s success,” says
Fielding. “Their flex-
ibility, patience and
commitment to our
success went above and
beyond. We are fortu-
nate to have them as
part of the team.”
McGowan says the
days of searching for a
phone to return a page
are gone. Operating on
a wireless local area net-
work, Vocera® system
software automatically
finds people by name,
function or group, then
sends the message,
eliminating the need to
find phone numbers, too.
“If we need something quickly from
Central Supply during a case, we just
hit the button and ask for them and
bring it up,” says McGowan, adding
that about 500 people are actually on
the system at any given time.
Vocera® also can send or receive
phone calls from outside the Medical
Center, which has greatly reduced
“phone tag.” Headsets and voice activa-
tion allow for hands-free communica-
tion as well.
With the pilot project’s success,
the Vocera® system soon will expand
to Central Sterile and Neonatal
Intensive Care.
Wireless Device Aids Communication
Prof. Bankole Johnson Receives APA’s Highest
Award as Educator, Researcher, Clinician
I Care
Our Commitment: To ensure that
patients and families have the best
possible experience at UVa
Our Goal: To score higher in patient
satisfaction than three-quarters of our
regional peer group
“In Patient Access, we make the
process as stress-free as possible for
patients by ensuring that those things
needed for correct billing, such as insur-
ance verification, referrals and authoriza-
tions, are in place. That’s our way of
saying ‘I Care’ to our patients.”
Debra Rappold
Outpatient Operations/
Insurance Verification
The American Psychiatric Association
honored Bankole Johnson, M.D.,
Ph.D., chair of UVa’s Department of
Psychiatric Medicine, with its Award
for Distinguished Psychiatrist, the
organization’s highest honor. Award
recipients must have distinguished
careers in three areas – education,
research and clinical contributions.
These criteria are also the three parts
of the UVa Health System’s mission.
“Two of my other colleagues on
our faculty also received awards
there so it was superb for UVa,”
says Johnson, who has devoted his
career to treating addiction, partic-
ularly alcohol and cocaine depen-
dence. (See People News.)
Johnson’s approach, which he
began by studying alcoholism, is
fundamentally innovative. “When
I started in this field about 20
years ago, there wasn’t much out
there for the treatment of alcohol
dependence beyond Alcoholics
Anonymous and a drug that made
you sick if you drank alcohol.
Now, with a group of colleagues,
we’ve identified alcoholism as a
major brain disease and demon-
strated that medicines targeted
towards the underlying disease can
make a difference.
“We’ve taken a field outside of
medicine and put it on the fore-
front of clinical neuroscience and
psychiatry,” says Johnson, whose
training includes degrees from
Glasgow and Oxford Universities.
Johnson believes that these
treatments will eventually become
routine tools for physicians. He
and his colleagues also are working
with a chemist to develop patented
medicines, putting UVa at the fore-
front of a biotechnology industry.
As an educator, Johnson’s goal
is to “bring new people into the
field, and develop fellows in our
program and the junior faculty so
that they become the leaders of
tomorrow.”
Johnson will soon serve as lead
principal investigator on a $5 mil-
lion National Institutes of Health-
funded research study to curb
methamphetamine dependence.

4. [People News]
P.4
Sign up now for UVA-WorkMed’s
free “No Sweat” course. Six con-
secutive Thursdays, September 14
to October 26, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Dining Conference Rooms, University
Hospital. The program focuses on
improving health, strength, flexibility
and cardiovascular endurance through
regular 10-minute bursts of exercise
and energy-fueling changes in eat-
ing. Registration is required; call Mary
Conlon at 243-0077.
Bradley Miller, M.D., Ph.D., research
associate and clinical faculty in
Pathology, Division of Neuropathology,
received the College of American
Pathologists Foundation Scholars
Award. This national award enables
young medical investigators to develop
independent and productive research
careers by providing $25,000 in salary
support for one year of pure research,
keeping talented young patholo-
gists “in the pipeline for tomorrow’s
discoveries,” the Foundation says.
