Weekly Edition – June 12, 2012
June 12, 2012 
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In this week’s edition:: Glucose regulation can prevent onset of Type 2 diabetes Glucose regulation can prevent onset of Type 2 diabetesPeople with pre-diabetes are significantly less likely to develop the disease if their blood glucose levels are normalized in time, according to new research by the Colorado School of Public Health and University of Colorado School of Medicine. The study was recently published in The Lancet. “The importance of this analysis is clear,” said Leigh Perreault, MD, a researcher with the CU School of Medicine and the Colorado School of Public Health. “Physicians should seek to restore normal glucose regulation in their patients with pre-diabetes.” The study shows that those at a high risk for Type 2 diabetes who experience a period of normal glucose regulation are 56 percent less likely to develop the disease 10 years later. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 79 million Americans or 35 percent of the population have pre-diabetes. Every year, approximately 11 percent go on to develop the disease, fueling the epidemic of Type 2 diabetes. Re-thinking prevention strategies in this group is critical to reducing overall disease rates. Perreault, an associate professor of medicine and public health, conducted the research along with colleagues in the Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. They used findings from the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), a research effort examining long term outcomes in patients who took part in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). The DPP studied over 3,000 patients with pre-diabetes. Earlier analyses of the DPP and DPPOS data showed that lifestyle interventions and drug treatment can reduce the progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes. But the new research examines patients who not only avoided developing diabetes, but actually reverted to normal glucose function at some point during the study period. These participants experienced a 56% reduction in progression to diabetes, regardless of how they reverted to normal glucose regulation even when it was only transitory. Meet the Dean, David C. Goff, Jr.After more than a year-long search, the Colorado School of Public Health finally welcomed its new dean, David C. Goff, Jr., MD, PhD, on June 1, 2012. Although the school waited more than a year to name its next dean, Goff’s own path to the position has been a journey made over several years and milestones. The path to Colorado for the native North Carolinian began while Goff was in high school. He read about the “magic bullet” of antibiotics and the drug’s major public health impacts. With this new curiosity for drug discovery, Goff pursued an undergraduate study in chemistry and biochemistry at Duke University. Although academically successful, the laboratory-focused education did not afford Goff the interpersonal interaction he desired. So following graduation, Goff enrolled in the University of North Carolina Medical School and there became more acquainted with treating preventable diseases. “While in medical school, I was impressed by the amount of effort physicians and other healthcare providers devoted to care for the complications of chronic medical conditions, including heart disease, that we were taught were largely preventable,” states Goff. With an appreciation for prevention in mind, Goff’s educational endeavors took him to Houston to pursue training in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and doctoral work in epidemiology at the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health. “During my doctoral research, focused on heart disease in Hispanics, I became aware of the work going on in the San Luis Valley,” states Goff. The San Luis Valley research, known as the San Luis Valley Diabetes study, was the foundation for the future Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center, now a part of the Colorado School of Public Health. The dean’s office will host a meet the dean event Friday, June 15, 2-3 pm on the Anschutz Medical Campus. School faculty, students, alumni and staff are invited. Questions: Contact 303.724.4585. Alumni News and NotesWe are proud to share in the celebration and success of our alumni. If you are a graduate of the school or one of our predecessor programs, then share your news and updates. The school has a new alumni e-mail address you can use to submit your alumni updates and information, CSPH.Alumni@ucdenver.edu. Please include your name, e-mail, program and graduation year. Michele Baker ‘11 MPH alumna Michele Baker moved to Honolulu, HI and is now a project manager with the Healthy Hawaii Initiative Evaluation Team at the University of Hawaii Office of Public Health Studies. She is currently working on projects, in conjunction with the Hawaii Department of Health, to evaluate the effectiveness of community based projects focused on nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention. Alumni – You can now connect with the school on LinkedIn. Join our group today. Public Health MattersUpcoming Events | View details about these events online In the News | Visit Public Health Newsroom Public Health Job Opportunities | View details about these opportunities online |
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@theForefront | Colorado School of Public Health |
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