Inova Health System Foundation

OP EARLY INTERVENTION SVCS W/RESPECT TO HIV DISEASE

OP EARLY INTERVENTION SVCS W/RESPECT TO HIV DISEASE

RYAN WHITE TITLE IV WOMEN, INFANTS, CHILDREN, YOUTH AND AFFECTED FAMILY MEMBERS AIDS HEALTHCARE

RYAN WHITE TITLE IV WOMEN, INFANTS, CHILDREN, YOUTH AND AFFECTED FAMILY MEMBERS AIDS HEALTHCARE

COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF TUMOR BURDEN BY CT TO ADVANCE CANCER THERAPEUTICS

RYAN WHITE TITLE IV PROGRAM

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA TO INCREASE HIV DIAGNOSIS,TREATMENT, PREVENTION, AND RESPONSE AMONG HIGH-RISK HETEROSEXUAL BLACK, LATINX, AND IMMIGRANT IDENTIFIED POPULATIONS - PROJECT ABSTRACT SUMMARYPURPOSEINOVA JUNIPER PROGRAM (IJP) WILL PARTNER WITH NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH (NH) TO PROVIDE OUTREACH, TESTING, LINKAGE, AND ENGAGEMENT SERVICES FOCUSED ON HIGH-RISK HETEROSEXUALS WITHIN THE BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN, LATINX, AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA. IJP AND NH HAVE LOCATION IN ALL AREAS OF THE REGION, WHICH INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF FAIRFAX, LOUDOUN, PRINCE WILLIAM, AND ARLINGTON AND THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA. IN ORDER TO GAIN TRUST, ENGAGEMENT, AND OVERCOME BARRIERS TO CARE, PROGRAM SERVICES WILL BE PRIMARILY DELIVERED BY OUTREACH WORKERS HIRED FROM THESE COMMUNITIES WITH SIMILAR LIFE EXPERIENCES TO THE CLIENTS THEY SERVE.OUTCOMESIJP AND NH TOGETHER WILL ACHIEVE BOTH SHORT/INTERMEDIATE AND LONG TERM OUTCOMES IN EACH OF THE STRATEGIES OUTLINED IN THE ENDING THE EPIDEMIC PLAN. DIAGNOSE SHORT/INTERMEDIATE TERM: INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PERSONS AWARE OF THEIR HIV STATUS, INFORMED OF CARE SERVICES, AND ABLE TO ACCESS INTEGRATING SCREENINGSLONG TERM: INCREASE CULTURAL AWARENESS OF HIV/STD TESTING AND HIV CARE OPTIONS REDUCE STIGMA REGARDING SEXUAL HEALTH CARE, DECREASED MORBIDITY DUE TO LATE SCREENINGTREATSHORT/INTERMEDIATE TERM: INCREASE RECEIPT OF HIV MEDICAL CARE AND TREATMENT BY THE NEWLY DIAGNOSED AND THOSE NOT IN CARE, INCREASED ACCESS TO PARTNER SERVICES AND PREVENTION AND ESSENTIAL SUPPORT SERVICESLONG TERM: REDUCED COMMUNITY VIRAL LOAD, INCREASED LINKAGE TO CULTURALLY COMPETENT SERVICES, REDUCED TIME FROM DIAGNOSIS TO CARE, INCREASED WELL-BEING AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDSPREVENTSHORT/INTERMEDIATE TERM: INCREASE ACCESS TO PREP AND CONDOMS AMONG HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALSLONG TERM: INCREASED SEXUAL AND OVERALL HEALTH LITERACY AND REDUCED MISINFORMATION; INCREASED COMMUNITY AWARENESS OF AND ACCESS TO PREP, PEP, AND HIV/STD TESTING; INCREASED PROVIDER COMPETENCY REGARDING BEHAVIORS AND TRENDSRESPONDSHORT/INTERMEDIATE TERM: INCREASED HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR CLUSTER DETECTION AND RESPONSEL ONG TERM: IMPROVED COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO HIV TRANSMISSION CLUSTERS AND OUTBREAKSOVER THE COURSE OF THIS FIVE YEAR PROJECT, THE PROGRAM SEEKS TO REDUCE NEW HIV INFECTIONS, IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND REDUCE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV, AND IMPROVE THE OVERALL HEALTH STATUS OF HIGH-RISK HETEROSEXUAL BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN, LATINX, AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA.

