Clinical Trials and Transplantation Options To Be Discussed:


Public Invited to Attend UNMC/NHS Diabetes Seminar

To Be Held Sept. 8 at the Omaha Marriott

Diabetes specialists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and

Nebraska Health System will discuss Type I diabetes and its complications

and treatments in a free public seminar to be held Sept. 8 from 7 to 9:30

p.m. at the Omaha Marriott, 10220 Regency Circle.

Five UNMC/NHS physicians will present at the seminar with Margaret Bumann,

KETV anchor/reporter and a Type I (insulin dependent) diabetic, serving

as host.

Speakers and their topics will be:


· James Lane, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine,

diabetes prevention trial and strategies to prevention;


· Jennifer Larsen, M.D., professor, Department of Internal Medicine,

preventing diabetes with better management;


· John Leone, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Surgery,

islet transplantation, a possible solution for the future, and pancreas

transplantation, the current solution;


· Rodney Taylor, M.D., professor, Department of Urologic Surgery, kidney

transplantation in diabetic patients;


· Lynn Mack-Shipman, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Internal

Medicine,  implications of pancreas transplantation in terms of pregnancy,

osteoporosis and lipids.

The seminar is being held in conjunction with the Fast Track to a Cure

project of the Insulin-Free World Foundation, which is headquartered in

St. Louis. The project began Aug. 14 in San Diego and will conclude in

New York City in mid-October. A team of foundation officials will make

the 10-week, 4,000-mile trek across 16 states with stops in 50 cities,

including Omaha on Sept. 8. The purpose of the project is to dispel the

myths around diabetes and raise funds to support cure-driven research.

More than 15 million Americans have diabetes, including about 95,000

people in Nebraska. It’s estimated that half of these people don’t even

know they have the disease. Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death

in the United States. Each year, about 178,000 people die from the devastating

complications of diabetes, which include blindness, kidney failure and

limb amputation.

“This is a quiet disease that eventually takes lives,” said Dr. Leone.

“It’s not always obvious that people are dying from it, but they are. One

American dies every three minutes from diabetes. Every day in the U.S.

alone, 75 people go blind, 80 suffer kidney failure and 150 lose legs or

feet.”

The seminar is sponsored by the NHS/UNMC Kidney and Pancreas Transplant

Program and the NHS Diabetes Education Program. Seating is limited, so

registration is required. To register, call Nebraska HealthSource at 559-2002.

UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.

Through its commitment to research, education, outreach and patient care,

UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for

cancer research and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than

$34 million in research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists

annually. In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for

training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other

institution.

NHS is the partnership of Clarkson Hospital, the first hospital in Nebraska,

and University Hospital, the primary teaching facility for UNMC. The combined

hospital is an 835-bed facility and serves approximately 25 percent of

the Omaha-area market. NHS operates clinics and health care centers serving

Omaha, Plattsmouth, Gretna and Auburn in Nebraska; and Council Bluffs and

Shenandoah in Iowa. In addition, NHS physicians operate more than 300 outpatient

clinics in 100 communities in four states. NHS provides access to tertiary

and primary care including world-class specialized treatment such as solid

organ transplantation, burn care, wound care, geriatrics, bone marrow (stem

cell) transplantation and other cancer treatments. NHS affiliate hospitals

include Shenandoah Memorial Hospital and Community Hospital in Fairfax,

Mo.