On March 18, Wendy Trout, RTR,
CRLS, successfully completed
the renal lithotripsy exam in San
Francisco, only the fourth certified
lithotripsy technologist to join the
Department of Urology since 1984,
when lithotripsy was developed.
Lithotripsy breaks up kidney stones
that are too big to pass, eliminating
pain and discomfort for patients. Many
physicians refer patients to the UVa
Health System for this specialized ser-
vice. “Wendy displays such a helpful
and positive attitude that is reflected
in her work and with all staff,” says
Lithotripter Coordinator Doug Sheffer,
RTR, CRLS.
The Medical Center
Employee of the
Month for June
for is Ulygbek
Nazirov, a cater-
ing associate for
Nutrition Services.
Even if it will mean
he is late leaving
work, he stays to
ensure that patients with last-minute
diet changes receive what they need.
For two weeks, when the icemaker
on the floor was broken, he did not
leave his shift until he had filled the ice
container for both day and night shift
– even though it was not part of his
normal duties. “He really made sure
we were able to care of our patients
and make our lives much easier,” his
nomination reads. “His commitment to
his job, the patients and UVa Hospital
really shines through every day.”
Rose Powell is the School of
Medicine Employee of the Month for
July. An administrative and office spe-
cialist in the Department of Neurology,
Rose is
recognized
for her com-
mitment
to quality
patient care
and her
excellent
working
relation-
ship with
residents, fellows and clinical faculty.
A gifted problem-solver, Rose “always
goes the extra mile” to ensure that clin-
ical notes and letters are transcribed
and that information is communicated
to patients in an efficient manner.
“Rose is a consistently reliable source
of skill, personality and professional-
ism in Neurology. She always has a
smile on her face and is always willing
to help others,” one nominator wrote.
The American Psychiatric Association
(APA) Committee on Medical Student
Education awarded the Nancy
C.A. Roeske, M.D., Certificate of
Recognition for Excellence in Medical
Student Education to Gabrielle
Marzani-Nissen, M.D., assistant
professor, Department of Psychiatric
Medicine. The certificate is awarded
annually to APA members and fellows
who have made outstanding and sus-
taining contributions to medical stu-
dent education. Dr. Marzani-Nissen is
also medical director for 5E, Inpatient
Unit, medical coordinator for the
Clinical Pharmacology Research Unit
and the HIV psychiatrist for the Ryan
White Program.
Ed Kantor, M.D., assistant profes-
sor in the Department of Psychiatric
Medicine, was awarded the Bruno
Lima Award for Excellence in Disaster
Psychiatry from the American
Psychiatric Association. This award
recognizes outstanding contribu-
tions of District Branch members to
the care and understanding of the
victims of disasters, and supports
professional values as well as encour-
ages training among psychiatrists in
the area of disaster psychiatry. Dr.
Kantor directs the Division of Consult-
Liaison, Emergency and Community
Psychiatry and serves as residency
training director in psychiatry at UVa.
Dr. Mary Lee Vance, professor of
internal medicine and neurosur-
gery, Division of Endocrinology and
Metabolism, has been elected presi-
dent-elect of The Pituitary Society for
the 2006–2007 term and will assume
its presidency the following year. The
Pituitary Society is an international
organization of physicians and sci-
entists, neurosurgeons, neuroendo-
crinologists and neuropathologists
dedicated to understanding pituitary
gland diseases.
Free prostate cancer screenings
will be offered on Sept. 16, 7:45
a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Urology
Department, West Complex, second
floor, for men over 50, men over 40
with a family history of prostate cancer
and African-American men over 40.
Free parking. Questions: 924-2225.
UVa nurses are making a major impact
in professional nursing publications
nationwide. Chief Clinical Officer/
Chief Nursing Officer Pamela
Cipriano, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, was
named editor-in-chief of the new
American Nurses Association official
journal, American Nurse Today. The
first issue, published by HealthCom
Media, premieres in October. School
of Nursing Dean Jeanette
Lancaster, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN,
has been named editor of the national
interdisciplinary journal, Family and
Community Health. Nursing student
Justine Mize was elected to the board
of the National Student Nurses’
Association where she serves as editor
of their publication, Imprint.