ROLE OF P67PHOX IN MYOCARDIAL HYPERTROPHY

COMPREHENSIVE HIGH-IMPACT HIV PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR YOUNG MEN OF COLOR WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN

OPTIMUM OB-TXA: OPTIMAL TIMING, ROUTE AND DOSE OF TRANEXAMIC ACID PRIOR TO UMBILICAL CORD CLAMP FOR POSTPARTUM HEMORRHAGE PREVENTION - PROJECT SUMMARY THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO FILL CRITICAL GAPS RELATED TO TIMING, ROUTE AND DOSE OF TRANEXAMIC ACID (TXA) IN PREVENTION OF POSTPARTUM HEMORRHAGE (PPH) TO MAXIMIZE MATERNAL BENEFIT WHILE MINIMIZING FETAL-NEONATAL AND MATERNAL RISKS. WITH MY CLINICAL BACKGROUND IN MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE, RESEARCH EXPERIENCES IN EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND TRANSLATIONAL COAGULATION METHODS, AND PRIOR PRELIMINARY DATA, I HAVE THE EXPERTISE AND STRONG SCIENTIFIC PREMISE TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THESE AIMS. THE PROPOSED INNOVATIVE STUDY FOCUSES ON THREE UNIQUE SUBPOPULATIONS (VAGINAL DELIVERY, CESAREAN DELIVERY, MORBID OBESITY) AND HAS THREE ROUTES OF TXA ADMINISTRATION (INTRAVENOUS OVER 2 MINUTES, INTRAVENOUS OVER 10 MINUTES AND INTRAMUSCULAR) IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO CHILDBIRTH. NEONATAL EXPOSURE WILL BE ASSESSED THROUGH TXA CONCENTRATIONS IN UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD AND BREAST MILK, AS WELL AS CLINICAL OUTCOMES AT DELIVERY, 2 WEEKS AND 6 WEEKS POSTPARTUM. THE SPECIFIC AIMS ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1A) DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL TIMING, ROUTE AND DOSE OF PROPHYLACTIC TXA FOR PREVENTION OF PPH 1B) DETERMINE NEONATAL EXPOSURE TO TXA THROUGH TRANSPLACENTAL TRANSFER AND BREAST MILK WHEN TXA IS ADMINISTERED PRE-CORD CLAMP, AND 2) CHARACTERIZE PROTHROMBOTIC AND FIBRINOLYTIC BIOMARKERS IN MATERNAL CIRCULATION FOLLOWING TXA. THE INNOVATIVE NATURE OF THIS GRANT IS MULTIFOLD: A) REPURPOSING AN INEXPENSIVE GENERIC DRUG TO ADDRESS DISPARITIES IN OBSTETRIC HEMORRHAGE; B) EXPLORING RAPID ADMINISTRATION VIA IM AND 2MIN INFUSION TO IMPROVE ACCESS IN LOW RESOURCE SETTINGS; C) PRE-CORD CLAMP TXA ADMINISTRATION AS A NOVEL APPROACH NOT YET CONSIDERED IN LARGE OBSTETRIC CLINICAL TRIALS; D) REFINEMENT OF DOSING IN UNIQUE SUBPOPULATIONS (MORBIDLY OBESE, VAGINAL DELIVERY); E) BIOMARKER SAFETY INCLUDING A NO DRUG GROUP AND F) A ROBUST TEAM OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY EXPERTS WITH REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE. SPECIFICALLY, TEAM MEMBERS HAVE EXPERTISE IN CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, NEONATAL MEDICINE, LAB MEDICINE, THROMBOSIS AND HEMOSTASIS, CLINICAL TRIALS IN PREGNANT WOMEN AND NEWBORNS, PHARMACOMETRICS AND EPIDEMIOLOGY/BIOSTATISTICS. I HAVE AN IDEAL WORKING ENVIRONMENT, ROOTED IN THE CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE INSTITUTE PARTNERING GW AND CHILDREN’S NATIONAL HOSPITAL BUT ALSO EXTENDED THROUGH SUPPLEMENTAL SITES AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE AND UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA COAGULATION LAB. IN SUMMARY, THIS PROPOSAL SETS FORTH AIMS THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT, INNOVATIVE, FEASIBLE, AND WILL HELP THE OBSTETRIC COMMUNITY BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW PERIPARTUM HEMOSTASIS CAN BE OPTIMIZED USING TXA WHILE BEING SURE TO MINIMIZE FETAL/NEONATAL RISKS. ULTIMATELY, OUR WORK WILL ANSWER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS THAT ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION FOR HOW TO PREVENT MATERNAL MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FOR THE 140 MILLION WOMEN WORLDWIDE THAT GIVE BIRTH EACH YEAR.

