University of Arizona College of Medicine, Ariz.
Dr. Betsy Dokken on diabetes research at University of Arizona
— -- We're here at the Sarver Heart Center at the University of Arizona where our vision is a future free of heart and vascular disease. In addition, we realize that diabetes is a cardiovascular disease. In fact, all of the major complications of diabetes involve problems with the blood vessels. Heart attack, stroke, eye disease, and kidney disease all have a very strong vascular component.
In addition, here in Arizona, we have two populations that are inordinately affected by diabetes: the Hispanic-American population and the Native American population. And, for this reason, diabetes research is a major focus of not only our university here in Tucson, but in the entire state of Arizona.
One of the things that we've done here at the College of Medicine is to provide an environment that promotes collaboration between researchers that are investigating both cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The new medical research building is one of the factors that promotes this collaboration. We have large laboratory spaces that allow for people who are looking at diabetes insulin-resistance in skeletal muscle, for example, oxidative stress related to diabetes and vascular disease, heart disease, stroke, and all of those researchers are now working together, and we are optimistically working together toward a future that is free from these devastating diseases of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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