Diabetes Research Group UPM
For Healthcare Professionals

Diabetes Research Group UPM

By November 25, 2022April 19th, 2023No Comments

Diabetes Research Group UPM

Diabetes research group (DRG)
Universiti Putra Malaysia 

This research group was officially initiated by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, UPM on the 23rd March 2022.

This group will research on all types of diabetes mellitus but mainly the type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes mellitus. The thoughts are on setting up a diabetes resource centre like that in Joslin’s, Leicester’s, etc. The group is also going for collaborations with KKM and international centres on this along the way there will be much research conducted to achieve the patient-centred goals.

The members are:

Assoc. Prof.Dr. Chew Boon How [CBH] (JPK)
EMAIL:
chewboonhow@upm.edu.my
Assoc. Prof.Dr. Barakatun Nisak Mohd Yusof [BNMY](JD)
EMAIL:
bnisak@upm.edu.my 
Assoc. Prof.Dr. Subashini C. Thambiah [SCT](JPAT)
EMAIL:
subashini@upm.edu.my
Dr. Nurul Iftida Basri
[NIB](JOG)
EMAIL:
nurul.iftida@upm.edu.my 
Dr. Mazatulfazura Sf Salim [MSS](JPR)
EMAIL:
fazurasf@upm.edu.my
Assoc. Prof.Dr. Zubaidah Nor Hanipah [ZNH](JSUR)
EMAIL:
n_baidah@upm.edu.my
Assoc. Prof.Dr. Geeta Appannah [GA](JPEM)
EMAIL:
geeta@upm.edu.my
Dr. Lee Yee Lin
[LYL](JPED)
EMAIL:
yeelin@upm.edu.my
Dr. Azammuddin Alias
[AA](JORT)
EMAIL:
azammuddin.alias@upm.edu.my
Dr. Dhashani A/P Sivaratnam
[DS](JO)
EMAIL:
dhashani@upm.edu.my
Dr. Ng Ooi-Chuan [NOC](JP)
EMAIL:
ngooi@upm.edu.my
Dr. Thew Hui Zhu [THZ](JPK)
EMAIL:
jothew@upm.edu.my
Dr. Aini Azeqa Ma’rof
[AZM](Department of Social and Development Sciences
Faculty of Human Ecology)
EMAIL:
azeqa@upm.edu.my

The following are the tentative plans of DRG to promote the reputation of the group’s members in diabetes research and medical services through setting up a cross-discipline Diabetes Resource & Research Centre (DRRC).

DIABETES RESOURCE & RESEARCH CENTRE (DRRC)

HOSPITAL SULTAN ABDUL AZIZ SHAH (HSAAS), PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS HOSPITAL PENGAJAR UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA (HPUPM)

OVERARCHING AIMS:

1. Provide evidence-based therapy and education to people with diabetes mellitus
2. To produce high-quality scientific research and medical evidence

A. Telemedicine B. Mobile Clinic C. Physical DRRC
Why?
  • Digital health is the future.
  • Better access of healthcare.
  • A service that is relatively easier to initiate.
  • To deliver tertiary care to the challenged community or the hard-to-reach people.
  • Improve health equity.
  • An extension of the physical DRRC.
  • Providing the healthcare needs of HPUPM’s clients.
  • Function as the operation base.
Clinical services

Multidisciplinary teleconsultation 

Multidisciplinary clinical consultation and pharmacy

Multidisciplinary clinical consultation
Education & counselling
  • Dietary and physical exercise education, and cognitive-emotional and psychosocial counselling. 
  • May include pharmacists, lay experts in peer-to-peer support program and cognitive behavioural therapy.
  • Demo.
Clinical & biomedical research

Digital health, AI, ML, block chain, etc

TBD
  1. COVID-19 and incidence of type 2 diabetes
  2. MYGODDESS Project
  3. …
  4. …
Logistics
  1. Desktops / laptops
  2. 5G connection
  3. A coordinator / manager
  1. A bus or trailer converted to a clinic set-up
  2. A coordinator / manager
  3. Driver 
  1. A space in HPUPM or a cabin / prefabricated modular space
  2. Admin staffs
  3. Diabetes educators
  4. Post-docs / Research officers
  5. Postgraduate students
General Strategy
  1. 1st priority
  2. To sort out the technical, ethical and legal aspects of teleconsultation
  3. Sponsorship on the equipment and internet connection
  4. To obtain research grant to initiate the service
  5. Organised and sponsored health webinars (by pharma etc) for the professionals and the public
  1. 3rd priority (or 2nd)
  2. Relied on availability of sponsorship
  3. To sought funding and sponsorship from government / politicians or private companies or philanthropists
  4. To learn about the regulatory terms and business model
  1. 2nd priority (or 3rd)
  2. Longer-term after DRG matures (?)
  3. To discuss with hospital administration for support, or
  4. To obtain research grant to initiate renting of a space and hiring of staffs
  5. Organised and sponsored workshops and health campaigns (with pharma etc) for the public
Small and impactful activity
  1. University to create a DRRC website, social media presence, etc to increase professional reputation among colleagues and the public
  2. To set-up teleconsultation by HPUPM
  3. Regular webinars to increase professional reputation of DRRC 
  4. To broaden the service to wider clients by participating in existing online platforms to increase income/revenues and professional reputation

TBE 

To explore with pharma or private companies
  1. To set-up shared clinic service in the current respective clinic to increase professional reputation among colleagues
  2. ToT workshops for colleagues sponsored by pharma or private companies to increase income/revenues and professional reputation
  3. Health campaigns or awareness days for the public with pharma or private companies increase professional reputation
Initiatives to grow DRRC
  • To get post-doc, postgraduate students 
  • To plan high-quality clinical / biomedical research in DM and to get research grants
  • To communicate with the local established diabetes centres eg NADI
  • To collaborate with local diabetes experts / entities eg. Unit NCD MOH
  • To collaborate with international diabetes centres
  • To publish articles to increase reputation
  • To issue alerts and calls to colleagues and public
Strategic partners
  • Renown diabetes centres (see the list below)
  • Pharmaceutical, nutritional and health products companies
  • Private companies for CSR programs
  • Hospital and university administration
  • Research grant providers / funders – national and international
  • Communities and philanthropists

