The Cosmopolitan International Diabetes Center is recognized nationally for excellence in patient care and multidisciplinary research programs. The center represents a strong alliance between the MU School of Medicine and the private sector.

The center's medical team members work with referring physicians to provide the best treatment possible to patients and many have focused their expertise to treat the neurologic, ophthalmologic and cardiovascular complications of diabetes.

Physicians in the center also see patients for other endocrine disorders such as high cholesterol, thyroid function and osteoporosis. The center provides an optimal environment for delivering comprehensive care along with excellent research.

Research

Faculty members in the departments of Pediatrics, Medicine and Ophthalmology were co-investigators in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, a landmark 10-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health that was designed to find the most effective way to prevent diabetes complications. In fact, improvements made in hemoglobin A1c testing led to selection of a University of Missouri investigator's lab as the reference center for DCCT.

Since 2020, investigators in the division have been funded by commercial, association, and organizational sponsors, as well as VA Research, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the National Institutes of Health - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Patients who qualify may become subjects in various ongoing clinical research trials. Research studies now being conducted at the center include clinical trials for:

  • Inhaled insulin
  • Neuropathy; diabetic foot ulcers
  • New medications for diabetes control
  • Growth hormone use in adults

The Diabetes Center works with the Clinical Research Unit to facilitate the operation of clinical trials. The unit is fully staffed by registered nurses and administrative staff who coordinate clinical trials. If you are interested in participating in a clinical research project or in getting more information about the unit, please contact the Clinical Research Unit at 573-882-4894.