The UT Health Science Center, a leader in diabetes research, participated in a ceremony recognizing Nov. 14 as World Diabetes Day. That evening, blue lights shown on the Alamo and 200 other famous landmarks worldwide to draw attention to the disease.
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Contact: Will Sansom
Phone: (210) 567-2579


SAN ANTONIO (Nov. 14, 2007) — The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, in a joint effort with the American Diabetes Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the University Health System/Texas Diabetes Institute, participated in a ceremony recognizing Nov. 14 as World Diabetes Day.

This was the first United Nations observance of World Diabetes Day.

At Alamo Plaza, Mayor Pro Tem Diane Cibrian read the official city of San Antonio proclamation of World Diabetes Day. Bexar County Commissioner Paul Elizondo presented a county proclamation and State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer read a proclamation from Gov. Rick Perry.

Alamo lighted blue in observance of first World Diabetes Day
The Alamo was lit blue to mark the occasion. The logo of World Diabetes Day is a blue circle to show that the disease affects people worldwide. The Alamo joined nearly 200 famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Empire State Building, in this observance.

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) granted the organizations permission to light the Alamo blue in celebration of World Diabetes Day. The local coalition thanked Dianne MacDiarmid, DRT Alamo Committee chairman; David Stewart, director of the Alamo; and Laura Garza, events coordinator, for this goodwill gesture.

Cibrian’s presentation mirrored the proclamations of city leaders such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and several state governors.

Robin Brey, M.D., discussed UT Health Science Center’s diabetes research efforts
Robin Brey, M.D., associate dean for research in the School of Medicine, represented the Health Science Center. In her remarks, she said Ralph DeFronzo, M.D., and his Health Science Center colleagues have developed some of the frontline drugs for type 2 diabetes, including metformin, one of the most widely prescribed medications today.

The Health Science Center also has a strong genetics core sifting through genes that might confer diabetes risks, Dr. Brey noted.

She also mentioned “the trailblazing work” that Daniel Hale, M.D., and his colleagues are doing in setting national standards for treating type 2 diabetes in youth and adolescents.

The pediatric diabetes team is, likewise, researching the scope of type 1 diabetes and how the disease differs by ethnicity, the length of time from autoimmune involvement until the onset of symptoms, and possible ways to intervene, Dr. Brey noted.

Diabetes is major concern in Bexar County
According to local statistics, diabetes in Bexar County is twice the national average. An estimated 202,250 individuals, 14 percent of the 1.4 million population of San Antonio, live with diabetes. It is estimated than an additional 67,000 people have undiagnosed diabetes. In addition, the number of Hispanics with diabetes is 82,518 and the number of African Americans with diabetes is 28,170.

More than 1 million Texans are living with diabetes and an additional 440,000 have not been diagnosed, it is estimated.

In recognizing World Diabetes Day in San Antonio, the organizations honored the support they have received from South Texans to fight the epidemic through policies to prevent, treat and cure the disease.

Health Science Center is conducting several studies on diabetes
The UT Health Science Center is home to numerous clinical and bench research studies of diabetes mellitus. The clinical research trials include the TODAY study, which is comparing three therapy and lifestyle regimens for treating children ages 10 to 17 who have type 2 diabetes.

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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $576 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $15.3 billion biosciences and health care industry, the leading sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $35 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 22,000 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and allied health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, allied health, dentistry and many other fields.