Free Saturday Health Screenings
Stroke. Cancer. Heart Disease.
Diabetes. No community is immune
from these serious diseases, but
regular checkups and education
can go a long way in prevention.
For this reason, UVa Health System
is offering free health screen-
ings on the first Saturday of every
month from 10 a.m. to noon in the
University Hospital’s pre-admis-
sion suite located just off the lobby.
UVa health professionals will check
blood pressure, calculate BMIs
(body mass indexes) and teach
participants about their health risks.
No appointment is necessary. This
is a walk-in event with free parking.
For more information, call 924-
DOCS (3627).

5. P.5
Everybody likes to save money.
Health System staff now have the
UVa Medical Center Employee
Council and Human Resources to
thank for creating a new employee
perk that is especially valuable
in this time of rising costs: the
Health System Employee Discount
Program.
Launched last fall, the Employee
Discount Program’s participating
local businesses offer discounts to
any Health System employee who
presents an ID badge or other form
of verification, as specified on the
Discount Program website.
Currently, 50 businesses are par-
ticipating, with the council working
at adding new ones all the time.
Participants range from the Kroger
grocery store to realtors and apart-
ment complexes, restaurants, tax
preparation agencies and many local
retailers. Merchants provide dis-
counts ranging from 5 to 25 percent
off products or services, or
offer special promotions.
At this time of year, fam-
ilies might find the theme
park discounts especially
welcome. Adventure Island,
Busch Gardens, SeaWorld,
Sesame Place and Water
Country USA all offer perks
for UVa Health System
employees.
Another way to save
money is through Southern
Health, which provides dis-
counts on health and well-
ness products, fitness center
memberships, smoking
cessation programs, Weight
Watchers, Lasik vision cor-
rection and Vision One.
Medical Center Employee
Council also has compiled
a list of staff members who
are notary publics and are
willing to make their services avail-
able to colleagues at no cost.
“The Medical Center Employee
Council is continuing to work to
make cost-saving programs for
employees a reality, and we’re always
open to hearing from employees with
ideas about how to make the Medical
Center a better place to work,”
says Melanie Evans, who chairs the
Employee Council.
Address questions to your council
representative or contact Melanie at
924-2938 or mae8n@virginia.edu.
For the most up-to-date infor-
mation on notaries and the
Employee Discount Program,
go to KnowledgeLink, then click
on “Managing Your Money” and
“Employee Perks!”
For Southern Health discounts visit:
http://www.southernhealth.com.
Employee Discount Program
Keeps Money in Your Pocket
Participating Employee
Discount Program Merchants
• Automotive
Volvo of Charlottesville
• Entertainment
Adventure Island
Busch Gardens
SeaWorld
Sesame Place
Water Country USA
• Food Restaurants
Casella’s
High Meadows Inn Restaurant
Jaberwocke
Java Java
Kroger
Mario’s New York Pizza Pasta
Take It Away
• Health Beauty
American Spirit Institute
Healthy Inspirations
Professional Optical Service
• Home Storage
Access Home Mortgages
Budget Blinds of Charlottesville
Carriage Hill Apartments
Cleaning Services Unlimited
Jefferson Ridge
KMX Mobile Security Shredding
Lakeside Apartments
Mr. Handyman of Charlottesville
Orkin Pest Control
Prudential Charlotte Ramsey, Inc.
Sweetwater Country Home
Total Entertainment Solutions
Virginia Business Interiors
• Other Discounts
Agape Florist
Allsorts Promotional Products
Batteries Plus
Birdwood Golf Course
Bright Beginnings
Carys Camera
Cavalier Wireless
Edible Arrangements
Huntington Learning Center
Emerald
KBS Equine Instruction and Boarding
Liberty Tax Service
Mark Setaro
Nature’s New Hope
Peoples Income Tax
Photoworks Creative Group
Southern Health
Sprint
Student Book Store Inc.
