An intensive, one-year, lifestyle-modification treatment for type 2 diabetes patients, featuring a low-calorie diet and physical exercise, resulted in a large average weight loss, and remission of diabetes for most patients, in a clinical trial led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar.

In the study, whose results appear in the June issue of Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, the average one-year weight loss for patients receiving the lifestyle intervention was about 26 pounds. Patients in a comparison group, who received standard, medication-centered diabetes care, lost only 9 pounds on average. About 61 percent of the patients receiving the lifestyle intervention no longer had diabetes after the one-year trial, compared to just 12 percent of the standard care group.

Dr. Shahrad Taheri

“I think it’s a real game-changer for the management of type 2 diabetes,” said study principal investigator Dr. Shahrad Taheri, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, and professor of medicine and of epidemiology and health services research at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. “It shows that if you lose weight early enough in the disease process, you can actually reverse the disease, and thus avoid all the other health issues and quality of life reductions that come with it.”

Current standard care for diabetes emphasizes drugs to control blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure—medications that most patients will take indefinitely. The assumption underlying this medication-centered approach is that the insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas that fail to work properly in diabetes are usually irretrievably damaged by the time of diagnosis. Dr. Taheri and other researchers in the field have proposed that more emphasis should be placed on weight loss, especially for younger patients who have only recently developed diabetes. Their hypothesis is that the abdominal fat accumulation that harms insulin-producing cells may be reversible through weight loss – much more easily than doctors have assumed.

“This trial shows that weight loss can work and can be sustainable—and the kicker is that there was a 61 percent remission of diabetes, which is huge,” said study co-author Dr. Mary Charlson, chief of clinical epidemiology and evaluative services research and the William T. Foley Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.

The trial, known as the DIADEM-1 trial, was conducted in a primary care center and a community care center in Doha, Qatar. Diabetes prevalence in Qatar is estimated to be more than 17 percent and the rate of obesity is more than 40 percent.

Dr. Mary Charlson

Dr. Taheri set up the trial with his colleagues in 2017. They enrolled 158 patients—three-quarters of them men—whose average age was 42 and average weight was 223 pounds. All had had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for fewer than three years, and all were of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry and lived in Qatar.

The patients were randomized to receive either standard care, which emphasizes medications, or an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI). The latter began with a 12-week, dietitian-supervised, low-calorie Cambridge Weight Plan diet, of the type that forces participants to burn fat stores for energy and thus lose weight rapidly. In a subsequent 12-week phase, participants gradually replaced the diet program foods with a more usual but healthy and calorie-restricted diet, which participants were coached to follow for the remainder of the one-year study period. Trainers encouraged ILI group participants to walk at least 10,000 steps per day and spend at least 150 minutes per week getting physical exercise.

ILI group participants stopped taking their diabetes medications at the start of the study, and throughout the study, based on clinical evaluations, doctors adjusted doses for, or discontinued, any cholesterol- or blood-pressure-lowering drugs these patients were taking.

At 12 months, participants in this group had lost an average of 26 pounds, 61 percent were no longer considered diabetic, and 33 percent had completely normal blood-sugar levels—all these measures being far better than those seen in the control group. On average, ILI participants were down to just two medications each, compared to about five each for control group participants.

A recent clinical trial in the United Kingdom known as the DIRECT trial had a similar design and achieved a large average weight loss and 46 percent diabetes remission rate after 12 months. Dr. Taheri notes that DIADEM-1’s results may have been better because its participants were about a decade younger on average and had had diabetes for less time.

He and his colleagues are continuing to track the study participants’ weight loss and diabetes status, and are planning new studies of similar interventions in different populations and with different diet plans. The nature of the intensive lifestyle intervention in the DIADEM-1, DIRECT and other trials, involving consistent support by multiple providers specializing in nutrition and exercise, may help explain why participants were able to sustain their weight loss when people dieting on their own can rebound and sometimes regain more weight than they lost.

“We’re hoping that studies such as these can bring about a big change in the clinical approach to type 2 diabetes across the world—so that we will combine early screening with lifestyle interventions essentially to get rid of this condition straightaway, instead of putting people on multiple medications for life,” Dr. Taheri said.

NEW YORK (September 15, 2015) — Dr. Monika Safford, a clinician-investigator known for her patient-centered research on diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and health disparities, has been named chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, effective Jan. 1, 2016.

