Advancing diabetes research and serving an at-risk community

By Brian Brennan, UArizona Health Sciences Office of Communications

The Center for Disparities in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism is focusing on Latino community health while facilitating research through a specialized biobank.

Tina Teran worked in the Pima County Health Department for 10 years. She knew being overweight could damage her health, but like many people, her attempts at dieting ultimately failed. Then, a medical emergency put things in perspective. 

“I was getting headaches every day and feeling dizzy every day for at least a week. I would go to work and not be able to focus because I felt like I was going to throw up,” Teran said. “My manager at the time was a nurse. She took my blood pressure and said it was through the roof and that I needed to go to the emergency room right away.” 

At the emergency department, Teran was told she was diabetic and needed an insulin shot to reduce dangerously high sugar levels. For Teran, this was the beginning of a journey to get her health under control. 

More than 38 million Americans have diabetes, and 90% to 95% of them have Type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research shows that Hispanic people are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than many other racial and ethnic groups.

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