University of Florida Diabetes Institute

07/31/2026

Now Enrolling: ASCEND T1D Clinical Trial

07/23/2026

Congratulations to UFDI researchers Laura Jacobsen, Martha Campbell-Thompson, Clive Wasserfall, Mark Atkinson, and Desmond A. Schatz on their new Perspective review published in Diabetes Care. In "Identifying the Right Diagnosis of Diabetes in Death: Unlocking a Key to Understanding Type 1 Diabetes Pathogenesis," the authors explore how research using pancreatic tissue donated through NPOD, The Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes, is helping improve the classification of diabetes.

Combining clinical data with tissue pathology and genetic information allows researchers to better distinguish between type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and monogenic diabetes. This approach can advance our understanding of disease mechanisms and support more personalized approaches to diagnosis and care.

Read the full piece below!
https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article-abstract/doi/10.2337/dci26-0020/172241/Identifying-the-Right-Diagnosis-of-Diabetes-in

07/22/2026

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Fahd Qadir, Ph.D., to the University of Florida Diabetes Institute as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine!

Dr. Qadir's lab investigates how pancreatic β-cells maintain mitochondrial resilience during metabolic and inflammatory stress, and how these discoveries can lead to new treatments for diabetes. His team leverages cutting-edge approaches like single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, computational genomics, systems biology, and machine learning for biomarker discovery.

“I’m excited to join the UFDI because it is a leading research center for diabetes science and care where my multi‑omics and machine learning work on β‑cell and mitochondrial resilience can be directly aligned with developing new therapies for people with diabetes.”

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Qadir and look forward to the discoveries his lab will bring to the diabetes research community!

07/20/2026

We’re honored to share this feature on Books & Cooks, an innovative program developed by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the UF Lastinger Center in the University of Florida College of Education that combines literacy and nutrition education with hands-on cooking to help families establish healthy habits. The article also highlights how the initiative is expanding to include Type 2 diabetes prevention across Florida, a development we are proud to partner on.

Our collaboration with the Books & Cooks team is helping bring diabetes-friendly cookbooks into homes so that families can put healthy eating into practice. This partnership highlights the potential of evidence-based nutrition education in promoting healthier communities across our state, and we look forward to seeing the program’s continued success!

We invite you to read more about this joint effort and its impact across Florida. If you'd like to help support the UF Diabetes Institute's mission in research and outreach, you can learn more about giving here: https://diabetes.ufl.edu/give-2/

https://news.ufl.edu/2026/07/books-and-cooks-program/

The UF Books & Cooks literacy and nutrition program is expanding to more counties and will include information on Type 2 diabetes prevention.

07/17/2026

Choose the screening option that’s right for you. T1D families can order an in-home test, order a test kit to take to a local lab, or visit one of our many TrialNet locations– all at no cost to you.

07/10/2026

This week, members of the UFDI joined colleagues from the UF Food is Medicine Initiative for a collaborative visit with leaders from ICON-Health Florida State University and Florida A&M University. They explored opportunities to strengthen nutrition-focused research and education while engaging communities across Florida for improved health outcomes.

While Gators and Seminoles may be rivals on the field, we're united in our commitment to improving health through nutrition. At the UFDI, we look forward to growing this collaboration and advancing Food is Medicine together!

07/09/2026

It’s Day 2 of Friends for Life Orlando 2026, and we’re proud to be at the conference alongside TrialNet! If you plan on attending, come visit our booth at the following times to learn more about the collaborative work of TrialNet and the UFDI in shaping the future of diabetes research and patient care.

Thursday, July 9th: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday, July 10th: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

We look forward to seeing you and answering your questions!

07/09/2026

The UFDI is excited to be at the Friends for Life Orlando 2026 conference! If you're attending, stop by and visit the UFDI team. We'd love to meet you at the following times to share how we're working to advance diabetes research and care:

Wednesday, July 8th: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Thursday, July 9th: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday, July 10th: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

We can't wait to connect with this amazing Type 1 diabetes community and look forward to seeing you there!

07/07/2026

How do scientists unravel the mysteries of diabetes?

University of Florida College of Medicine and University of Florida Diabetes Institute researchers are at the forefront of a diabetes research revolution. Dive into the discoveries at https://news.drgator.ufl.edu/2026/07/01/revolutionizing-diabetes-research/.

07/03/2026

UF Health researchers Mark Atkinson, Clive Wasserfall, Todd Brusko, and Maigan Brusko joined colleagues from across the U.S. and Europe to map the earliest immune activity in Type 1 diabetes. Published in Nature Metabolism and highlighted by UF Health, the study offers new insight into the spatial and molecular beginnings of the disease in the pancreas, along with potential future strategies for treatment. Congratulations to the research team on this outstanding collaborative effort in Nature Metabolism! Learn more about their findings in the study and UF Health article below.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-026-01559-z

https://ufhealth.org/news/2026/uf-health-researchers-map-early-immune-attack-in-type-1-diabetes