2025 CDI Symposium: Inspiring Science, Collaborative Networking, and Festive Fun

On Thursday, October 30, experts, researchers, and colleagues from across campus and beyond gathered for the highly anticipated 2025 Caswell Diabetes Institute Metabolism, Obesity, Nutrition, and Diabetes Symposium. With a packed schedule of inspiring presentations, networking opportunities, and festive fun, this year's event proved to be a standout occasion for the diabetes and metabolism research community.

The day kicked off with Brigid Gregg, MD, setting the tone with a warm welcome, followed by Gretchen Piatt, PhD, MPH, who provided an update on the Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research (MCDTR) and introduced the MCDTR keynote speaker, Mary Beth Weber, PhD, MPH (Emory). Dr. Weber captivated the audience with her insightful talk, "The implementation continuum: Lessons learned from diabetes research studies in India and the U.S.," highlighting her global perspective on diabetes research.

Throughout the morning, expert speakers shared groundbreaking findings. Julien Sebag, PhD, discussed the role of Unc119b in regulating insulin sensitivity, focusing on its potential as a drug target for type 2 diabetes. Erica Jansen, PhD, MPH, offered a fascinating look into how sleep duration and timing affect insulin resistance among adolescents, drawing on both epidemiologic and epigenetic perspectives.

Following the facilitated breakout sessions, Karen Peterson, DSc, introduced celebrated keynote speaker Jorge E. Chavarro, MD, ScD (Harvard). Dr. Chavarro’s presentation, "Nutrition and human fertility: Beyond adiposity," was both thought-provoking and informative, connecting nutritional research to broader aspects of human health and fertility.

Melissa DeJonckheere, PhD, later spoke on leveraging real-time text message and diabetes device data for the assessment of disordered eating in adolescents with type 1 diabetes, underscoring the importance of technology and innovation in patient care.

A new highlight this year was the special Lunch and Learn, where guests had the opportunity to hear from Lotte Bjerre Kudsen, PhD, via Zoom. Dr. Kudsen shared her expertise in GLP-1 therapeutics, allowing attendees the unique opportunity to hear directly from the internationally renowned expert.

The afternoon featured the ever-popular poster session and data blitz, showcasing innovative research from both internal and external contributors. 

Not to be overshadowed by scientific exchange, the symposium included a dose of festive fun with Halloween Bingo. Many attendees eagerly scanned the room for ghostly icons in hopes of winning sweet treats, adding a cheerful and seasonal twist to the day’s activities.

As this year's event drew to a close, Scott Soleimanpour, MD, introduced the Michigan Diabetes Research Center (MDRC) keynote speaker Clay Semenkovich, MD (Washington University), who presented on "Diabetes, lipids, and the best of all possible worlds” followed by J. Andrew Pospisilik’s, PhD (Van Andel Institute) compelling talk on utilizing probability, machine learning, and GWAS to understand the origins of metabolic disease heterogeneity.

Awards and closing remarks by Dr. Gregg rounded out the event, marking the conclusion of another inspiring and well-attended symposium.

The Caswell Diabetes Institute extends its sincere thanks to all who participated, presented, and helped make this year’s symposium such a memorable success.