Dr. Safford will apply her research background and clinical expertise to oversee the division, which is housed within the medical college's Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine. This division unifies the outpatient and inpatient programs, known as the Weill Cornell Internal Medicine Associates, or WCIMA, and the hospitalist medicine division, respectively. While both sections have already proven their excellence in clinical care and teaching, Dr. Safford will focus on expanding the division's burgeoning clinical research program. She will recruit top investigators and develop and mentor Weill Cornell faculty and students.

"Dr. Safford's research enterprise, skill set and reputation will be tremendous assets to the Weill Department of Medicine," said Dr. Augustine M. K. Choi, the Weill Chairman of the Weill Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. "Her work focuses on how to positively impact the quality, safety and overall care of patients. As a result, she will improve the patient experience here."

A New York native and 1986 graduate of Weill Cornell, Dr. Safford is currently a professor of medicine, an assistant dean for continuing medical education and the inaugural endowed professor in diabetes prevention and control at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, where she has worked since 2003. Among her more than 300 published studies are noteworthy investigations on an underserved and largely African-American region called the Alabama Black Belt, where two-thirds of adults are obese and many have diabetes, hypertension or other chronic conditions. Dr. Safford has studied how health coaches and other non-traditional interventions affect patient outcomes, and was recently awarded a $10 million grant by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to test two ways of improving the blood pressure of 2,000 people in the area.

"While it may seem like Alabama is a world away from New York City, when it comes to what people prioritize and want to know about their health, it's remarkably similar," said Dr. Safford, who was recruited as the John J. Kuiper Professor of Medicine. "The opportunity to return to Weill Cornell and develop a research program in partnership with academically focused clinicians is really exciting."

The Weill Cornell outpatient program, led by Dr. Judy Tung, focuses on many issues that Dr. Safford specializes in, such as preventive healthcare, treatment of acute and chronic illness and the coordination of care for those with complex diseases. The inpatient division, headed by Dr. Art Evans, provides comprehensive care to hospital patients while also overseeing specialized programs, including the Medicine-Physician's Assistant Service and Integrative Medicine. Both are dedicated to the medical education of residents and students. Combining the inpatient and outpatient services in the Division of General Internal Medicine will not affect the patient experience on the micro level, as both programs will continue to look and operate as they do today, with Dr. Tung and Dr. Evans now reporting to Dr. Safford, Dr. Choi said. But on the macro level, building out the patient-centered research focus will ultimately improve patient safety, quality and overall care, he added.

One way that Dr. Safford plans to do that is by introducing a new Patient-Activated Learning System, known as PALS, within the next year. This computer-based system will offer important information on disease conditions and medical tests that is frequently found in pamphlets, and instead present it within an easy to use, online or app-based format. Through this system, patients will be educated on their disease, what to expect from their inpatient and outpatient care providers, what a medical test will look and feel like, and why and how to properly take their medications. The PALS will also provide physicians with an information system that is designed to facilitate shared decision-making, ultimately intending to improve their patients' health.

Dr. Safford has received funding for her research projects from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Diabetes Association, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Her more than 300 research articles have been published in prestigious medical journals including the Journal of the American Medical Association, Diabetes Care and the American Journal of Cardiology. She is committed to mentorship, and has a National Institutes of Health K24 mid-career award that protects some of her time so that she can mentor junior faculty and students.

Dr. Safford received her bachelor of arts degree from Dartmouth College and her medical degree from Weill Cornell. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine and the Birmingham Veterans Administration Medical Center in 2003, she earlier worked as an instructor of medicine at Brown University Medical School with a hospital appointment at The Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island; and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, with a hospital appointment at the affiliated University Hospital.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive hospitals and a leading provider of inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine. With some 2,600 beds and more than 6,700 affiliated physicians and almost 22,000 employees, NewYork-Presbyterian had more than 2 million visits in 2014, including some 14,000 infant deliveries and more than 262,000 emergency department visits. NewYork-Presbyterian comprises six campuses: NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital. The hospital is also closely affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian/Hudson Valley Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area, according to U.S. News & World Report, and consistently named to the magazine's Honor Roll of best hospitals in the nation. Affiliated with two world-renowned medical schools, Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NewYork-Presbyterian is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. For more information, visit www.nyp.org.

