Overview

My program of research focuses on diabetes prevention and control in ethnic minority, high risk, and medically underserved communities. Overwhelming evidence has demonstrated that participation in self-management interventions lead to improved diabetes-related health and psychosocial outcomes. However, in the absence of ongoing, long-term support, these improvements are short-lived (less than 6 months). My research team develops, implements, and evaluates sustainable and capacity building models to promote lifelong diabetes self-management efforts. Over the past 10 years, we have been investigating peer support as a promising model to improve diabetes care in economically disadvantaged or marginalized communities. These communities include African American and Latino adults in Detroit Michigan and South Asian adults in Vancouver, British Columbia. We have also initiated a peer support study recruiting newly diagnosed and complex patients from tertiary care settings. By drawing on community-based resources such as peer support, it is possible to implement diabetes prevention and self-management interventions in a cost-effective and practical way that can potentially lead to clinical and psychosocial benefits particularly for high risk and low-resource communities.

Publications

12- and 18- month clinical and psychosocial outcomes from a community health worker and peer leader diabetes self-management program for Latino adults with diabetes: A randomized controlled effectiveness trial.
Diabetes Care
2018

Examining the Support Peer Supporters Provide Using Structural Equation Modeling: Nondirective and Directive Support in Diabetes Management
Annals of Behavioral Medicine
2017

Diabetes Distress, Depression and Glycemic Control in a Canadian-Based Specialty Care Setting
Canadian Journal of Diabetes
2017

Assessing quality of life in diabetes: II – Deconstructing measures into a simple framework
Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice
2017

Diabetes Distress and Depression in South Asian Canadians with Type 2 Diabetes
Canadian Journal of Diabetes
2017

When's dinner? Does timing of dinner affect the cardiometabolic risk profiles of South-Asian Canadians at risk for diabetes
Diabetic Medicine
2017

Using Exploratory Focus Groups to Inform the Development of a Peer-Supported Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program: DIRECTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention
2017

Recruitment and Retention of South Asian Ethnic Minority Populations in Behavioral Interventions to Improve Type 2 Diabetes Outcomes
2017

Diabetes Nurse Case Management in a Canadian Tertiary Care Setting: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Canadian Journal of Diabetes
2017

Assessing quality of life in diabetes: I. A practical guide to selecting the best instruments and using them wisely
Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice
2016

Immigration and dietary patterns in South Asian Canadians at risk for diabetes
Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications
2016

Peer-Led, Empowerment-Based Approach to Self-Management Efforts in Diabetes (PLEASED): A Randomized Controlled Trial in an African American Community
Annals of Family Medicine
08/2015

Contributions of Peer Support to Health, Health Care, and Prevention: Papers from Peers for Progress.
The Annals of Family Medicine
2015

Rethinking peer support for diabetes in Vancouver's South-Asian community: a feasibility study
Diabetic Medicine
2015

Comparative Effectiveness of Peer Leaders and Community Health Workers in Diabetes Self-management Support: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Diabetes Care
06/2014

Impact of Patient Use of an Online Patient Portal on Diabetes Outcomes
Canadian Journal of Diabetes
02/2014

Outcomes of a Church-based Diabetes Prevention Program Delivered by Peers
The Diabetes Educator
01/2014

Real-time continuous glucose monitoring versus internet-based blood glucose monitoring in adults with type 2 diabetes: A study of treatment satisfaction
Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice
2014

Evaluating a diabetes self-management support peer leader training programme for the English- and Punjabi-speaking South-Asian community in Vancouver
Diabetic Medicine
2013

A Comparison of Internet Monitoring with Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Insulin-Requiring Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Canadian Journal of Diabetes
2013

Does a 2.5-year self-management education and support intervention change patterns of healthcare use in African-American adults with Type 2 diabetes?
Does a 2.5-year self-management education and support intervention change patterns of healthcare use in African-American adults with Type 2 diabetes?
2013

Tailoring diabetes education and care to minority patients and families.
American Diabetes Association
2002

Research
Research Group Members

Sadie Lee, Undergraduate Work-Learn Student
Titilola Yakubu, Graduate Research Assistant