A Diabetes Test without Needles? AI-Powered Retinal Imaging Could Make it a Reality. | | India and US researchers are advancing a needle-free diabetes screening tool using AI-enabled retinal imaging. The project is led by investigators from Yenepoya University, the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center, and the Emory AI.Health Institute and their findings show how retinal biomarkers from routine eye exams could identify type 2 diabetes and prediabetes—no blood draw required—offering a scalable, non-invasive approach with global public health potential. | | |
Collaboration in Action at the GCDTR Summit
Morehouse School of Medicine hosted the Georgia Center for Diabetes Translation Research (GCDTR) Research Summit on January 29, 2026 for a full day of collaboration and strategic exchange. The summit brought together pilot awardees, faculty, program leaders, and community partners to share research, highlight real-world impact, and explore how to move diabetes translation from innovative ideas to meaningful, community-centered outcomes.
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Dr. Mohammed K. Ali Elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation
We are proud to share that EGDRC Co-Director, Mohammed K. Ali, MD, MSc, MBA, has been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI)—one of the nation’s most prestigious honor societies for physician-scientists—following an overwhelming vote of support from the ASCI membership.
ASCI membership recognizes physician-scientists who have made outstanding contributions to biomedical researchand who are committed to advancing scientific discovery and improving human health. Dr. Ali’s election reflects his impactful work at the intersection of clinical medicine, global health, and diabetes research, as well as his leadership within Emory and beyond.
Dr. Ali joins a distinguished group of Emory faculty elected to ASCI in recent years, including several from the Rollins School of Public Health.
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Congratulations Piaopiao Li, MS, PhD
Congratulations and welcome to Piaopiao Li, MS, PhD, who joins the Division of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Li recently earned her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy from the University of Florida while working with EGDRC core faculty Dr. Hui Shao as her mentor.
Previously she received her BS in Pharmacy and MS in Pharmaceutical Science from Peking University in China. She brings experience as a clinical research associate at Johnson & Johnson and research interest in diabetes, microsimulation, and cost-effectiveness analysis.
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Have an upcoming publication you'd like us to share?
Please email Communications Director, Myra Nwafor (myra.patrick@emory.edu) to submit an item for our next newsletter.
| | | Publications & Highlights | | |
Despite progress against cardiovascular disease, the rising burden of diabetes is threatening gains in life expectancy. Led by EGDRC’s Shivani Patel, this study draws on 25 years of International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas data, providing transparent, accessible insights that serve as a key benchmark for researchers, policymakers, and the public.
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As cognitive impairment increasingly affects low- and middle-income countries, scalable tools for early detection are critical. A new npj Dementia pilot study led by Ram Jagannathan and colleagues evaluates a tablet-based digital Clock Drawing Test among adults aged 50+ in urban India, demonstrating the feasibility of technology-enabled cognitive screening in population-based settings.
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Research Funding Opportunities
Woodruff Health Sciences Food, Nutrition and Health Research Awards
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Emory’s SOM, SON, and Rollins School of Public Health are now accepting proposals for the Woodruff Health Sciences Food, Nutrition and Health Research Awards. These one-year pilot awards ($25,000–$100,000) support innovative, cross-school research in nutrition and health, with priority given to projects that leverage collaboration, technology, data science, or AI and strengthen competitiveness for future federal funding.
Proposals are due March 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
For full details and application instructions HERE.
Questions: Contact Greeshma Kombara at greeshma.girish.kombara@emory.edu
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GCDTR Virtual Speaker Series
Remission of Type 2 Diabetes: Fact or Fiction?
Monday, February 16 | 12:00PM–1:00PM (ET) | Virtual
Join us for our next talk by Stefano Del Prato, MD (University of Pisa and Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy)
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