Welcome to this special diabetes edition of Sinai Health magazine.
Toronto has always played a leading role in diabetes research, treatment and innovation. It was here that insulin was discovered in 1921. Today, the city is home to Sinai Health, a recognized world leader in diabetes care and research. To say we punch above our weight class in diabetes research and treatment would be an understatement.
Our Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI) is globally ranked number one in diabetes research, publishing 10 times more papers than the world average. Our research has led to a number of new treatments for people living with diabetes. We are at the vanguard of research exploring the relationship between diabetes and obesity and the prevention and management of the potentially severe complications of diabetes.
In clinical treatment, Mount Sinai Hospital's Leadership Sinai Centre for Diabetes provides expertise in patient education and the prevention and management of diabetes with over 20,000 patient visits each year. Bridgepoint Active Healthcare is a leader among rehab hospitals in diabetes management and stroke rehabilitation for those patients who have suffered strokes as a consequence of having diabetes.
Diabetes has never been more urgently in need of global action. While treatment exists, the rate of diabetes is skyrocketing, and it's now classified as a pandemic. By 2025, half a billion people around the world will live with diabetes. Today 3.6 million Canadians are impacted by the disease. By 2020 — just next year — the disease will cost the Canadian health-care system a projected $20 billion annually.
It's clear that a focus on the disease is essential for the future of health care and of patient well-being. And just who those patients are is an evolving story — inside this issue, you'll read about three patients who tell the story of the changing face of diabetes.
We'll also introduce you to Sinai Health's diabetes experts. From Dr. Bruce Perkins's first-person narrative about his own experience with diabetes, to the world-renowned diabetes powerhouses Dr. Daniel Drucker, O.C., and Dr. Bernard Zinman, C.M., Stephen and Suzie Pustil Diabetes Research Scientist, our depth of diabetes knowledge and skill is second to none.
Our vision for the future sees Sinai Health continuing as a pioneer in the field of diabetes care, education and research. We aim to increase our internationally renowned diabetes discovery program, expand our clinical trials and translate our findings into advances in patient care and education both here and around the world. But our position as the global leader — and our ambitious goals for the future — are only made possible thanks to the support of our community.
If you would like to learn more about the incredible work taking place across Sinai Health, we invite you to connect with us.
I hope that you are inspired by the stories contained within this magazine.
Sincerely,
Louis de Melo, CPA, CMA
Chief Executive Officer
Sinai Health Foundation