Homepage > BBDC Newsletter > Vol. 11, No. 3 -- March 2011

BBDC Newsletter

BBDC NEWS   Vol. 11, No. 3 -- March 2011

bBDC WEB SITE

bBDC ANNUAL REPORT: JULY 1, 2009 TO JUNE 30,2010

The BBDC’s annual report for the year ending June 30, 2010 is now available on the BBDC’s web site at http://www.bbdc.org/annualReport/index.htm.  In this comprehensive report you will find a financial statement of operations, descriptions of the Centre’s funding programs and listing of award recipients, as well as educational activities and events hosted by the BBDC during the 2009/2010 year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

BBDC SEMINAR SERIES 2010/11

The BBDC hosts diabetes-related seminars which are held in conjunction with City-wide Endocrine Rounds. The seminars are held on selected Friday mornings from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Mount Sinai Hospital, Lebovic Building, 60 Murray Street, 3rd floor conference room. The next BBDC seminar will be held:

Friday, April 29, 2011 Obesity and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Samuel Klein, MD
William H. Danforth Professor of Medicine and Nutritional Science
Director, Center for Human Nutrition
Director, Center for Applied Research Sciences
Chief, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis

DIABETES UPDATE 2011
An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Management of Diabetes

There is still time to register for Diabetes Update 2011 which will be held on Friday, April 1, 2011 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  Diabetes Update is a full-day, continuing medical education event which attracts approximately 500 health care professionals including, but not limited to, physicians, nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists and medical residents from across Ontario and beyond.  The program will include plenary lectures followed by smaller, interactive concurrent sessions. The complete program and registration information are available at  http://sites.cepdtoronto.ca/diabetesupdate/ .

BBDC 22ND ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC DAY

Members of the BBDC, their trainees, and U of T endocrine residents are invited to attend our 22nd Annual Scientific Day to be held on Friday, May 13, 2011 at The Old Mill Inn.  This year's Charles Hollenberg Memorial Lectureship will be presented by Dr. Alvin C. Powers from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine whose presentation is entitled, Endothelial Cell ­-  Islet Cell Interactions: Role in Islet Function and Regeneration.  The program will also include Dr. Chris Hudson (University of Waterloo), Dr. Gregory Steinberg (McMaster University), and University of Toronto faculty and staff Drs. Christina Basford, Carolyn Cummins, and Jonathan Rocheleau.  BBDC postdoctoral fellowship and graduate studentship recipients will present posters of their work and winners of the Annual Trainee Awards competition will be announced.  There is no fee to attend; however, registration is required by Wednesday, April 27.  Download the complete program and registration form at http://www.bbdc.org/pdf/SciDay2011.pdf .


FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

TRAINEE TRAVEL AWARDS 2010/2011 (PERIOD 2)
FOR TRAVEL OCCURRING BETWEEN JANUARY 1 AND JUNE 30, 2011

Awards of up to $1,000 (Canadian) are available to trainees who will be traveling to a national or international meeting between January 1 and June 30, 2011 to present a first-author abstract.  The content of the abstract must specifically state the direct relevance of the work to diabetes.  At the time of abstract submission to the meeting, the applicant must be either: A) a registered University of Toronto graduate, undergraduate or medical student;  B) a post-doctoral fellow having received a PhD within the last 5 years; or  C) a medical resident or clinical fellow having received an MD within the last 9 years. The applicant’s supervisor must hold a full-time faculty appointment with the University of Toronto and must also be a registered member* of the BBDC at the time of application submission.  The deadline for receipt of applications is 5 p.m., Tuesday, March 29, 2011.  For complete award details and application instructions please see the following web page: http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/travel.htm .

GRADUATE STUDENTSHIPS 2011/2012

The Banting & Best Diabetes Centre is now accepting applications for the following graduate studentships:
1)  BBDC-Novo Nordisk Studentships (OSOTF)
2)  Yow Kam-Yuen Graduate Scholarship in Diabetes Research (OSOTF)
3)  Tamarack Graduate Award in Diabetes Research (OSOTF)
4)  BBDC-University Health Network Graduate Awards  

Students need only submit one application to be considered for all awards.  To be eligible, the applicant must be a registered full-time graduate student in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto by August 31, 2011, and must be carrying out studies in diabetes research.  The applicant must be either a Canadian citizen or have permanent residence status in Ontario by August 31, 2011.  The student's supervisor must hold a full-time faculty appointment with the University of Toronto and must also be a registered member* of the BBDC at the time of application submission.  Supervisors may submit a maximum of 2 applications for this competition.  The deadline for receipt of applications is 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 1, 2011.  For complete details of each award and application instructions, please see the following:  http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/index.htm. (OSOTF = Ontario Students Opportunity Trust Fund)