PHENOTYPING NET IMMUNE STATE WITH MICRORNAS IN CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION - CURRENTLY, THERE ARE NO RELIABLE CLINICAL STRATEGIES AVAILABLE TO OPTIMIZE IMMUNOSUPPRESSION LEVELS AFTER HEART TRANSPLANTATION. PATIENT SURVIVAL AFTER HEART TRANSPLANT IS LIMITED TO 12 YEARS AND HAS NOT IMPROVED IN THE PAST TWO DECADES LARGELY ATTRIBUTED TO THE SIDE EFFECTS OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSION. IMMUNOSUPPRESSION IS USED TO PREVENT HEART TRANSPLANT REJECTION, BUT THE PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSION ARE OFFSET BY MULTIPLE COMPLICATIONS INCLUDING INFECTION, CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE, AND CANCER. THERE IS NO AVAILABLE BIOMARKER AVAILABLE TO ASSESS THE ALLOIMMUNE RESPONSE AFTER TRANSPLANT AND GUIDE TITRATION OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSION. THUS, CONTEMPORARY CLINICAL PRACTICE IS TO WEAN IMMUNOSUPPRESSION WHEN DRUG TOXICITY ARISES OR BASED ON TIME AFTER TRANSPLANT. THROUGH CIRCULATING MICRORNAS, SMALL NON-CODING RNA MOLECULES, WE WILL PREDICT COMPLICATIONS OF OVER- (INFECTION) AND UNDER-IMMUNOSUPPRESSION (REJECTION). WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT CIRCULATING MICRORNAS CAN BE USED TO QUANTIFY THE NET IMMUNE STATE OF HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENTS AND IDENTIFY PATIENTS AT HIGH RISK FOR IMMUNOSUPPRESSION-RELATED COMPLICATIONS. THE SCIENTIFIC AIMS OF THIS STUDY WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH SERIAL BLOOD-BASED MICRORNA SEQUENCING AND DEEP CLINICAL PHENOTYPING. WE WILL BUILD ON OUR STRONG PRELIMINARY DATA TO DEVELOP A PANEL OF MICRORNAS THAT PREDICT THESE KEY POST-TRANSPLANT COMPLICATIONS AND CORRELATE WITH VARYING DOSES OR LEVELS OF CONTEMPORARY IMMUNOSUPPRESSION. THIS WORK WILL FORM THE BASIS FOR A NON-INVASIVE, GENOMIC BLOOD TEST THAT CAN BE USED TO MONITOR PATIENTS AFTER HEART TRANSPLANT TO MITIGATE COMPLICATIONS AND ENHANCE LONG-TERM SURVIVAL. THE SCIENTIFIC AIMS OF THIS PROPOSAL WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH A PROSPECTIVE, MULTICENTER, MULTIRACIAL COHORT STUDY OF ADULT HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENTS (N=250) ENROLLED AT 8 GEOGRAPHICALLY- AND SOCIOECONOMICALLY DIVERSE TRANSPLANT CENTERS, WITH A HIGH PROPORTION OF BLACK PATIENTS (TARGET ENROLLMENT 30%) AS THESE PATIENTS HAVE WORSE CLINICAL OUTCOMES AFTER TRANSPLANT. THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE: 1) IDENTIFY CIRCULATING MICRORNAS THAT PREDICT THE RISK OF MAJOR OVER- AND UNDER-IMMUNOSUPPRESSION RELATED ADVERSE EVENTS AFTER HEART TRANSPLANTATION, 2) DETERMINE THE RESPONSE OF THE CIRCULATING MICRORNA TRANSCRIPTOME IN HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENTS TO CHANGES IN IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE THERAPY, AND 3) DEVELOP AND VALIDATE A CLINICAL MICRORNA SCORE THAT PROVIDES A QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE PATIENT’S NET IMMUNE STATE. THIS STUDY WILL ADDRESS SEVERAL CRITICAL BARRIERS NEEDED TO REDUCE COMPLICATIONS OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSION, ENHANCE PATIENT QUALITY OF LIFE, AND IMPROVE LONG-TERM SURVIVAL. DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THIS MICRORNA BIOMARKER PANEL IN THIS STUDY FORMS THE BASIS FOR A NEW BLOOD TEST THAT CAN BE USED TO MANAGE TRANSPLANT PATIENTS. THIS WOULD ALLOW CLINICIANS TO BALANCE THE RISKS OF OVER- AND UNDER-IMMUNOSUPPRESSION TO PERSONALIZE MEDICATIONS AFTER HEART TRANSPLANT. THE PATIENT-SPECIFIC ASSESSMENT OF NET IMMUNE STATE CAN THEN BE EVALUATED IN FUTURE RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, CLINICAL TRIALS, WHERE THE MICRORNA PANEL INFORMS THE TITRATION OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSION WITH THE GOAL OF MITIGATING THE ADVERSE EVENT RATE AND ENHANCING PATIENT SURVIVAL. THIS RESEARCH ALSO HAS IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR OTHER SOLID ORGAN TRANSPLANT POPULATIONS.