Weill Cornell Medical College

Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research from bench to bedside aimed at unlocking mysteries of the human body in health and sickness and toward developing new treatments and prevention strategies. In its commitment to global health and education, Weill Cornell has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Cornell University is the first in the U.S. to offer a M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances — including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. Weill Cornell Medical College is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where its faculty provides comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Medical College is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.

Jessica M. Bibliowicz, Successful Business Executive, Named New Chair of the Board

NEW YORK (December 9, 2014) — After 20 years of bold and visionary leadership that has transformed Weill Cornell Medical College into a global healthcare enterprise, Sanford I. Weill will retire as chair of the Weill Cornell Board of Overseers on Jan. 1. Jessica M. Bibliowicz, a successful entrepreneur in the financial services business for nearly three decades, who has served on the Board of Overseers for the past decade, will succeed Mr. Weill, the new chair emeritus.

Jessica M. Bibliowicz and Sanford I. Weill. All photos: John Abbott

The transition comes as the 116-year-old medical college embarks on a new chapter that builds upon the landmark successes Mr. Weill has realized in his two decades as chair. His enduring dedication to the institution that bears his name has resulted in an unprecedented expansion that is exemplified in Weill Cornell's excellence in medical education, biomedical research and clinical care. In collaboration with medical college leadership, Ms. Bibliowicz will help lead Weill Cornell as it continues to break new ground in New York and abroad by expanding its clinical enterprise and forging public-private partnerships that accelerate groundbreaking scientific discoveries for patients. Working closely with Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College, Ms. Bibliowicz will help guide its transformation of medical education and drive dialogue on innovative healthcare delivery models that optimize the value and quality of patient care.

"When I joined the Board of Overseers more than 30 years ago, I was driven to try and make a difference in the world," Mr. Weill said. "It's truly humbling to see just how much of an impact Weill Cornell has had around the globe, and I believe we are poised to thrive far into the future. Weill Cornell Medical College is more to me than just an esteemed medical school — the people here are my extended family. I could think of no one better than Jessica to shepherd Weill Cornell into the next stage of its evolution."

"It's an honor and privilege to be able to support Weill Cornell Medical College's tremendous efforts to educate, innovate and heal," Ms. Bibliowicz said. "As a Cornell University alum, it's especially meaningful to me to try and help take this distinguished institution to the next level of excellence in New York and beyond. Our ever-changing healthcare landscape has sparked exciting opportunities to help shape national conversation, and I'm eager to work with Dr. Glimcher and the Board of Overseers as we strive to improve and prolong human health."

Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, Sanford I. Weill and Jessica M. Bibliowicz

In the three decades he has served on the Board of Overseers and in the two decades he has been chair, Mr. Weill has been much more than a governing force. His benevolence and unwavering resolve to ensure a healthier future has touched every program area at Weill Cornell, establishing the medical school as an innovator in basic, clinical and translational research, and forging a new paradigm for global engagement and medical education.

Under Mr. Weill's leadership, the medical college has built bridges nationally and abroad. Weill Cornell forged an affiliation with Houston Methodist in Texas and, with Cornell University, established a medical school in Doha, Qatar. Since its inception in 2002, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, which offers a Cornell University medical degree, has created 181 new doctors who have continued their graduate medical training in residencies and clinical research at outstanding institutions in the United States and Qatar. The Weill Cornell Qatar location has also established a world-class biomedical team and contributed to Qatar's goal of becoming a knowledge-based economy. In addition, Weill Cornell in 2007 established a formal affiliation with Bugando Medical Centre and the Weill Bugando University College of Health Sciences in Mwanza, Tanzania, named in recognition of the Weills' support. Weill Bugando has graduated an average of 100 new doctors every year for the past seven years in Mwanza, expanding Tanzania's core of providers who are empowered to deliver the best patient care, despite a resource-limited setting. This unique educational partnership has spurred new possibilities for cultural exchange, providing medical students at Weill Cornell in New York and residents at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital with the opportunity to spend a month or two in Mwanza practicing medicine the way it used to be, with limited modern technology. They return to New York with a greater sense of gratification that reaffirms their commitment to global health and a career in academic medicine.

