As we prepared this year’s Caswell Diabetes Institute Annual Report, we were reminded that the achievements highlighted throughout its pages are driven by more than what is visible on the surface. Behind every milestone is a small but extraordinary team of CDI staff whose dedication, creativity, and care help move our mission every day.

CDI’s mission—to support rigorous science and integrate it into patient- and family-centered care to prevent, treat, and ultimately cure diabetes and its complications—relies on the talent and dedication of staff across every part of the institute. Whether supporting investigators and clinical teams or coordinating enrichment programs, events, pilot initiatives, and community engagement efforts, our staff provides the structure, energy, and expertise needed to move our mission forward.

This year’s many successes reflect not only the excellence of our faculty, trainees, clinicians, and partners, but also the commitment of the team working behind the scenes to bring ideas to life, engage with patients and families, help communicate your successes with the broader community, build connections, and sustain the momentum of CDI’s work. 



To our CDI staff: Deena Beckius, J’la Berry, Sarah Cain, Jocelyne Clancy, Chris Clay, Molly Dwyer-White, Latrice Faulkner, Ericka Hudson-Thomas, and Amanda McGuire - thank you for your incredible work, your professionalism, and your unwavering commitment to the Institute’s mission. We are deeply grateful for all that you do. Go Blue!

From Michigan to Madison: Brigid Gregg, MD, Set to Lead Peds Endocrinology at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Brigid Gregg will soon begin an exciting new role as Chief of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison!

Please join us in expressing our sincere gratitude to Dr. Gregg for her outstanding service as the Associate Director for Enrichment Programs for CDI.

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Kanakadurga Singer, MD, MA, is the New Associate Dean for Faculty

Dr. Durga Singer was recently appointed to Associate Dean for Faculty at the U-M Medical School.

In this new leadership role, Dr. Singer will oversee the various aspects of faculty development programming, including its design, implementation, and continuous improvement.

In addition to her role as the Associate Director of Training & Mentoring for CDI, Dr. Singer is also the Valerie Castle Opipari, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and a Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular and Integrative Physiology. 

Kate Bauer, PhD, MS, Testifies Before the Michigan House Health Policy Committee

Earlier this month, Dr. Kate Bauer shared testimony on two initiatives, Feeding MI Families and the new Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health Policy, which she leads. The initiatives aim to address food insecurity, a growing concern for an increasing number of Michigan families.

View Dr. Bauer's Testimony

You're Invited!

CDI Reception at the American Diabetes Association 2026 Scientific Sessions

Sunday, June 7, 2025

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM



The Chicory- The Gallery Room

610 South Peters St.

New Orleans, LA 70130

Christopher Girgis, DPM, CWSP, Named Clinical Translational Research Scholar for 2026

Congratulations to Christopher Girgis, DPM, CWSP, recently named the 2026 Caswell Diabetes Institute Clinical Translational Research Scholar for his application entitled, Integrating Cognitive Assessment and Tailored Education to Improve Foot Ulcer Outcomes in Older Adults with Diabetes: A Pilot Study.

Dr. Girgis is a clinical assistant professor with joint appointments in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Surgery here at the University of Michigan.

Learn more about CTRSP

Jeanette Girard, DO, Receives CDI & Department of Medicine's Faculty Quality Improvement Award

Dr. Jeanette Girard was recently selected as the 2026 recipient of the Caswell Diabetes Institute and Department of Medicine’s Faculty Quality Improvement Award. Her project, Improving Screening for Metabolic Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes, was chosen by the review committee from a highly competitive pool of outstanding submissions.

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Scott Soleimanpour, MD, Inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI)

Help us congratulate Dr. Scott Soleimanpour on his recent induction into the American Society for Clinical Investigation! Established in 1908, ASCI is one of the oldest and most respected medical honor societies in the U.S.

Membership in the ASCI is attained through a process of nomination and election.

Learn more about ASCI

Melissa Elafros, MD, PhD, Wins Outstanding International Engagement Award

Global REACH recently announced Dr. Melissa Elafros, as one of the 2026 recipients of their Outstanding International Engagement Award for her "exceptional commitment to advancing global neurology through sustained partnership, community-centered research, and a deep focus on equity in care" through her longstanding collaborations in Zambia.

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Randy Seeley, PhD, Receives Research Mentor Award from the AGA

Kudos to Dr. Randy Seeley who recently received the American Gastroenterological Association's (AGA) Institute Council Section Research Mentor Award.

The Research Mentor Award acknowledges the achievements of AGA members who serve the gastroenterology and hepatology community as outstanding mentors in research.

Cassie Turner, PhD, LMSW, Selected as 2026 ADA Scholar

Cassie Turner, PhD, LMSW, was recently selected as an ADA Scholar for their Virtual Program, which takes place this fall. The virtual program will include several one-hour sessions featuring leading diabetes experts who will discuss potential career options, clinical insights, and research opportunities.

Dr. Turner holds a joint appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine at Michigan Medicine and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, where her research focuses on improving metabolic health through analytics, novel care models, implementation science, and learning health systems approaches. 