TBD= to be decided, TBE= to be elaborated

Similar centre

  1. D’ Centers – Diabetes Resource Centre
  2. Diabetes Education and Research Center: HOME
    https://www.diabeteseducation
    andresearchcenter.org
  3. CDNRC : Diabetes & Endocrine Unit – IMR
    https://www.imr.gov.my › diagnostic-services › 55-cdn
  4. Diabetes Research Centers; https://diabetescenters.org
  5. Diabetes Centers | NIDDK
    https://www.niddk.nih.gov › research-programs › diabe…
  6. Diabetes Research Institute | Solely Focused on Curing …
    https://www.diabetesresearch.org
  7. Joslin Diabetes Center – World Leader in Diabetes Care …
    https://www.joslin.org
  8. https://www.leicesterdiabetes
    centre.org.uk/about

Research projects and activities currently undertaken by the group’s members:

As the project lead [co-member’s initial]:

Chew Boon How:

  1. The Malaysian Gestational Diabetes and Prevention Of Diabetes Study (MYGODDESS) [BNMY, NIB, MSS]
    i. Exploring the perception of need, importance and acceptability of diabetes prevention interventions including a digitalized app in women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and their healthcare providers in Malaysia (Explore-MYGODDESS). NMRR-20-750-53235. [BNMY, NIB, MSS]
    ii. Risk factors for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus in different trimesters and their relation to maternal and neonatal outcomes (GDM-RIDMAN): a retrospective cohort and nested case-control study
    NMRR-20-3000-57095. [BNMY, NIB, MSS]
    iii. A mobile phone application for the prevention of type 2 diabetes in Malaysian women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a protocol for a feasibility randomized controlled trial. NMRR-21-1667-60212; NCT05204706 [BNMY, NIB, MSS]
  2. Diabetes-specific quality of life and its correlates among 1184 adults with type 2 diabetes in 12 public health clinics in Kedah Malaysia (EDIPEQS-DQOL): a cross-sectional study
  3. Patient assessment of chronic illness care and its correlates among 1185 adults with type 2 diabetes in 12 public health clinics in Kedah Malaysia (EDIPEQS-PACIC): a cross-sectional study

Barakatun Nisak Mohd Yusof :

  1. Calculated Dietary Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load and Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus Among Women with History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. [CBH]
  2. Nutritype signatures of women with previous history of GDM [GA]
  3. Ramadan Nutrition Plan for Diabetes
  4. Effect of Medical Nutrition Therapy on Weight Loss Outcomes among Metabolic Obesity Patients [ZNH]
  5. Using virtual reality for interprofessional education among Health Sciences students [CBH, ZNH]

Dhashani Sivaratnam:

  1. Knowledge, attitude and practice towards the management of diabetic retinopathy among primary care doctors in Malaysia: a web-based cross-sectional study.

Geeta Appannah:

  1. Associations between empirically derived dietary patterns and insulin resistance among adolescents in Southern Malaysia: Findings from Putra-Adol Study

Zubaidah Nor Hanipah:

  1. Molecular, metabolomic and nutritional changes after metabolic surgery among obese diabetic patients and biomarkers of different diabetes status. NMRR-20-2496-56353 [BNMY]
  2. Comparative study of liver fat analysis in 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy and liver histology in obese patients with metabolic syndrome [with Dr Hasyma- radiology]

Ng Ooi Chuan

  1. Effectiveness of Acupuncture In Treating T2DM
  2. Comparing SGLT2 inhibitor-induced & nonSGLT2-related diabetic ketoacidosis
  3. Study On Autonomic Neuropathy Among Patient with DM

As a project member [co-member’s initial]:

Chew Boon How:

  1. Primary Care Physicians Perceived Barriers in Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Malaysia: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey
  2. Fasting Practice by Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients during Ramadhan in Primary Health Clinic

Project under development [co-member’s initial]:

Chew Boon How:

  1. A Continuous Blood Glucose Estimation Model using Gait Profile for Non-invasive Monitoring of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
  2. The effectiveness of low carbohydrate diets for the remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus (LOCARD): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. [BNMY, SCT]
  3. The effectiveness of low carbohydrate diet using behavioural economic approach for the remission of prediabetes (LOCPreDM): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Lee Yee Lin:

  1. New Onset Diabetes and Predictors of Diabetic Ketoacidosis among Children in Selected Tertiary Hospitals Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Subashini C. Thambiah:

  1. The role of glycated albumin in multiethnic pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus.
  2. Are LDL subfractions a better therapeutic and prognostic biomarker for dyslipidaemia in diabetic patients compared to the conventional lipid profile?
  3. Osteoporosis in diabetic patients: biochemical markers of bone fragility.

Geeta Appannah:

  1. Effect of antenatal lifestyle intervention in obese pregnant women on gestational cardiometabolic profiles:  a multicenter randomized controlled trial [BNMY, SCT]

Zubaidah Nor Hanipah

  1. Effect of early initiation of oral semaglutide 50mg versus empagliflozin 25 mg in treatment-naïve newly diagnosed young participants with type 2 diabetes and obesity [NOC]
  2. Awareness Care and Treatment In Obesity Management – APAC
  3. Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Weight, Nutritional Status, Lifestyle and Depression Among Bariatric Patients at Single Government Hospital [BNMY]

Leave a Reply