Montefiore Medical Center, N.Y.

— -- Hi, my name is Dr. Joel Zonszein. I'm the director of the Clinical Diabetes Program at the MontefioreAlbert Einstein College of Medicine University Hospital at Montefiore. This is located in the Bronx, where, unfortunately, we have a very large population of patients with diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes that affects minority populations such as the African-American and Hispanic population that is so rich in the Bronx.

We have to address this problem by having a number of programs that are related to management of patients with diabetes. For instance, the majority of these patients are being treated by primary care physicians. So we have developed a network of diabetes education to work together with the primary care physicians in order to optimize the care of patients with diabetes.

We are involved in many research projects at Montefiore. We are involved in research projects related to diabetes and heart disease. We have a grant of Center of Excellence from New York State, where we are addressing the issue of gestational diabetes -- again, very prevalent in our community, and we are trying to see how many of the relatives of patients with gestational diabetes will also have cardiovascular diseases such as obesity, hypertension, abnormal lipids, or diabetes.

We are also involved in several clinics where we take care of patients with type 1 diabetes. Many of these individuals are using pump therapy in order to improve their glycemic control. But more important, we have a very active program, at both campuses, trying to improve the life of patients with diabetes and trying to help the primary care physicians taking care of this population.