Why Choose Us for Pediatric Diabetes Care?

Doctors, nurses, and diabetes educators at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital are dedicated to using their knowledge and resources to help slow the growing rate of diabetes in children and teens.

For example, our experts are working on research programs to apply adult diabetes prevention programs to younger populations.

Fighting Obesity

We're also committed to tackling the rise of obesity in young people. An overweight child has a higher risk of developing diabetes--this is particularly true for minority populations, including African-Americans. To help address this issue, one Comer doctor has developed a research program, funded by a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. This community-based family nutrition and exercise program--called Reach In! Reach Out!--aims to decrease diabetes risk in overweight African-American youth. Health educators from the community help families learn to count calories, reduce dietary fat, and select healthier foods. Families also learn to add more activity to their lifestyle, including aerobic exercise and weight training. Early results indicate that this program can help young people reduce their body mass index, a measure of their weight.

Advancing Diabetes Research

Physicians at the Chicago Comer Children's Hospital participate in a number of clinical research studies. With a grant from the National Institutes of Health, one Comer doctor is actively studying the differences in teenagers with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Another is spearheading a study of the causes of childhood diabetes in Chicago. This research, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, is tracking the incidence of diabetes through the Chicago Childhood Diabetes Registry.