THE OPTIMAL LOOP DIURETIC: MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS FROM LONGITUDINAL CHANGES IN BLOOD AND URINE PROTEINS TO EXPLAIN EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF TORSEMIDE VS FUROSEMIDE AFTER A HEART FAILURE HOSPITALIZATION

MICRORNA BIOMARKERS OF ALLOGRAFT REJECTION AND CARDIAC ALLOGRAFT VASCULOPATHY IN CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION

FRAILTY AND RESILIENCY IN OLDER ADULTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

THE HEART FAILURE COLLABORATORY PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, THE INOVA HEART AND VASCULAR INSTITUTE, AND THE HEART FAILURE COMMUNITY

THE SCIENTIFIC VALUE OF PREMATURE INFANT BIOSPECIMENS COLLECTION - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE COMPLEXITIES OF HETEROGENEITY, STRATIFICATION, AND STAGING OF SEPSIS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE POOR TRANSLATABILITY OF CURRENT MOLECULAR MODELS FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF HUMAN SEPSIS. THE NATIONAL ADVISORY GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES COUNCIL ADVISED USING DISCOVERY APPROACHES TO CHARACTERIZE SEPSIS USING HUMAN BIOSPECIMENS. SEPSIS, A LIFE-THREATENING ORGAN DYSFUNCTION CAUSED BY A DYSREGULATED HOST RESPONSE TO A BACTERIAL, VIRAL, OR FUNGAL INFECTION, IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF DEATH IN PREMATURE (=32 WEEKS) AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (= 1500G) INFANTS AND OCCURS IN UP TO 25% OF SUCH INFANTS.1-3 THE ABILITY TO COLLECT MICROBIOME AND TISSUE BIOSPECIMENS LONGITUDINALLY FROM MULTIPLE BODY SITES UNDER EXTREMELY CONTROLLED CIRCUMSTANCES PRIOR TO, DURING, AND THROUGHOUT SEPSIS (CULTURE PROVEN), SEPSIS-LIKE (CULTURE NEGATIVE CRITICAL ILLNESS), AND "NORMAL" GROWING PREMATURE INFANT CONDITIONS WILL ALLOW OUR TEAM TO DETERMINE OPTIMAL SAMPLE COLLECTION, STORAGE, AND PROCESSING PROTOCOLS USING SMALL VOLUME SAMPLES TO ENHANCE SEPSIS RESEARCH RIGOR, AND TO DEVELOP NEW STRATEGIES FOR SEPSIS DETECTION BY DISCERNING PATHWAYS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF SEPSIS IN THE PREMATURE NEONATAL POPULATION. IN THE R21 PHASE WE WILL COLLECT CLINICAL INFORMATION AND STOOL, BLOOD, AND SALIVA SPECIMENS LONGITUDINALLY FROM PRETERM INFANTS (=32 WEEKS AND =1500G) ON DAYS 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, AND 49 OF LIFE, AND ADDITIONALLY DURING SUSPECTED SEPSIS EVENTS. STANDARDIZATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF SAMPLE COLLECTION, STORAGE, AND PROCESSING AND SAMPLE VALIDATION STUDIES WILL ENSURE RIGOR AND REPRODUCIBILITY AND INFORM THE FIELD. IN THE R33 PHASE WE WILL COLLECT SAMPLES FROM 2 CLINICAL SITES PROVIDING A TEST SET FOR MACHINE LEARNING METHODS. UTILITY OF THE NEWLY COLLECTED BIOSPECIMENS AND ASSOCIATED CLINICAL DATA WILL BE DEMONSTRATED BY CONSTRUCTING A MULTI-OMIC NETWORK FOR PREDICTING CAUSAL MECHANISMS FROM GENES/METABOLITES/CLINICAL PARAMETERS DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED BETWEEN CLINICALLY WELL NEONATES AND THOSE WITH CULTURE PROVEN SEPSIS AND CULTURE NEGATIVE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATORY ILLNESS. WE WILL MAKE ESTABLISH TESTABLE CAUSAL INFERENCES AND PREDICTIVE MODELS OF MICROBIAL/HOST GENE INTERACTIONS AND BIOLOGIC MECHANISMS LEADING TO SEPSIS THAT COULD FORM THE FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE MECHANISTIC STUDIES. OUR TEAM OF NEONATAL PROVIDERS, IMMUNOLOGISTS, SYSTEMS BIOLOGISTS, MICROBIOME SPECIALISTS, AND BIOINFORMATICIANS SUPPORTED BY TWO LARGE LEVEL IV NICUS ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO COLLECT AND ANALYZE BIOSPECIMENS AND CLINICAL DATA BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER CRITICAL ILLNESS IN PATIENTS WITH EXTREME PREMATURITY.

