With one in three people in Canada affected by diabetes, it’s likely that you or someone in your life is impacted, underscoring the urgent need for advancements in the field. As a pioneering institution in diabetes care, research, and education, the Leadership Sinai Centre for Diabetes (LSCD) at Mount Sinai Hospital, part of Sinai Health provides specialized care to 20,000 patients annually, serving as Canada’s top referral center for complex diabetes cases, with a focus on diabetes, endocrinology, and gestational diabetes.
“The Leadership Sinai Centre for Diabetes continues to lead the way in diabetes care and research, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and technology to improve the lives of those with diabetes. Our team is dedicated to complex care in diabetes, including the use of technologies in diabetes, implementing complex insulin regimens, preventing and managing diabetes complications, and guiding women with diabetes through their pregnancies. As a group we are dedicated to patient-centred care, working with patient partners in our centre. I was inspired to pursue a clinical and research career, ultimately overseeing a diabetes centre because of my own diagnosis of type 1 diabetes as a teenager.”
Three types of diabetes
Three types of diabetes treated at Sinai Health – type 1, type 2 and gestational.
Leadership Sinai Centre for Diabetes at Mount Sinai Hospital brings together an expert clinical team of eight endocrinologists, five nurses specializing in diabetes, three dietitians and a psychiatrist who collaborate to provide comprehensive and personalized care.
The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute has been recognized globally for its groundbreaking work in the area of diabetes. The work of our scientists like Drs. Daniel Drucker, Bernard Zinman, Bruce Perkins, Denice S. Feig, Ravi Retnakaran and Caroline K. Kramer have had worldwide impact on the treatment of the disease.
- LSCD researchers are at the forefront of research in technology-driven diabetes care for their work such as understanding the risk factors for diabetic ketoacidosis in type 1 diabetes, developing education tools to prevent it, and investigating transformative drugs, including transporter inhibitors (SGLT inhibitors) for type 2 diabetes, to enhance blood sugar control.
- The center is also exploring innovative approaches to preserve insulin production in individuals newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and collaborating with the Toronto General Hospital to test stem cell-derived insulin-producing cells for potential.
Sinai Health, as a global leader in the advancement of women’s and infants’ health, is home to the only specialized Diabetes and Endocrinology in Pregnancy Program in Ontario. This program annually supports 775 women and their newborns, dedicated to improving gestational diabetes management using and testing technologies like automated insulin delivery systems.
People with diabetes are susceptible to cardiovascular diseases like stroke. This is why diabetes treatment and education is a key part of Hennick Bridgepoint’s nationally recognized stroke program.