Welcome back! After a well-earned Christmas and New Year's break, our team are back on board and ready to go for another productive year. As we plan ahead for the next 12 months, we also reflect on the mammoth year that was 2018.

 

A task that consumed much of our time and efforts during the first half of the year was the JDRF One Ride. This charity bike ride saw our team of 6 cycle 80km through the Barossa Valley in South Australia over a single weekend in April. Aside from the ride itself, our added challenge was to raise $18,000 for our team and JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). To reach this goal, we undertook many fundraising events, such as a local sausage sizzle, multiple raffles, and a private movie night at Event Cinemas Kotara. With the generous help of our patients, the community and local businesses, our team hit and surpassed our financial goal! All money was donated to JDRF, who work tirelessly towards finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes through research and fundraising.

 

Our research team also had a busy year, with the completion and initiation of various clinical trials. We finished the ZAFGEN study, which tested the effectiveness of an injected medication for promoting weightloss in Type 2 Diabetes. We also said completed the RAINBOW study, which focused on possible treatments for those newly diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. We also said goodbye to THEMIS, one of our longest running studies, which ran for several years and recruited over 20 patients. We also started a few new clinical trials , including SELECT, a non-diabetes cardiovascular study, and FAME, a diabetic retinopathy in Type 1 study. This trials continue run throughout this year with recruitment still open.

 

We also welcomed new members into our Hunter Diabetes Centre team, including dietitan Angela Smith, and practice manager Courtney Wallace. With their help, we see 2019 being another productive year in terms of patient treatment, clinical research and progressing our Centre as a whole.

With many of our patients making the move to insulin pumps, we want to ensure you feel comfortable using your new device. That's why we have paired up with Medtronic to run regular workshops, keeping you up to date on the latest Medtronic pump features and functions.

 

Join our diabetes educator Annette and our Medtronic expert Penny at our next upcoming workshop. This interactive workshop is designed to provide you with top tips on advanced insulin pump features as well as how to get the most out of Continuous Glucose Monitoring. Our team will show you how you can get the most out of your Medtronic integrated insulin pump system.

 

Running from 6-8pm on Tuesday 19th February, this workshop is free to attend. Light refreshments will be provided and family/friends/carers are encouraged to also attend. To book your spot, just call Penny on 0478 486 770 or send her an email by clicking the button below. We can't wait to see you!

Was your New Year resolution to get more involved in the community? Perhaps to volunteer or offer help to a worthy cause? If so, then a clinical trial is ideal for you. By participating in a clinical trial, you are helping the medical community improve treatments for various conditions, including diabetes. This in turn helps those with these conditions, potentially improving their way of life. On a personal level, being part of a clinical trial means you receive regular contact with a team of medical professionals at no financial cost to you. It's a win-win for all!

 

With this in mind, we are currently searching for volunteers for our SELECT clinical trial, Have you ever had a heart attack or stroke? Do you have poor circulation? Research has shown that treatment with Semaglutide may reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack in people with Type 2 diabetes. In this study, we will check to see if Semaglutide reduces the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke in people who have obesity or are overweight.

 

In order to conduct this study, we need volunteers who meet the following criteria:

If you or someone you know meets the above criteria and are interested in participating in a clinical trial, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact our clinical trial coordinator Kate on (02) 4963 2323 (take option 1) or send an email by clicking the button below.