THERAPEUTIC ERADICATION OF DCIS PROGENITOR CELLS

THE CONTRIBUTION OF ANTIBIOTIC EXPOSURE IN THE PRENATAL, PERIPARTUM AND INFANCY PERIOD TO INTESTINAL MICROBIOME PERTURBATIONS AND ASSOCIATION WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD OBESITY.

CAN WE AVOID ANTICOAGULATION IN EXTRACORPOREAL LIFE SUPPORT (ECLS)? THE IMPACT OF ANTICOAGULATION MONITORING AND ADMINISTRATION PRACTICES

HEALTH CARE AND OTHER FACILITIES

SPECIAL PROJECTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

RYAN WHITE HIV/AIDS PROGRAM PART C EIS COVID-19 RESPONSE

SPECIAL PROJECTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

RYAN WHITE HIV/AIDS PROGRAM PART D WICY COVID-19 RESPONSE

FROM LAB TO LABOR: ADVANCING DIABETES PREGNANCY CARE - ABSTRACT THE GLOBAL RISE IN OBESITY AND TYPE 2 DIABETES HAS LED TO AN INCREASE IN PREGESTATIONAL DIABETES, SIGNIFICANTLY RAISING RISKS DURING PREGNANCY. UNCONTROLLED HYPERGLYCEMIA IS TERATOGENIC, RESULTING IN ADVERSE MATERNAL AND FETAL OUTCOMES, WITH DIABESITY BEING A CRITICAL AREA OF FOCUS FOR THE DIABETES IN PREGNANCY STUDY GROUP OF NORTH AMERICA (DPSG-NA). SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1997, DPSG-NA HAS AIMED TO IMPROVE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES IN DIABETES BY ADVANCING RESEARCH, SHAPING MEDICAL POLICIES, AND INFLUENCING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES. THE BIENNIAL DPSG-NA MEETINGS HAVE DRIVEN RESEARCH PROGRESS, ADDRESSING CONTROVERSIES IN GDM SCREENING, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT, AND HAVE EVOLVED TO INCLUDE DISCUSSIONS ON CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS, PERINATAL MORTALITY, AND COST-EFFECTIVE DIABETES MANAGEMENT. THE 18TH BIENNIAL MEETING IN 2025, TITLED FROM LAB TO LABOR: ADVANCING DIABETES PREGNANCY CARE, WILL EMPHASIZE NUTRITION IN PREGNANCY AND AIM TO SUPPORT EARLY- STAGE INVESTIGATORS (ESIS) IN THE FIELD. KEY OBJECTIVES OF THE MEETING INCLUDE: 1) SUPPORTING ESIS THROUGH PLANNING AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, EXPOSING ESIS TO GROUNDBREAKING WORK, FOSTERING NEW PROJECTS AND ADDRESSING KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN DIABETES AND PREGNANCY RESEARCH, 2) PRESENTING OF THE LATEST RESEARCH IN DIABETES AND NUTRITION IN PREGNANCY BY WELL-ESTABLISHED INVESTIGATORS, FACILITATING KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND FOSTERING COLLABORATION AMONG EARLY-CAREER AND EXPERIENCED INVESTIGATORS, AND 3) DISSEMINATING FINDINGS, ESPECIALLY TO PRACTITIONERS TREATING UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS, ENSURING A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN MANAGING DIABETES IN DIVERSE POPULATIONS. EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION FROM UNDERSERVED REGIONS WILL ENHANCE THE SCOPE OF DISCUSSIONS, WHILE COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS AND ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS WILL STIMULATE FURTHER ADVANCEMENTS IN THE FIELD. THE MEETING'S OUTCOMES WILL BE SHARED THROUGH PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS, CONTRIBUTING TO A ROBUST RESEARCH COMMUNITY FOCUSED ON IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR PREGNANCIES COMPLICATED BY DIABETES.

