University of Nevada School of Medicine
For immediate release: May 12, 2006
Contact: Emily Wofford ewofford@unr.edu
Marketing & Communications
775-338-3991 – Cell


Don Butterfield, APR
Director of Communications
Washoe Medical Center
775-982-5717

Type I Diabetes informational event hosted by the University of Nevada School of Medicine and Washoe Medical Center

Reno, Nev.—The University of Nevada School of Medicine Pediatric Diabetes Clinic and the Diabetes Health Center at Washoe Medical Center will host a Type I Diabetes Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, May 13 at Washoe Medical Center Mack Auditorium.

Supported by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Northern Nevada Branch, the event highlights the Type I Diabetes TrialNet which is a group of studies looking at the development, prevention and early treatment of Type I diabetes. A TrialNet information booth will be available to families who are interested in participating or learning more about the study. The booth will also provide blood draws to screen siblings, children and parents of persons with Type I diabetes. Several other exhibits will display the latest in diabetes care including glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and other new technology.

In addition to the information booths, a series of lectures is planned to further explain the TrialNet study and review other juvenile diabetes-related subjects. The lecture schedule includes:
9: 30 a.m. Dr. Kathryn Eckert, “What is the TrialNet Study about?”
10:00 a.m. Steven Graybar, Ph.D., “Living with Diabetes in the Family”
10:45 a.m. Sandy Davis, R.N., “School Issues and Diabetes”
11:15 a.m. Dr. Daniel Caruso, “Insulin Pump Treatment, does it work?”
11:45 a.m. Verna Presser, R.N. C.D.E., “Overview of Pumps”
More than 18 million people in the United States and approximately 150 million people worldwide are threatened by diabetes and its complications. Diabetes kills one American every three minutes. A new case of diabetes is diagnosed every 30 seconds.

The TrialNet study was established in response to the Surgeon General’s Report Healthy People 2010. This report identified diabetes as a national health objective for the nation. In response to the report, Congress created the Diabetes Research Working Group (DRWG) to develop a plan for diabetes research. One recommendation of the DRWG was to conduct additional research studies (clinical trials) to prevent Type I diabetes. Over the course of TrialNet, several studies will be conducted in patients with newly diagnosed (new onset) Type I diabetes, as well as in relatives of people with Type I diabetes who are at greater risk of developing the disease. The goal of TrialNet is to perform intervention studies to preserve insulin-producing cells in individuals at risk for Type I diabetes and in those with new onset Type I diabetes. For more information on Type I Diabetes TrialNet visit www.diabetestrialnet.org.

Type I Diabetes Day begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 13 at Washoe Medical Center Mack Auditorium located at 77 Pringle Way. Free parking is available to those attending the event in the Washoe Medical Center parking garages.

As the state’s only public medical school, the University of Nevada School of Medicine has been meeting statewide healthcare, educational, and clinical needs since 1969. For more information, please visit www.medicine.nevada.edu.