By Maddy Durand
With funding from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, the University of Florida Diabetes Institute is using artificial intelligence to improve diabetes detection, expand primary care provider training and strengthen care for the millions of Floridians living with diabetes or those at risk of developing the disease.
More than 11% of Americans have diabetes and another 28% have prediabetes, according to the American Institutes for Research. Diabetes, a chronic disease that affects how the body processes glucose, or blood sugar. It can wreak havoc on the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves and other organs if not properly managed.
Given its rapid growth in the U.S. and a national scarcity of adult endocrinologists, more than 90% of diabetes care is delivered in primary care settings. But limited access to diabetes specialists and insufficient training for general practitioners often results in patients being misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, a problem the UF Diabetes Institute has worked to address by training physicians from more than 120 clinical sites across the state.
The funding will allow the institute’s Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes Diabetes, or ECHO, initiative, to expand. It works to address gaps in diabetes care through physician training and patient screening in rural and underserved areas.
“At Google, we believe that information is a determinant of health, and access to the right clinical guidance at the right time can transform lives,” said Garth Graham, M.D., M.P.H., global head of healthcare and public health at Google and YouTube, and former assistant dean for health policy at the UF College of Medicine’s Department of Medicine. “We are deeply proud to support the University of Florida as they pioneer new ways to scale clinical expert guidance using technology.
“This work is so important as healthcare is deeply personal, and by helping local doctors deliver more practical care on the ground, we can ensure that families all across Florida, no matter their ZIP code, have a fair shot at a health future.”
Ashby Walker, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions and Diabetes Institute associate director of community and population health, and Michael Haller, M.D., a pediatric endocrinologist and Diabetes Institute associate director of medicine, will lead the project.
Read the full story in the UF Health newsroom.