The Boar’s Head Inn Gift Store
Virginia Discovery Museum
• Travel
The Inn at Court Square
Expanded Cable
Brings Patients
More Health Info
UVa Health System has expanded
its cable television line-up, offer-
ing new access to health infor-
mation in patient rooms and at
various sites in the Medical Center.
Programming from Adelphia Cable
is supplemented with health-
related offerings. Channel 97 offers
HealthTV with health-related top-
ics repeated throughout the day.
Channel 98 offers the Newborn
Channel with information for new
parents repeated throughout the
day; the Spanish version is on
Channel 99.
For patients who are hearing-
impaired, there is a button on the
pillow speaker for closed captioning.
For patients who speak Spanish,
Spanish subtitles are available by
calling 4-2391 from the patient’s
room. Channels 95 96 are video
request channels. A wide range of
titles in English and Spanish can be
selected by calling 2-1600. Detailed
Television Program Guides are avail-
able on hospital units or by calling
4-5724.
Loch Ness Monster, Busch Gardens Williamsburg

6. P.
2
1
• When lifting, create a solid base by
making sure your feet are shoulder-
width or a little wider. Then, bend your
legs and lift with your legs while
keeping your head up and
back straight.
Keeping your low back and its supporting
muscles strong is important, but they should
be combined with safe lifting and control
techniques at work. Here are some ways to
avoid injury on the job:
• Warm up first. Your skeletal muscles are like
a sponge; at rest they do not have much
blood in them and are rigid. Many injuries
are caused by subjecting tight muscles to an
abrupt, heavy workload without any prepara-
tion. When you warm up, blood saturates
the muscles, making them more flexible,
substantially decreasing your chance
of injury.
bending movements, taken to the
extreme, can contribute to low back
injury. These actions can often irritate
an existing injury, not allowing the area
to heal.
Initial low back pain can be very
severe and last for several hours, sev-
eral days or even a couple of weeks.
Most acute lower back pain is caused
by muscle strain. When these muscles
are damaged, the areas around them
can become inflamed, causing the
back to spasm, leading to both severe
lower back pain and difficulty moving.
Persistent, or chronic, low back
pain lasting for more than two weeks
can lead to muscle weakness (since
the muscles hurt, the tendency is to
avoid using them). This process leads
to muscle atrophy, or wasting away,
causing more low back pain because
weakened muscles are less able to
support the spine.
Keep Your Back Safe Strong
“Low back health should be a priority
for everyone, but especially for those
individuals whose livelihood depends
upon their physical ability to work,”
says Dr. David Rubendall, medical
director of UVA-WorkMed, “What an
individual may perceive to be a simple
injury, if left untreated, can develop
into a chronic problem.”
Low back injury is the leading
result of accident in those under age
45. According to the 2004 Virginia
Worker’s Compensation Commission
Report, low back injury was respon-
sible for more than $53 million in
total costs.
The lower back is vulnerable to
injury, partly because of its anatomical
positioning in the middle of the body.
Like most anything, if compressed at
the ends, it bends in the middle.
Some movements we perform
every day, such as twisting and
On the Job
3• Keep the object
you are lifting close
to your body for
greatest control.
4• Do not twist, reach across,
or behind your body to
move an object. Address
the object squarely.
Thomas Miller, medical
center supervisor, UVA-
WorkMed, demonstrates
proper lifting techniques.
Aerial view of the necessary
equipment and many patient
cars at the Remote Area
Medical (RAM) Clinic at the
Virginia-Kentucky Fairgrounds
in Wise County in southwest
Virginia. The UVa Health
System sent 135 volunteers to
the free clinic, which provided
a record 7,917 patient services
valued at nearly $1.3 million in
care from July 28 to July 30.
