15 November A Special Message from DRC Director Dr. E. Dale Abel November 15, 2021 By The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center DRC, Iowa, Diabetes, Diabetes Research Center 0 Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, After 8.5 years as Director of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC), I write to share with you that I will be relocating from Iowa to California. In January, I will begin a new journey as Chair of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and executive medical director of the UCLA Health System’s Department of Medicine. I will continue to conduct diabetes research there but will pass over the reins of leading the FOEDRC to trusted colleagues who have served by my side throughout my tenure as your director. These are individuals that you have met and know and whom I am confident will continue to fulfill your dream of curing diabetes. In the meantime, I will remain a senior advisor to the new leaders of the FOEDRC and in this way continue to fulfill my commitment to your mission. My time at the helm of the FOEDRC has been nothing short of amazing and in many ways like a dream come true. It has been amazing to watch the center grow over the years and the outsized influence that the FOEDRC has made to diabetes research across the world. When we started this journey, we were small and there was a hole in the ground where the Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building now stands. Today, the FOEDRC is more than 100 strong in terms of faculty and, last year, collectively, researchers at the FOEDRC garnered more than $23M in research funding from the NIH. With your help we supported more than 35 pilot grant awards. These seed funds totaling $3M supported projects that were able to compete for an additional $9M in new outside funding, primarily from the National Institutes of Health. With your support, we launched the Bridge to the Cure Program, which is currently supporting projects by Dr. Calvin Carter and Julien Sebag, both of which have great potential to develop into commercially viable new treatments for diabetes. In closing, let me state how much it has been a tremendous privilege to serve as your director for nearly nine years and partner with you in this important work. I have enjoyed working with you and getting to know you, and although, I will be relocating I intend to remain involved. I have deep respect for the mission and members of the FOE. Your commitment to helping those who are less fortunate is inspirational and your goal to find a cure for diabetes through the work of the FOEDRC will yield positive results. Thank you very much for leading us together down this path. Sincerely and with immense gratitude, E. Dale Abel MD PhD Director, Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center Related Articles A Message From The Grand Presidents Brothers & Sisters, Due to the coronavirus situation and that fact that many state governments have forced the closure of Aeries, we will be suspending all Grand Aerie travel for the time being, including the Grand Worthy President and Grand Madam President’s travels, and will reassess future travel arrangements on April 1, 2020. The Grand Worthy President’s Office will be in touch with those handling previously scheduled visitations and will be keeping future visitation sites informed as this situation evolves. Message from Grand Worthy President Ron Malz Brothers & Sisters, Over the last few weeks, the problems faced by the Fraternal Order of Eagles due to the coronavirus have been unprecedented. We entered March strongly on pace for our second consecutive year of Net Gain, then – suddenly – things came to a screeching halt. Our Aeries closed, we were unable to recruit and initiate new members and several of the annual events we all look forward to were unable to take place. A Message From the Grand Board of Trustees & GWP Ron Malz Brothers & Sisters, The Fraternal Order of Eagles Grand Aerie continues to monitor the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation across the United States and Canada and we hope that all of our members are taking the necessary precautions to remain safe as the issue continues to evolve. Many of you have asked us questions regarding opening your Aerie homes to members, meetings, etc., upcoming State/Provincial Conventions and our International Convention this summer in Spokane. Regarding local business, we’re asking all of our Aeries to keep a watchful eye on the recommendations of your local government officials and to fully comply with any orders they may issue within your States/Provinces and local communities. DRC Director's Update - August 2019 FOE Diabetes Research Center faculty recognize the importance of continuing the tradition of research excellence as we fight for the bridge to the cure. Because of this, part of our mission must be the preparation of the next generation of diabetes researchers. In addition to our commitment to training Ph.D. students and Postdoctoral scholars, the FOEDRC is a leader at the University of Iowa in providing research experience to our undergraduate students. Abel Chosen To Lead One of Four American Heart Association Research Networks E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, has been awarded a four-year $3.8M grant from the American Heart Association (AHA) to investigate mechanisms that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes. Abel will oversee a Strategically Focused Research Network (SFRN) of three projects in partnership with other UI departments and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School. The team will examine the relationship between novel secreted molecules from liver, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle that may directly or indirectly lead to damage of the heart and blood vessels in individuals with diabetes. DRC Director's Report - January 2021 A recent study by a team of UI researchers led by E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, Director, FOEDRC discovered eating a ketogenic diet rescued mice from heart failure. The study, published in the November issue of the journal Nature Metabolism, was one of three companion papers from independent research teams that all point to the damaging effects of excess sugar (glucose) and its breakdown products on the heart. The UI study also revealed the potential to mitigate that damage by supplying the heart with alternate fuel sources in the form of high-fat diets. Given its need for a constant, reliable supply of energy, the heart is very flexible about the type of molecules it can burn for fuel. Most of the heart’s energy comes from metabolizing fatty acids, but heart cells can also burn glucose and lactate, and also ketones. Showing 0 Comment Comments are closed.