The Gonda (Goldschmied) Diabetes Center at UCLA, Calif.
Dr. Andrew Drexler on diabetes research at University of California, Los Angeles
— -- In 2000, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Susan and Leslie Gonda Foundation joined together to establish the Gonda Diabetes Center at UCLA. This center was intended as a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary center to provide comprehensive care and treatment of individuals with diabetes -- unfortunately, a disease which is becoming much more common in the L.A. region, in the United States, and in the world in general.
The center is portended to have facilities both for treating the diabetes and some of the complications of diabetes, and as such there are endocrinologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, and lipid specialists. Additionally, there are diabetes nurse educators and dietitians who are available to integrate the care, and most importantly, to ensure that the patient understands what they need to to be able to effectively take care of their diabetes.
Diabetes, probably more than any other disease, requires that the patient be a very active participant in their own care and understand what works for them and what doesn't work. And without that understanding it is extremely difficult to have effective diabetes treatment.
Additionally, the Gonda Diabetes Center is associated with the UCLA Division of Endocrinology -- one of the foremost centers for understanding the relationship between diabetes, cardiac disease, and vascular disease -- and also the Hillblom Islet Center, a pioneer in understanding the cause of diabetes and doing research in terms of how to prevent it in the future. Ultimately, our goal is to have fewer diabetics and better treatment.
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