“The selflessness and profes-
sionalism of our volunteers
under strenuous circumstances
reflects the quality employees
that make the UVa Health
System one of the nation’s top
hospitals,” said Edward Howell,
vice president and CEO
UVa Medical Center.
RAM 2006
Look for full coverage in the September LINK.
Avoid injury by strengthening the
low back and the muscles that sup-
port it: the extensors, the flexors and
the obliques. Weak abdominal mus-
cles also are often associated with
low back problems. These muscles
collectively are referred to as “core”
muscles. Core training exercises are
effective in conditioning this area
and are particularly beneficial to low
back health.
Low back injury can take many
forms and only your doctor can assess
the problem accurately. What may
seem to be a minor injury may actu-
ally be more serious than you think.
Allowing an injury to persist and
attempting to “tough it out” can lead
to a chronic injury that will weaken
the area further.
If you injure your lower back, seek
medical attention as soon as possible.

7. P.
families more readily iden-
tify their registered nurse,”
says PNSO President Lisa
Forsyth, R.N., MSN, clini-
cian IV, clinical educator.
“The RN is the go-to person
for every aspect of the patient’s
daily care. Making it as easy as
possible for patients and families
to know who to ask to get updates,
convey information and make requests
also relates to Joint Commission on
Accrediation of Healthcare Organizations
National Patient Safety Goals.”
prediabetes, and it is the only major
disease whose death rate is rising.
“The need has never been
more urgent,” says Jerry Nadler,
M.D., chief of the Division of
Endocrinology and Metabolism,
which consistently places in the top
six on the prestigious “U.S. News
World Report” national rankings. “I
came to UVa because it offered me
the opportunity to build a world-
class diabetes program. Our center
attracts top-notch people from
around the world and they’re study-
ing diabetes from all angles.”
In healthy people, insulin-pro-
ducing cells in the pancreas regu-
late blood sugar, helping to send
nutrients throughout the body. In
people with diabetes, those cells,
also called beta or islet cells, are
either nonexistent (type 1 diabe-
tes, typically found in children) or
their body resists insulin (type 2
diabetes, traditionally found in the
elderly but rapidly accelerating in
children). A healthy diet and exer-
cise prevent type 2 diabetes, but in
countries where prepared foods and
sedentary lifestyles reign, diabetes is
rising at an alarming rate. UVa has
seen its kidney transplant numbers
alone double since 2002, and half
of those patients have diabetes.
“Diabetes doesn’t stand still,
it progresses over time,” says
James M. Moss Professor of
Diabetes Anthony McCall, M.D.,
Ph.D., who co-founded UVa’s
diabetes and cardio­vascular clinic.
Cardiovascular disease (which can
lead to heart attacks and stroke) is
the primary cause of death among
people with diabetes.
The clinic’s multidisciplinary
team of cardiologists, cardiovas-
Diabetes
Continued from page
If you have
diabetes,
or want to
learn how
to decrease
your chance
of developing
diabetes,
sign up for
the free
“Diabetes
Health”
e-newsletter
and access
diabetes
health
information
online at
uvahealth.
com.
Now that the days of the white uni-
form and cap are gone, patients can
be confused about which of the many
people who come to their room is
actually their registered nurse (RN).
After researching successful solutions
by other hospitals experiencing the
same issue, the Professional Nursing
Staff Organization (PNSO) created
the orange “RN” badge, which
nurses are wearing attached to their
name badges.
“The primary purpose of the
RN badge is to help patients and
cular nurses, dieticians, exercise
specialists and diabetes educators
go beyond just treating the dis-
ease – they also focus on teaching
patients how to live with it success-
fully. “Diabetes is a patient-managed
disorder,” says McCall, who, like all
UVa doctors, provides patient care,
conducts research and teaches.
Transplantation can cure
UVa is one of few places in the
nation to have cured diabetes in
some patients through cellular and
full-organ transplantation. “We
have a high-level institutional com-
mitment to being at the forefront
of transplantation for the cure of
diabetes,” says Kenneth Brayman,
M.D., Ph.D., who directs UVa’s
Center for Cellular Transplantation
and Therapeutics.