Brian Callaghan, MD, PhD, Set to Lead New Study on Diabetic Neuropathy

Thanks to a multimillion- dollar funding award from PCORI, Dr. Brian Callaghan and team will have the opportunity to compare treatment options for painful diabetic neuropathy in real-world care settings.

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CDI Recognizes Excellence in Training and Mentoring

The Caswell Diabetes Institute recently celebrated the power of mentorship, collaboration, and professional growth at our first-ever CDI Training and Mentoring Awards. The event honored outstanding mentors and mentees whose dedication is helping shape the future of diabetes, obesity, nutrition, and metabolism research. Click the link below to see the awardees!

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MMPC-Live: Carol Elias, PhD, MMPC-Live Director, Featured on MMPC Women's History Interview Series

In March, Dr. Carol Elias, was interviewed for the Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Centers (MMPC) Women's History Month Series. Dr. Elias is making history as the first woman to serve as the center director of the MMPC here at U-M.

View Interview

The Michigan & Northern Ohio Chapter of Breakthrough T1D hosted its annual Detroit Promise Ball on Friday, May 15, at the beautiful Michigan Central in downtown Detroit. This year's event featured a masquerade theme, celebrating the "Faces of T1D".

CDI was well represented with guests, including CDI Managing Director, Molly Dwyer-White, and Dr. Matthias Kretzler, who leads the Breakthrough T1D U-M-OHSU Cardiorenal Center of Excellence along with a few other familiar faces. The elegant evening included a seated dinner, live auction, and entertainment provided by the Detroit Urban Orchestra. Looks like a good time was had by all!

Minal Patel, PhD, MPH, quoted in Bridge Michigan.

Michigan medical debts, anger soar as hospitals spend billions on expansions

Elif Oral, MD, and Ormond MacDougald, PhD, featured in Medical Dialogues.

Familial partial lipodystrophy type 2 may lead to diabetes, suggest study

Susan Woolford, MD, MPH, shares insight on U.S. News & World Report.

A Third Of Young Adults Are Couch Potatoes, Their Parents Say

Kate Bauer, PhD, MS, quoted in the Associated Press and The Charlotte (N.C.) Post.

Why nearly 4.3 million people are no longer receiving food stamps

SNAP junk food bands make people healthier, or hungrier?

Michele Heisler, MD, MPA, featured on NBC News.

Death rate in immigration detention has reached a 22-year high, raising physicians' concerns.

Amy Rothberg, MD, DABOM, quoted in USA Today.

GLP-1 medications: What to know about how they work and their cost

Erica Jansen, PhD, featured in The Washington Post.

Here's what to eat to sleep a little better every day

Randy Seeley, PhD, featured in Medscape.

How leptin became the sexiest thing in science (again)

Liangyou Rui, PhD, et al. published in Nature Communications

POMC neuron METTL14/m6A/YTHDC1/YTHDF2 pathways safeguard energy balance, body weight, and metabolism

Nadejda Bozadjieve-Kramer, PhD, Jordan Wean, PhD, Jae Hoon Shin, PhD, Andriy Myronovych, MD, PhD, Robert W. O’Rourke, MD, Ormond MacDougald, PhD, Randy Seeley, PhD, et al. published in Diabetes

Gut-Derived FGF15 Modulates Lean Mass, Bone, and Bile Acid Responses to Weight Loss

Dina Griauzde, MD, MSc, Cassie D. Turner, PhD, LMSW, Amal Othman, MD, Lauren Oshman, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Patricia Arizaca-Dileo, MD, Joyce Lee, MD, MPH, Jeffrey Kullgren, MD, MS, MPH, Gretchen Piatt, PhD, MPH, Deena Beckius, MPH, Michele Heisler, MD, MPA, Andrew Kraftson, MD, et al. published in Obesity Science and Practice.

GLP-1 RA Use and Weight Loss Among Patients in a Weight Navigation Program Versus Primary Care: A Matched Cohort Study

Eric Buras, MD, PhD, Donatella Gilio, MD, PhD, Romil Kaul Verma, Adam Neidert, MS, Elif Oral, MD, MS, Tae-Hwa Chun, MD, PhD, et al. published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

EBF2 variant identified in a patient with atypical partial lipodystrophy causes adipose fibrosis and dysfunction

Russell Urie, PhD, Lonnie Shea, PhD, Scott Soleimanpour, MD, et al. published in Science Advances.

Longitudinal monitoring of type 1 diabetes progression to disease onset

Stephen Lentz, PhD, David Zacks, MD, PhD,

et al. published in Cell Death & Disease.

Recovery from apoptosis in photoreceptor cells: A Role for mitophagy

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) is Accepting Research Projects for 2026-2027

Would you like help getting a new research project started or expediting a current project? Do you want to gain experience mentoring U-M undergraduate students? Consider being a UROP Research Mentor. Faculty, postdoctoral fellows, research scientists, research staff, and advanced graduate students are all eligible and encouraged to apply.

Learn More

Caswell Diabetes Institute

Metabolism, Obesity, Nutrition & Diabetes Symposium

Wednesday, October 28, 2026



Dining Hall, Building 18, NCRC

Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative

2026 Fall Symposium

Curing Vision Loss from Diabetes

November 8-9, 2026

St. John's Resort

44045 Five Mile Rd.

Plymouth, MI 481070