SALLY & PAUL WANG DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP

The Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) is now accepting applications for the new Sally & Paul Wang Distinguished Graduate Scholarship Award.  One $5,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a full-time graduate student who has demonstrated financial need and has established outstanding academic and extra-curricular leadership.  To be eligible, applicants must be registered full-time degree students and in good standing in the second or third year of a doctoral program at the University of Toronto at the time of application.  Preference will be given to students who are registered in the IBBME, and/or supervised or co-supervised by a member of the School of Graduate Studies faculty who is also a staff member in the IBBME or member of the BBDC, or students working in the area of diabetic research. The deadline for receipt of applications is 4 p.m., May 13, 2011.  For complete award details and application instructions see the IBBME web site at http://www.ibbme.utoronto.ca/Page636.aspx .  For further information, contact IBBME Student Services at (416) 978-4841 or at admissions.ibbme@utoronto.ca.

* Those who are new to the field of diabetes research, education or care and are not members of the BBDC can request free membership by contacting the Centre prior to submitting an application. For more information about BBDC Membership, please view the MEMBERSHIP section of our web site at http://www.bbdc.org/membership/index.htm .


AWARD RESULTS**

CHARLES HOLLENBERG SUMMER STUDENTSHIP PROGRAM 2011

The following have been offered funding:

Applicant Supervisor(s) Title of Research
Ausma Ahmed Dr. Bruce Perkins Concurrent and Predictive Validity of Corneal Confocal Microscopy for Neuropathy in Type 1 Diabetes
Karen Arane Dr. Amira Klip Mechanisms of insulin resistance in muscle cells
Alexandra Belcastro Dr. Derek van der Kooy Improving Beta Cell Yield From Pancreatic Stem Cell Population
Xiao (Charlotte) Dong Dr. Patricia Brubaker Role of the fatty acid transport protein, CD36, in the regulation of oleic acid-induced glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion
Jinyoung (Janet) Jang Dr. Denise Belsham Glucose and fructose sensing in the hypothalamus: Using cell models to understand molecular mechanisms involved in signaling and transcription of feeding neuropeptides
Kate Kuei-Yu Lee Dr. I. G. Fantus The role of Src tyrosine kinase in diabetic nephropathy
Erli Mingomataj Dr. Patricia Brubaker Circadian regulation of glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion
Hamid Mousavi Dr. Maria Rozakis Adcock Novel Genetic Animal Models of PHIP1
Carl Shen Dr. Carolyn Cummins Investigating the Role of the Liver X Receptors in Diabetic Nephropathy
Eugene Vorontsov Dr. Jonathan Rocheleau FRET imaging of FGF21 co-receptor formation in beta cells
Kyungjae (David) Yoo Dr. Minna Woo Investigating the role of FAK in islet homeostasis


DIABETES EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD 2010

The award will be presented to the recipient at the Toronto Diabetes Association Annual Meeting to be held on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at the Mount Sinai Hospital Auditorium, Toronto.

Award Recipient Profession and Hospital Affiliation Amount
Rose Dumsha, RN, CDE Coordinator/Diabetes Educator
North York General Hospital, Branson Division
Diabetes Education Centre
$1,000

**An essential condition of all BBDC programs is the acknowledgement of BBDC support, where appropriate, in all publications and presentations relevant to the BBDC-supported research program.  Failure to appropriately acknowledge the BBDC in relevant publications and presentations will be considered grounds for suspending future eligibility for BBDC funding programs.


BBDC CORE LABORATORY

The BBDC Core Laboratory provides analytical and technical support to the University of Toronto diabetes research community.  A wide range of research quality assays are provided for investigator initiated clinical or basic research as well as for industry sponsored trials. Please see the Core Laboratory section of the BBDC’s web site at http://www.bbdc.org/laboratories/index.htm for a complete description of assays and services currently available.


BBDC membership is free and open to individuals involved in full or part-time diabetes research, education, and patient care (i.e. scientists, physicians, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, etc.), and whose primary appointment/employment (more than 50% of total salary) is with the University of Toronto or one of its affiliated institutions. Staff at both fully and partially affiliated institutions are eligible to apply for membership.  For more information about BBDC membership, please view the MEMBERSHIP section of our web site at http://www.bbdc.org/membership/index.htm.


BBDC News is published in September, December, March and June of each year.
Current and past issues are available on our web site at www.bbdc.org/newsletter/index.htm.

DIRECTOR: DANIEL J. DRUCKER, MD, FRCPC
Banting & Best Diabetes Centre
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Located at the Toronto General Hospital
200 Elizabeth Street
Eaton Building, 12th Floor, Room 12E248
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4
Phone: (416) 978-4656 • Fax: (416) 978-4108
E-mail:
diabetes.bbdc@utoronto.ca • Web site: www.bbdc.org