Latino population in the United States of America have higher rates of cardio-metabolic diseases than the rest of the population, said David Kerr, director of Innovation and Research for the William Sansum Diabetes center.
“The tremendous burden of diabetes and cardiovascular disease bears a disproportionate weight on Latino families in the United States,” said Kerr.
The William Sansum Diabetes Center together with Eli Lilly have established a research collaboration to improve the lives of Latino people affected by diabetes through enhanced research, education and care.
Kerr said that the collaboration with Lilly will the Center to get a better understanding of how to help those families.
According to Dr. Kerr, Latino people comprise 43% of the total population in Santa Barbara County, and rates of cardio-metabolic disease are persistently higher than in the rest of the population due to a combination of factors beyond biological risk, including economics, culture and education.
For Lilly, the collaboration will provide valuable insights into patients’ unmet needs and aid in the development of interventions that could improve health outcomes for Latino people.
Dara Schuster, M.D., senior director of U.S. Medical Affairs for Lilly Diabetes. “Through this collaboration, we will learn where the gaps are so we can develop meaningful solutions for the unmet needs.”
The William Sansum Diabetes Center has been working on diabetes research, clinical care, and education since its founding in 1944 by Dr. William Sansum, the first U.S. physician to administer insulin in the treatment of diabetes.