Diabetes (see more articles like this)

At 6 years old, Linda Hambleton was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  The disease has caused multiple heart attacks, strokes and seizures, more hospitalizations than she can count, and blindness.  Now with a new agreement announced today between Florida Hospital and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, patients like Linda are getting new hope for a cure for this debilitating disease.

“As someone who has been impacted by this disease for most of my life, I am excited to know that Florida Hospital, the place that has cared for me, is partnering with a leader in medical research like Burnham to pursue a cure and improve treatment,” Hambleton said.

At the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce this morning, officials from Florida Hospital and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research announced the creation of the Florida Hospital-Burnham Clinical Research Institute (CRI) to take the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes and obesity to the next level.  The Florida Hospital-Burnham CRI, along with the Burnham Institute at Lake Nona, will be Burnham’s hub for diabetes and obesity research.

“Orlando, which is quickly establishing itself as a destination for science and medicine, is the ideal location for our East Coast Center of Excellence,” said Dr. John Reed, chief executive officer of Burnham. “This agreement with Florida Hospital allows us to work together to take our research directly to the patient and to explore lifestyle medicine issues that will hopefully allow us to better prevent disease in the future.”

The CRI will begin operations in a temporary facility in Fall 2008 and will be fully operational in 2009.  Space for the CRI’s permanent location will break ground this Summer.  The CRI will be led by world-renowned physician and Scientific Director of Burnham at Lake Nona Dr. Daniel Kelly, who will help the CRI develop and define a new sub-specialty – the diabetic heart. 

“What most people don’t know is that diabetes not only affects your blood sugar, but also significantly impacts your heart,” Kelly said. “At the Florida Hospital-Burnham CRI, we will study this phenomenon we are calling the ‘diabetic heart’ to learn more about this condition and hopefully pioneer new treatments.”

The agreement will also help support the new University of Central Florida College of Medicine.

“This partnership between two premier healthcare organizations will enhance the significant research already taking place at the College of Medicine,” said UCF President John Hitt. “Adding more world-class scientists to partner with our researchers and students will strengthen our community’s focus on biomedical research and provide benefits for years to come.”

Florida Hospital, under the leadership of Dr. Samuel Crockett, has consistently been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for its Diabetes/Endocrinology services.  Of the hospitals on the 2007 list, the Florida Hospital Diabetes Institute had the highest patient volume.    

“Linda Hambleton, who has struggled with diabetes for 36 years, is a living example of why this agreement is so important,” said Des Cummings, executive vice president at Florida Hospital. “Burnham is a leader in medical research, and Florida Hospital is a leader in patient care. Together, we hope to build the bridge between research and the patient bedside to achieve earlier detection and the best outcomes.”

About Burnham Institute for Medical Research
Burnham Institute for Medical Research uses an entrepreneurial, collaborative approach to medical research to reveal the fundamental molecular causes of disease and devise the innovative therapies of tomorrow.  The Institute is organized into five research centers focused in the areas of: cancer; neurosciences, aging and stem cell research; infectious and inflammatory diseases; diabetes and obesity; and children’s health.  Thanks to the quality of its faculty members, Burnham ranks among the top 25 organizations worldwide (according to the Institute for Scientific Information) for its research impact and among the top four research institutes nationally for NIH grant funding.  Burnham is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation headquartered in La Jolla, California, with campuses in Orlando, Florida and Santa Barbara, California.  For more information, please visit www.burnham.org.

About Florida Hospital
Opened in 1908, Florida Hospital is one of the largest not-for-profit hospitals in the country, admitting more patients than any other hospital in the nation, according to the American Hospital Association.  The more than 2,000-bed system, has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best hospitals in the country for the past nine years.  Florida Hospital has several major centers of excellence including Cardiology, Cancer, Neuroscience, Orthopaedics, and Diabetes.  For more information, please visit www.floridahospital.org.

About UCF College of Medicine
The College of Medicine’s four-year medical program will capitalize on UCF’s existing strengths in biomedical sciences, modeling and simulation, and optics and photonics. Other programs in materials science, psychology, hospitality, chemistry, film and digital media, and nursing will support the program. The college ultimately will produce about 120 medical graduates each year.