MCDTR Cores & Programs

Co-directed by Michele Heisler, MD, MPA, and Gretchen Piatt, PhD, MPH

The Admin Core maintains the Research Base and is responsible for the direction, operation, finances, and website of the MCDTR. It administers the Pilot and Feasibility Study Grants Program, the Enrichment Program, and the Cross-Sectoral Collaborations initiative, which fosters and sustains partnerships between MCDTR investigators and multiple sectoral partners, including local and state health departments, federally qualified health centers and community organizations.

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Co-directed by Jeremy Sussman, MD, and Timothy Guetterman, PhD

The EMIS Core mission is to assist investigators in the study design, protocol development, data acquisition/collection, statistical analysis, implementation and dissemination to examine questions related to the causes, prevention and effective management of diabetes, its complications and comorbidities. 

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Co-directed by Jeff Kullgren, MD, MPH, and Minal Patel, PhD

The ASBDH Core provides expertise on state-of-the-art approaches to identify, measure and address unmet socioeconomic needs, as well as design interventions and policies that effectively address both social and behavioral determinants of improved diabetes and population health outcomes.

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Co-directed by Edwin Fisher, PhD, and Daphne Watkins, PhD

The National Core objectives are centered on how support from communities, peers and families impacts. They can be best mobilized to promote substantive, positive changes in the lives and health of those affected by diabetes.

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Co-directed by Michele Heisler, MD, MPA, and Gretchen Piatt, PhD, MPH

The primary objectives of the Enrichment Program are to foster scientific exchange among MCDTR investigators, cross-sectoral collaborators, trainees, and researchers from other fields, both locally and globally, to promote new scientific collaborations, directions and approaches.  Additionally, the Enrichment Program develops and supports early-stage investigators in conducting research focused on improving diabetes prevention and treatment in health system and community settings through multimodal, transdisciplinary research methods. To meet these goals, the Enrichment Program sponsors programming, including the Annual Symposium, which brings together national and local transdisciplinary experts in diabetes translational research to present and share research findings.

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Co-directed by Bill Herman, MD, and Jaclynn Hawkins, PhD, MSW

The Pilot & Feasibility (P/F) Grants Program provides critical start-up support and mentorship for high-quality T2 to T4 translational research proposals related to MCDTR research themes. A crucial feature of our successful P/F program has been its ability to stimulate interest in T2-T4 translational research in diabetes through many units of the university, including the Medical School, School of Public Health, School of Nursing, School of Social Work, School of Information, Institute for Social Research, Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, and the Center for Behavioral Solutions to Healthcare Engagement and Access. In addition, our support of multiple models of research casts a wide net, capturing the innovation of transdisciplinary research and facilitating the convergence of numerous research pathways, ultimately focused on establishing and maintaining independence for early-stage investigators pursuing academic careers in diabetes translational research.

Learn more about the Pilot & Feasibility (P/F) Grants Program