The Diabetes Virtual Summer Camp 2025 (DVSC25) has 984 registered interns, representing over 600 institutions from 70 countries around the world, including Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United States of America.
The 351 interns from the U.S. represent 38 states: Alaska (2), Alabama (6), Arkansas (2), Arizona (6), California (53), Colorado (1), Connecticut (4), District of Columbia (1), Florida (5), Georgia (7), Illinois (19), Indiana (9), Kansas (2), Kentucky (2), Louisiana (14), Maryland (6), Massachusetts (56), Michigan (3), Minnesota (7), Missouri (6), Mississippi (2), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (16), New Mexico (1), New York (32), North Carolina (13), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (3), Pennsylvania (8), Puerto Rico (3), Rhode Island (2), South Carolina (3), Tennessee (4), Texas (33), Virginia (11), Vermont (1), and Washington (2).
The DVSC25 welcomes 350 underrepresented minorities in medicine and science as our interns represent diverse demographics in gender (691 women and 285 men), age (from 14 to 72 years of age with 78% at 18~35 years of age), and ethnicity (173 African American or Black, 6 American Indian or Alaska Native, 50 Hispanic, Latinx or Spanish origin, 121 Middle Eastern or North African, 482 Asian or Asian American, and 93 White).
The DVSC25 interns also represent a diverse current status: 104 high school students, 194 college students, 63 post-undergraduates (B.S. or B.A.), 13 nursing students, 29 nutritionists/dieticians, 150 graduate students (Master or Doctoral), 43 pharmacy students, 163 medical students, 27 medical residents (M.D.), 11 clinical fellows (M.D.), 27 postdoctoral researchers (Ph.D. or M.D.), 10 early-career clinicians or research scientists, 56 physicians (academic or private), 28 scientists (academic or industry), 28 faculty (professors), and 38 other health professionals.
Many of our interns have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or live with families with diabetes. All of our interns share a common goal of advancing their knowledge in diabetes and pursuing a career in medicine, research, and other healthcare fields.
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August 4, 2025
Session 1 - Opening Session (Lauren Kim, Allison Kim, and Dr. Jason Kim)
We had an exciting kick-off to Diabetes Virtual Summer Camp 2025 with today’s Opening Session. Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster) welcomed the interns from all around the world and shared the story of how this program began. Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach) welcomed the interns and discussed the goals of the program and the objectives of the virtual sessions led by leading Experts in the field. Dr. Jason Kim (Advisor) welcomed the interns and discussed the program session format and Zoom policies. Our virtual internship program began in the summer of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when our world was shut down, and as an effort to use the virtual platform to gather like-minded people, sharing our passion for science, medicine, and research. Since then, our program, now the 8th program of the Diabetes Virtual Camp, has gained new, far-reaching purposes. While scientific and medical conferences serve vital objectives in sharing discoveries, brainstorming with peers, and networking for collaborations, these conferences can be prohibitive to people in many ways, with costly registration fees, expensive travel costs, and even an intimidating environment, none of which applies to our program. Thanks to the American Diabetes Association and the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the Diabetes Virtual Camp comes to you, in the comfort of your home or work, no matter where you are, near and far, without any fees, restrictions, or prejudice, as we have gathered today. While COVID-19 took away so many lives and affected other people’s livelihoods, it also changed our society, perhaps some for the better, as we learned that virtual learning has no limits, no boundaries, and no discrimination. When it comes to human health and diseases, understanding and sharing the right information is an important step towards saving lives. That’s why we are here, and that’s the goal of our program. For the next 2 weeks, we will have 13 sessions led by world-renowned clinicians and scientists who will share exciting discoveries from their impactful research, passionate stories about their lifelong care for patients, and inspiring stories of their path to success. We are thrilled to meet interns joining our virtual program from all around the world to better understand diabetes and inspire our next generation of physicians and scientists.
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![Session 1: Opening Session & Introduction to Diabetes by Lauren, Allison, and Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Medical School)]()
August 4, 2025 (Part 1)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Session 2: Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School)
Lauren welcomes our program interns and discuss the program goals and objectives.The Diabetes Virtual Summer Camp 2025 celebrated its 5-year anniversary and 8th program with today’s Session 1 - Opening Session where Lauren Kim and Allison Kim welcomed 984 interns, representing over 600 institutions from 70 countries around the world and shared the goals and objectives for the program. The Expert Session kicked off with Session 2 - Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (Professor of Molecular Medicine, Director of Metabolic Disease Research Center, MD/PhD Admissions Committee, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School). The Opening Session ended with many insightful questions from our interns. We are thrilled to meet the interns joining our virtual program from all around the world to better understand diabetes and inspire our next generation of physicians and scientists.
