An IHPME faculty member has been recognized for his efforts in integrating data science and medicine to transform how diabetes is managed and understood.
By: Marielle Boutin
Leif Erik Lovblom, faculty member in the Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research (CEHCR) program, was presented with the 100th Anniversary Discovery of Insulin Banting Award for his use of statistics to help doctors make more informed, personalized decisions in the prediction of complications associated with diabetes.
The award – a partnership between U of T’s Novo Nordisk Network for Health Populations and the Banting Discovery Foundation – was established to support early-career researchers who are working to address health disparities and enhance disease prevention.
For Lovblom, receiving this award is not only a professional achievement, but a personal milestone. He recalls his experience growing up in Canada and being aware of the discovery of insulin, a revolutionary treatment that was discovered at U of T in 1921 by Frederick Banting and Charles Best.
“The full story of how it was discovered, who the major players were, and how mobilization happened to get it to patients is truly remarkable,” says Lovblom. “So, being recognized for this award, and having my research attached to [it], it really means the world to me.”
Lovblom’s research is centred around the complexity of living with diabetes, with a particular focus on its complications. He draws from examples like eye disease, kidney problems, and nerve damage, highlighting the uncertainties around how or when these will develop as well as their potential severity. By leveraging information found in patients’ medical records, his research can effectively paint a picture of how these complications develop and translate those findings into actionable implementations for a clinical setting.
Once the statistical models are ready to be integrated, a risk prediction tool will be developed to monitor complications in real-time with the aim of working with patients and practitioners to determine how the tool could be used in routine care.
Lovblom credits the interdisciplinary environment at IHPME for enhancing the practical impact of this research, allowing him to think beyond technical aspects.
“[It] allows me to engage with and understand the clinical side of the work, and encourages me to communicate the underlying statistical methods to clinicians and patients in a way that everyone can understand them.”
Looking ahead, he hopes this work will help answer key questions about diabetes complications and carry forward the legacy of insulin’s discovery.
“The striking thing to me about this legacy of innovation is how transformative it was,” says Lovblom. “It transformed diabetes from a uniformly fatal disease into a treatable one, and it transformed the focus of patient care from impending death to lifelong management. I am hoping that my work can build on this idea of transformation and that it can transform the uncertain nature of diabetes complications into a predictable one.”
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Communications
Marielle Boutin
Email Address: ihpme.communications@utoronto.ca