Session Information
Session Information
Session 1: Opening Session
Monday, August 4, 2025
11:00 AM — 11:15 AM
Lauren Kim, Allison Kim, and Dr. Jason Kim
The Opening Session introduces the Diabetes Virtual Camp team (Lauren Kim, Allison Kim, and Dr. Jason Kim) and discusses the program goals, session format, Zoom policies, learning objectives, pre- and post-session Q&A periods, open-mic forum, and post-session tasks of our program. We will also discuss the requirements for receiving a program certificate after completing the program.
Session 2: Introduction to Diabetes
Monday, August 4, 2025
11:15 AM — 12:15 PM
Dr. Jason Kim
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
This session introduces diabetes: 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. The session further discusses how to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes using lifestyle modifications (diets and exercise) and different drugs for treating diabetes.
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
11:00 AM — 11:35 AM
Dr. Richard Lee
Harvard University
Session 3: Why You Shouldn’t Drink Sweet Things
This session discusses fructose as an important sugar in our daily lives, and how fructose can influence glucose metabolism. We will address basic mechanisms of fructose metabolism, and how fructose is similar to glucose but very different in some settings.
Session 4: Precision Medicine in Diabetes
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
11:40 AM — 12:15 PM
Dr. Jose Florez
Harvard Medical School
Type 2 diabetes” is a heterogeneous construct – a grab-basket of various disease processes designed to capture hyperglycemia that does not have a monogenic or autoimmune etiology. This presentation will review recent attempts to subcategorize type 2 diabetes using clinical, genomic or other data, aiming to deploy therapeutic interventions that target the underlying pathophysiology of the patient being treated.
Session 5: Role of Social Determinants of Health in Diabetes Care
This session will allow participants to identify the role of social determinants of health in the development and course of diabetes. Important aspects such as food insecurity, lack of health care access, limited access to medications, scarce social support, and some environmental issues will be discussed.
Friday, August 8, 2025
11:00 AM — 11:35 AM
Dr. Enrique Caballero
Harvard Medical School
Session 6: How Did I Get Here? One Scientist’s Journey
Friday, August 8, 2025
11:40 AM — 12:15 PM
Dr. Maureen Gannon
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
The goal of my presentation is to discuss how your life’s experiences shape who you are. I will discuss the importance of having great mentors and making the most of opportunities and curve balls that come your way. I will also talk about following where the science takes you and not being afraid to learn new things. I will end by describing the main biological questions and methods that my lab addresses and utilizes in our attempts to find therapies to prevent and treat diabetes.
Session 7: Preparing for a Career in Science and Medicine
Monday, August 11, 2025
11:00 AM — 11:35 AM
Dr. Jason Kim
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
This session introduces how high school and college students can explore their interests in science and medicine, and how college activities can be organized to prepare for medical school and graduate school. The session presents the admissions process for medical school and graduate school and their curriculum, clinical residency and fellowship programs, and academic tenure process. The session further discusses how to develop a research idea into a fundable project, write an NIH grant, and succeed at different stages of an academic career. The session ends with challenges that lie ahead in academic medicine and research, and the passion and service that define this lifelong profession. This session supports people at all stages of their educational and professional careers.
Session 8: Redox Biology in Diabetes: Lessons from the Glutathione Spectrum
Monday, August 11, 2025
11:40 AM — 12:15 PM
Dr. Vasilis Vasiliou
Yale School of Public Health
This presentation will explore how variations in glutathione (GSH) levels influence the development and progression of diabetes. Drawing from experimental models, the talk highlights the paradoxical roles of GSH—where low levels may offer protection while complete deficiency leads to disease. We will discuss the interplay between redox balance, oxidative stress, and metabolic regulation, offering new insights into redox-targeted interventions for diabetes.
Session 9: A Quest for Impact
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
11:00 AM — 11:35 AM
Dr. Robert Gabbay
Harvard Medical School
The field of diabetes research and care is vast. As I reflect on the nearly 40-year journey, I will share the drive to improve the lives of people affected by diabetes and maximize impact. It has been a journey from the micro to the macro. Along the way, you can see the many opportunities that being involved in the world of diabetes presents for your future career journeys.
Session 10: Glucose Excess in Diabetes Pathogenesis
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
11:40 AM — 12:15 PM
Dr. Jean Schaffer
Harvard Medical School
High blood sugar is a cardinal feature of diabetes. This talk will focus on how high levels of blood glucose alters cellular functions and contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetes.
Session 11: Anti-Diabetic Effects of Estrogen and Testosterone in Women and Men
Friday, August 15, 2025
11:00 AM — 11:35 AM
Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis
Tulane University School of Medicine
I will discuss evidence from clinical studies and basic science investigations that estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) are produced in males and females and are potent metabolic regulators in both sexes. When E2 and T production decreases during aging, metabolic dysfunction develops and predisposes to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Optimizing levels of both hormones protects men and women from cardiometabolic disease.
Session 12: Role of Inflammation in Type 2 Diabetes and Fatty Liver Disease
Friday, August 15, 2025
11:40 AM — 12:30 PM
Dr. Jason Kim
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
This session introduces the topic of obesity, multifactorial causes for the rising obesity rates, and the danger of excess weight gain during pregnancy. The session presents inflammation in obesity and the molecular link between inflammation, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. The session further discusses fatty liver disease as a major comorbidity of diabetes and how inflammation is also involved in the progression of fatty liver to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Our recent work published in Nature Communications will be highlighted. The session ends with our latest NIH-funded research studying an important connection between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.
Session 13: Closing Session
Friday, August 15, 2025
12:30 PM — 1 PM
Lauren Kim, Allison Kim, and Dr. Jason Kim
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
The Closing Session summarizes the program and the process of receiving a program certificate, collects attendee evaluations and polls, and discusses future opportunities.