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August 4, 2025 (Part 2)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Session 2: Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School)
Allison welcomes our program interns and discuss the program goals and objectives.The Diabetes Virtual Summer Camp 2025 celebrated its 5-year anniversary and 8th program with today’s Session 1 - Opening Session where Lauren Kim and Allison Kim welcomed 984 interns, representing over 600 institutions from 70 countries around the world and shared the goals and objectives for the program. The Expert Session kicked off with Session 2 - Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (Professor of Molecular Medicine, Director of Metabolic Disease Research Center, MD/PhD Admissions Committee, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School). The Opening Session ended with many insightful questions from our interns. We are thrilled to meet the interns joining our virtual program from all around the world to better understand diabetes and inspire our next generation of physicians and scientists.
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August 4, 2025 (Part 3)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Session 2: Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School)
Dr. Kim welcomes our program interns and discuss the program goals and objectives.The Diabetes Virtual Summer Camp 2025 celebrated its 5-year anniversary and 8th program with today’s Session 1 - Opening Session where Lauren Kim and Allison Kim welcomed 984 interns, representing over 600 institutions from 70 countries around the world and shared the goals and objectives for the program. The Expert Session kicked off with Session 2 - Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (Professor of Molecular Medicine, Director of Metabolic Disease Research Center, MD/PhD Admissions Committee, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School). The Opening Session ended with many insightful questions from our interns. We are thrilled to meet the interns joining our virtual program from all around the world to better understand diabetes and inspire our next generation of physicians and scientists.
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August 4, 2025 (Part 4)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Session 2: Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School)
The DVC team welcomes our program interns and discuss the program goals and objectives.The Diabetes Virtual Summer Camp 2025 celebrated its 5-year anniversary and 8th program with today’s Session 1 - Opening Session where Lauren Kim and Allison Kim welcomed 984 interns, representing over 600 institutions from 70 countries around the world and shared the goals and objectives for the program. The Expert Session kicked off with Session 2 - Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (Professor of Molecular Medicine, Director of Metabolic Disease Research Center, MD/PhD Admissions Committee, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School). The Opening Session ended with many insightful questions from our interns. We are thrilled to meet the interns joining our virtual program from all around the world to better understand diabetes and inspire our next generation of physicians and scientists.
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August 4, 2025 (Part 5)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session. -
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August 4, 2025 (Part 6)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session. -
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August 4, 2025 (Part 7)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session. -
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August 4, 2025 (Part 8)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session. -
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August 4, 2025 (Part 9)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session. -
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August 4, 2025 (Part 10)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session. -
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August 4, 2025 (Part 11)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session. -
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August 4, 2025 (Part 12)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session. -
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August 4, 2025 (Part 13)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session. -
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August 4, 2025 (Part 14)
Session 1: Opening Session by Lauren Kim (Founder, Program Director, and Webmaster of Diabetes Virtual Camp, University of Southern California, B.S. in Human Biology, 2024) and Allison Kim (Associate Director and Director of Outreach, Boston University, B.A. in Biology, 2023).
Our DVSC25 interns participating in the Opening Session.
August 4, 2025
Session 2 - Introduction to Diabetes by Dr. Jason Kim (University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School)
Today’s Opening Session was followed by “Introduction to Diabetes” by Dr. Jason Kim. Dr. Kim discussed the basics and pathogenesis of different types and diagnostic criteria of diabetes, characteristics and etiologies of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, diabetic complications and comorbidities, the importance of glucose homeostasis and how insulin regulates glucose metabolism, insulin signaling and insulin secretion by the beta-cells, insulin resistance and pre-diabetes, and progressive events during the development of type 2 diabetes. Dr. Kim also discussed the endocrine role of the pancreas, the mechanism of insulin action and insulin signaling, molecular pathogenesis of insulin resistance, the role of diets and exercise in preventing and managing diabetes, pharmacological management of diabetes, including newest class of diabetes drugs, GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., semaglutide, tirzepatide), and our current research on the mechanisms by which GLP-1 receptor agonists regulate insulin sensitivity. Dr. Kim further discussed the role of obesity in type 2 diabetes, why obesity rates continue to climb globally, why lipodystrophy causes type 2 diabetes phenotypes, the molecular mechanisms by which fatty acids cause insulin resistance, and how ectopic accumulation of fat leads to insulin resistance. Dr. Kim ended the session with an insightful question posed by the late Dr. Denis McGarry, “What if Minkowski had been ageusic?”, opening doors to the important notion that while diabetes is manifested by altered carbohydrate metabolism, diabetes is causally associated with altered fat metabolism. The session ended with many insightful questions from our interns. We are thrilled to meet the interns joining our virtual program from all around the world to better understand diabetes and inspire our next generation of physicians and scientists.