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| Nearly 500 guests gathered Oct. 2 for the dedication ceremonies of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at Fitzsimons. Speakers and special guests included Barbara Davis, founder of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation; George Eisenbarth, MD, the center’s executive director; U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette; CU President Hank Brown; UCD Chancellor James Shore, MD; Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer; CU School of Medicine Dean Richard Krugman, MD; and comedian Bob Newhart. |
Oct. 2 celebration dedicates Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at Fitzsimons
By Deborah Méndez-Wilson
Office of Public Relations
Teaching children, adolescents, young adults and their families how to live with the challenges of type 1 diabetes while searching for a cure for the chronic, life-threatening disease is the No. 1 cause for doctors, nurses, researchers and administrators who work at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes.
However, on Oct. 2, the focus turned to the dedication of their new building at the University of Colorado Denver’s Fitzsimons campus. The Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes made its debut, and now stands as a beacon of hope for young diabetes patients and their families.
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George Eisenbarth, MD, PhD, executive director of the Barbara Davis Center |
The center, which serves more than 5,000 children with diabetes from around the globe, is considered the world’s premier pediatric diabetes institute, with clinical and research programs that have flourished since its 1980 inception. Its new $32 million home is located in the heart of the Fitzsimons campus, one of the largest new medical complexes in the nation.
“ We’re not only unveiling our new home, but also reminding everyone that type 1 diabetes continues to be a pressing and costly health care issue for our young patients,” George Eisenbarth, MD, the center’s executive director, said before the dedication ceremony. “We know this building will stand as a lasting symbol of our commitment to providing our patients and their families with the best possible treatment and care even as we continue to pursue a cure for juvenile diabetes.”
Barbara Davis, founder of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation, and UCD Chancellor James Shore, MD, and University of Colorado President Hank Brown also spoke at the ribbon-cutting event. Other distinguished guests included U.S Rep. Diana DeGette, Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer, CU School of Medicine Dean Richard Krugman, MD, and comedian Bob Newhart.
“ This dedication is an important milestone in the ongoing development of the University of Colorado’s Fitzsimons campus. Each new building and each new service available at Fitzsimons are reasons why it has the potential of being the largest health care center in the region and largest generator of quality jobs in the history of the state,” Brown said.
The Barbara Davis Center is managed as a distinct administrative unit of the CU School of Medicine.
Groundbreaking research conducted by the center includes:
• the discovery of the first T cells that cause diabetes;
• pioneering work in developing the ability to predict childhood diabetes;
• the introduction of the new recombinant insulin in collaboration with industry;
• the introduction of continuous glucose monitoring in clinical practice;
• important trials for the prevention of childhood diabetes, and
• pioneering basic studies of islet transplantation and human islet transplants as a U.S. Islet Center Resource Center in concert with University of Colorado Hospital.
The high-quality care offered by the center is vital in helping to prevent the majority of long-term complications associated with type 1 diabetes. Thanks to care and treatment provided by doctors, nurses and administrative staff, as well as research clinical trials, thousands of children and young adults worldwide are being spared blindness, kidney failure, amputations, stroke and heart disease.
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that afflicts more than 18 million Americans, of which nearly 2 million have the most severe form, type 1 diabetes. Also known as childhood, juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes, type 1 diabetes appears suddenly, but doctors can detect its presence years before its onset. In cases of type 1 diabetes the pancreas ceases to manufacture insulin, a hormone essential for the body to convert food into energy, and patients must take multiple daily insulin injections to stay alive.
According to recent statistics, diabetes is the fifth-leading cause of death by disease in the United States. The risk of developing diabetes is higher than all other severe and chronic childhood diseases, and an estimated one of three children born today will develop diabetes in their lifetime. The estimated cost to the U.S. health care system for the treatment of diabetes and its complications is more than $132 billion per year.
The Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes provides a clinical service for children, adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes, and supports substantial clinical and basic science research programs to prevent and ultimately cure this chronic, life-threatening disease. The original center at Ninth and Colorado in Denver debuted in 1980 thanks to generous contributions from Barbara and Marvin Davis.
For more information, visit www.BarbaraDavisCenter.org and www.ChildrensDiabetesFdn.org.