DEFINING RESEARCH AND CARE IN DIABETES IN PREGNANCY - PROJECT SUMMARY THE 17TH BIENNIAL MEETING OF THE DIABETES IN PREGNANCY STUDY GROUP OF NORTH AMERICA (DPSG-NA) WILL BE HELD ON OCTOBER 26-28, 2023 AS A HYBRID VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON MEETING AT THE PHYSICIANS CONFERENCE CENTER AT INOVA FAIRFAX MEDICAL CAMPUS IN FALLS CHURCH, VA. THIS 3-DAY RESEARCH MEETING FOCUSES ON PREGNANT INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH TYPE 1, TYPE 2, AND GESTATIONAL DIABETES MELLITUS. SINCE ITS INCEPTION OVER 25 YEARS AGO, THE DPSG-NA MEETINGS HAVE BEEN A VEHICLE FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF DATA, GATHERED THROUGH COLLABORATION AMONG BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL, CLINICAL, AND PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS BOTH IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD. THE MEETING COVERS A BROAD RANGE OF ISSUES RELATED TO DIABETES IN PREGNANCY. THE FOCUS OF THE MEETING IS TO HIGHLIGHT MAJOR, TIMELY RESEARCH AREAS TO CATALYZE FUTURE DISCOVERY. THE MAJOR GOAL OF THIS MEETING IS, AND HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN, TO SERVE AS A DRIVING FORCE FOR DISCUSSIONS AND NEW COLLABORATIONS THAT OPEN NOVEL AREAS OF EXPLORATION INTO PREVENTION, TREATMENT, AND MANAGEMENT APPROACHES. THESE EFFORTS ARE EXPECTED TO REDUCE THE BURDEN OF DIABETES DISEASE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR PREGNANT INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR OFFSPRING. THE 17H BIENNIAL MEETING HAS A STRONG EMPHASIS ON DIVERSITY, EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES, INCLUDING LOW-AND-MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES. THE MEETING GOALS WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH ORAL PRESENTATIONS, ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS, AND DEBATES THAT WILL BRING TOGETHER THE WORLD’S EXPERTS, YOUNG INVESTIGATORS, STUDENTS, AND TRAINEES WHO HAVE A COMMITTED INTEREST TO DIABETES IN PREGNANCY. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES 4 KEYNOTE ADDRESSES THAT EACH WILL BE DEDICATED TO A GIANT IN THE FIELD OF DIABETES IN PREGNANCY. THE FIRST KEYNOTE WILL BE GIVEN IN MEMORY OF ODED LANGER BY ROBERTO ROMERO, MD, DMED, SCI. DR. ROMERO WILL SPEAK ON THE PREDICTION AND PREVENTION OF OBSTETRICAL DISEASES. IN ADDITION, CYNTHIA GYAMFI-BANNERMAN, MD, MS WILL GIVE THE ELIZABETH THOM MEMORIAL LECTURE WHERE DR. GYAMFI-BANNERMAN WILL SPEAK OF DR. THOM’S CONTRIBUTION AS THE BIOSTATISTICIAN OF THE MFMU NETWORK IN CHANGING CLINICAL CARE IN DIABETES. FINALLY, KEVAN HEROLD, MD WILL SPEAK IN THE LOIS JOVANOVIC MEMORIAL LECTURE AND WILL ADDRESS STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE DIABETES EPIDEMIC IN THE UNITED STATES. OTHER SPEAKERS INCLUDE ESTABLISHED EXPERTS AND YOUNG INVESTIGATORS, WITH ABOUT 20% OF THE MEETING TIME ALLOCATED FOR SPEAKER-CONFEREE DISCUSSIONS. YOUNG INVESTIGATOR PRESENTATIONS ARE AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE MEETING, AND THEY ARE AN EFFECTIVE TOOL TO HELP BRING A NEW GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS INTO OUR COMMUNITY AND FOSTER THEIR MATURATION. INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS AMONG CONFEREES ARE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS UNIQUE MEETING THAT FOSTERS A COLLABORATIVE, MULTIFACETED APPROACH TO IMPROVING THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF PREGNANT WOMEN WITH DIABETES AND THEIR OFFSPRING.