Program Activities
Students Will Engage in Hands-On Learning
- Each DISIRE student will complete an independent research project supervised by a faculty mentor.
- The DISIRE program will consist of the mentored research project, a “Diabetes: From Bench to Bedside” Online Course, weekly seminars and journal clubs, and a group capstone project.
- The final week will include an end of summer research symposium the “Ohio University Summer Research Symposium” in which each DISIRE student will present the research project.
Activities and Programming
- Students will be engaged in a full-time schedule including working within a research setting typically from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.
- Students will complete a two-day orientation upon arrival.
- Students will need to engage in pre-arrival activities, including online research training modules and a brief orientation meeting.
Sample weekly schedule of DISIRE Program activities
“Diabetes: From Bench to Bedside” Online Course
DISIRE participants will take part of an online course offering an exploration of the underlying genetics and physiology of diabetes and clinically relevant issues surrounding diabetes from medical, self-management and prevention perspectives. DISIRE participants will complete this course consisting of one 15-to-45-minute module each week. The online modules will be available to participants via Ohio University’s Learning Management System, Blackboard. Participants will be asked to complete these modules during their free time in the evenings.
“Diabetes: From Bench to Beside” Online Modules for DISIRE Program
| MODULE 1 | Introduction to Diabetes - Significance and prevalence |
| MODULE 2 | Normal Physiology - A basic overview of normal pancreatic physiology and its effects on the body |
| MODULE 3 | Pathogenesis of Diabetes - A breakdown of the pathophysiological and genetic causes of diabetes |
| MODULE 4 | Physiological Implications - An overview of the effects of diabetes on the body, including macro- and microvascular complications |
| MODULE 5 | Diabetes Comorbidities - An overview of common comorbidities associated with diabetes such as depression, digestive issues, sexual dysfunction |
| MODULE 6 | Medical Care and Self Management - An insight into how diabetes is managed in clinic and at home |
| MODULE 7 | Medical Management - A more in-depth look at how diabetes is managed using drug therapy |
| MODULE 8 | Nutrition Management - A review of macro- and micronutrients, nutritional recommendations and management tools |
| MODULE 9 | Exercise Management - A foundation of how exercise affects the body and recommendations for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes |
| MODULE 10 | Medical Management - A look at the health care professional team and various roles in diabetes care |
Weekly Seminar and Journal Club Didactics
At the start of each week (2-8), participants will meet for an hour to discuss a selected paper that they were asked to read in advance that explores an important aspect of diabetes, be it a key research finding or a recent consensus/position statement. This “journal club” would also expose the participants to the journal style specific to each profession, which varies widely between the professions. The journal club will invite all research project mentors as well as the grant’s co-investigator team (Drs. Kopchick, Beverly, Nunemaker, and Lee). Later in the week, an Ohio University faculty member will speak for an hour with the DISIRE participants, providing details of the field, including research that they perform and how they collaborate with other professionals/disciplines, as well as answering questions asked by the participants.