The Center is a national leader in
pancreas transplants, curing people
with type 1 diabetes by provid-
ing them with a healthy, insulin-
producing gland. The Center is
also among a small cadre of U.S.
facilities to successfully perform
pancreatic islet cell transplants, a
procedure still considered experi-
mental. “Early results show about
80 percent of people with this
transplant will be off insulin one
year after their treatments,” says
Brayman.
Our era is marked by unprec-
edented advances in diabetes care
and research, and UVa is leading
the way. “We are living in a time
when there are many more tools
available to fight diabetes than
there were in the past,” says Barrett.
“That’s great progress.”
New badge identifies RNs
The Endocrinology Division’s lab research
focuses on understanding how insulin-pro-
ducing cells are damaged and identifying
ways they can be protected or regenerated.
Division Chief Dr. Jerry Nadler’s research
could one day lead to treatments that protect
people with diabetes from cardiovascular
disease. His team has identified an enzyme
in blood vessels activated by diabetes’ high
blood sugar levels that contributes strongly
to heart disease.
Professor of Medicine Eugene Barrett,
M.D., Ph.D., has developed ultrasound imag-
ing techniques to study the extent to which
diabetic patients’ blood vessels can transport
insulin into muscle tissue, where insulin helps
store sugar (or glucose), a vital fuel. Because
this system is faulty in those with diabetes,
sugar remains in their blood and cannot sup-
port their bodies. Assistant Professor Zhenqi
Liu, M.D., uses similar techniques to study
the body’s most complex muscle, the heart,
which has defective glucose metabolism in
diabetic patients and may lead to their very
high risk of heart attacks.
Associate Professor of Medicine and
Pharmacology Raghu Mirmira, M.D., Ph.D.,
studies which proteins are necessary for a cell
to be insulin-producing and has discovered the
path to creating insulin-producing cells in the
lab. Eventually, Mirmira’s research could help
diabetic patients by turning hardier cells else-
where in the body into insulin-producing cells.
Nadler’s team has also discovered a two-
drug treatment that not only reversed type 1
diabetes in mice but kept them nondiabetic
after treatment ended. This research could
lead one day to restoring insulin-producing
cells in people with type 1 diabetes without
using toxic anti-rejection medications.
Nadler’s group has also identified a gene
in fat cells that kills off insulin-producing cells.
This research could lead to understanding why
obese people are more likely develop diabetes.
Breakthrough Research

8. Advancing health care through clinicaltrials
LINK
the
Send trial submissions to linktrials@virginia.edu.
434-924-8053
To submit ideas or join our mailing list, email linkpub@virginia.edu or FAX 924-2969.
LINK is published 12 times a year for the employees, faculty, students, volunteers, donors and
patients and families of the University of Virginia Health System. Find archived copies at www.
healthsystem.virginia.edu/link. ©2006 by the Rector and Visitors of University of Virginia.
Advancing health care through clinicaltrials
LINK
Send trial submissions to linktrials@virginia.edu.
How clinical trials benefit you
At the University of Virginia Health System,
clinical trials are taking place every day, mak-
ing available the best medical research in a
setting where learning, discovery and innova-
tion flourish. And it is our patients – today and
in the future – who reap the rewards, whether
or not they participate in a trial. Please call the
trial coordinator to enroll confidentially or for
additional information.
Adolescent Hormone Study
Healthy female volunteers ages eight
to 17 are needed for a study investi-
gating whether normal genetic varia-
tions make some girls more likely to
develop elevated levels of male hor-
mones than other girls. Elevated male
hormone levels in adolescence may
lead to the development of polycystic
ovary syndrome (PCOS) in adulthood.
Participants will come to the General
Clinical Research Center for a single
outpatient visit. The appointment
will last one hour and will involve a
medical history, physical exam and
blood draw. Study-related tests are
provided at no charge. Compensation
is a $25 gift card to Fashion Square
Mall. Parental consent required.
