What’s New at EGDRC: EGDRC Strengthens Partnerships to Improve Diabetes Care in Rural Georgia

The Emory Global Diabetes Research Center (EGDRC) is strengthening partnerships across Georgia to better understand and address the challenges of diabetes prevention and care in rural and underserved communities. 

Diabetes affects more than 40 million Americans and contributes to significant health care costs and lost productivity. The burden is particularly high in the Southeast, where many communities continue to face gaps in diabetes prevention, treatment, and access to quality care. While research has shown that lifestyle interventions and comprehensive management of glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol can prevent or delay diabetes and its complications, translating that evidence into routine practice remains a challenge. 

In June, EGDRC researchers and physicians joined colleagues from the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) and Georgia Southern University in Albany, Georgia, to visit Albany Area Primary Health Care (AAPHC). The group explored how technology and innovative approaches could improve health care processes and patient care for people living with diabetes and other chronic conditions. 

In August, EGDRC connected with community leaders and partners through the Institute for Health Logistics & Analytics (IHLA), alongside colleagues from the Rollins School of Public Health and Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology. The discussions provided an opportunity to better understand the needs of rural communities and identify opportunities for continued collaboration. 

These efforts reflect EGDRC’s focus on domestic research in Georgia and the broader Southeast and the Center’s leadership as part of the Georgia Center for Diabetes Translation Research (GCDTR), a collaborative partnership with GT and Morehouse School of Medicine focused on closing the gap between evidence-based diabetes prevention and care domestically and its implementation in real-world settings. 

Through translational research, community engagement, health systems research and innovative technology, EGDRC and its partners are working to identify approaches that are effective, feasible and scalable—and ultimately help reduce the burden of diabetes and improve health outcomes across Georgia and the Southeast. 

Learn more about GCDTR: https://gcdtr.org/