John C. Marshall, M.D., Ph.D.,
Principal Investigator. IRB-HSR
#12183(L), Center for Research in
Reproduction, Susan Blank, M.D.,
243-6911, pcos@virginia.edu
To submit ideas or join our mailing list, email linkpub@virginia.edu or FAX 924-2969.
LINK is published 12 times a year for the employees, faculty, students, volunteers, donors and
patients and families of the University of Virginia Health System. Find archived copies at www.
healthsystem.virginia.edu/link. ©2006 by the Rector and Visitors of University of Virginia.
Editor: Sally Ruth Bourrie Art Director: Diane Butler Contributors: Dr. David Rubendall, D.O.,
Medical Director, UVA-WorkMed; Marian Gross, R.N., UVA-WorkMed; Thomas Miller,
UVA-WorkMed Supervisor/Exercise Physiologist; Patient Education Workgroup
Photography: Jack Mellott, cover-top, pp. 3-top and 6-bottom; Brian Hickey, p. 2-bottom;
Vocera Communications, p. 3-top; Michael Bailey, p. 3-bottom; Busch Gardens Williamsburg,
p. 5; Michaele White, Office of the Governor, p. 6-top; Health System Media Services
Genes, Salt Blood Pressure
Generally healthy men and women,
ages 18 to 70, normal to moderate
weight, are needed for a study on
genes and the response of blood pres-
sure to dietary salt. Participants with
low, normal or high blood pressure
are selected according to their genet-
ics and will receive: physical exam,
EKG, chest X-ray, blood chemistries
and urine tests. The study includes
two weeks of prepared food (3x/week
food pick-up) and $100 for study
completion. HIC #11494 (L). UVa
Endocrinology, Cindy Schoeffel, M.D.,
924-1634, cds2t@virginia.edu
Menopause Hot Flash Study
Volunteers, naturally or surgically meno-
pausal, ages 45 to 65 with a minimum
of seven moderate-to-severe hot flashes
daily, are needed for a study. We want
to see if an investigation medication can
relieve the intensity and frequency of
menopause symptoms safely. Participants
will attend up to six study visits over
a 20-week period and keep a daily
record of symptoms using a touch-tone
phone. Study-related tests and drugs are
provided at no charge. Compensation
is provided for time and travel. Joann
Pinkerton, M.D., Principal Investigator.
IRB-HSR #11996(L), UVa Women’s
Midlife Health, Melissa Dean-McKinney,
243-4722, mdd3a@virginia.edu
Stress During Pregnancy
Study
Researchers at UVa Health System are
interested in how women experience
and deal with stress during pregnancy.
Six weeks of relaxation training will
be provided to half of the participants.
Researchers will also examine how cop-
ing strategies affect the course of the
pregnancy and the health of the infant.
You may be eligible if, at the beginning
of the second trimester, you feel stressed,
and do not yet have any children. You
will be paid for your participation.
IRB HSR #12234(L), UVa Psychology,
Andrea Chambers, 243-5243
Heart Disease and Abnormal
Cholesterol Study
Adults ages 45 or older with a his-
tory of heart disease, vascular disease
or abnormal cholesterol levels are
needed for a study looking at the effect
of adding extended release niacin to
simvastatin (Zocor®). Researchers
what to know if this investigational
drug combination is effective in reduc-
ing the risk of heart attacks, strokes
and other heart related complications.
Participants will undergo a physical
exam, EKG and blood tests. Study
medication and study-related tests
are provided at no charge. IRB-HSR
#12130; Allan Simpson, M.D., Primary
Investigator, UVa Cardiology, Linda
Bailes, 982-1058, lgs2m@virginia.edu
P.O. Box 800224
Charlottesville, VA
22908-0224
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
Charlottesville, VA
Permit #232
n e w s l e t t e r
Please call the trial coordinator to enroll confidentially or for additional information.