In recognition that building a healthier future also requires training an exceptional cadre of new doctors and scientists, Mr. Weill and his wife Joan in 1992 established the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Education Center, the heart of the medical college's education program, with their first gifts to Weill Cornell. The Weill Education Center comprises the Weill Auditorium and 20 classrooms and teaching laboratories outfitted with modern audio-visual, networking and wireless technology to provide the next generation of medical professionals with the best environment for learning.

Sanford I. Weill

In 2007, Weill Cornell opened the Weill Greenberg Center in New York City, the medical college's flagship and award-winning ambulatory care center, and in January opened the adjacent Belfer Research Building, a transformative 18-story, state-of-the-art facility that ensures that the medical college remains at the forefront of scientific discovery. Their proximity to each other ensures that breakthroughs made in the laboratory can be rapidly applied to patient care as improved treatments and therapies. Weill Cornell has successfully recruited some of the world's leading physicians and scientists to conduct this translational research. Last year, the Weills established the Weill Center for Metabolic Health, which strives to understand the basic biology and genetics of diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome, and translate discoveries into next-generation therapeutic approaches. Weill Cornell is conducting a national search for a renowned scientist to lead these efforts.

A self-made man who exemplifies the philosophy of leading by example, Mr. Weill, Mrs. Weill and the Weill Family Foundation have generously given more than $550 million in gifts to support Weill Cornell Medical College. They include a groundbreaking $100 million gift in 1998 — at the time the largest in Cornell University's history — a second $100 million gift in 2002, a $250 million gift in 2007 and another $100 million gift in 2013 to establish the Weill Center for Metabolic Health, as well as the Joan and Sanford I. Weill and the Weill Family Foundation Global Health Research Laboratories. In honor and appreciation of their unparalleled dedication and enduring commitment, the institution in 1998 was renamed Weill Cornell Medical College. With an additional gift of $50 million to Cornell University, the Weills' total giving tops $600 million.

The Weills' altruism inspired and galvanized Weill Cornell's numerous, loyal donors to support the medical college. In Mr. Weill's 20 years as chair, the medical college has raised $3 billion. Earlier this year, Weill Cornell celebrated the Weills' legacy by naming its department of medicine the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine.

"What Sandy has done for Weill Cornell, New York and the world is just breathtaking — it's a labor of love that will touch the lives of generations," Dr. Glimcher said. "His unwavering leadership, profound magnanimity and steadfast resolve to enhance medical education, advance discoveries and enrich clinical care is his lasting legacy. Jessica is an outstanding choice to assume Sandy's mantle and steer Weill Cornell into the future. I couldn't be more thrilled for what's to come."

"Sandy is a businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, visionary leader, chairman emeritus of Citigroup, Cornell alumnus and my good friend," said Cornell University President David Skorton. "As chair of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medical College, he has nurtured the college's growth, guided its progress and expanded its capacity for rigorous medical education, path-breaking research and superb clinical care — to the enormous benefit of our students, faculty, researchers and patients. I am delighted that Jessica Bibliowicz, who has provided exemplary leadership to the university and the medical college, has agreed to take on this new role as chair of the Board of Overseers."

"It is impossible to overstate the impact that Sandy has had on Weill Cornell Medical College, and on the whole of Cornell University, during his time as chair of the Board of Overseers," said Robert Harrison, chair of the Cornell University Board of Trustees. "He is someone who can not only articulate a strong and inspirational vision, but also bring people together to do what it takes to make the vision a reality. Although I will miss working with Sandy, I am very much looking forward to working with Jessica in her new role. She has been a very effective trustee and overseer for many years and clearly has the talent and energy to lead the Board of Overseers and the medical school to new heights."

About Jessica M. Bibliowicz

A Cornell University graduate in 1981 and after working 18 years in financial services, Ms. Bibliowicz became CEO of National Financial Partners in 1999, a financial services firm that specializes in benefits and wealth management. The company went public in 2003 and was sold to Madison Dearborn in 2013. Ms. Bibliowicz joined the Weill Cornell Board of Overseers in 2004. She is also a member of the Cornell University Board of Trustees and a member of the Cornell NYC Tech Campus Task Force. Currently, Ms. Bibliowicz is a senior advisor at Bridge Growth Partners and serves on the board of directors of Sotheby's(NYSE: BID); Realogy (NYSE: RLGY); and the Asia Pacific Fund (NYSE: APB). She is a board director/trustee of Prudential Insurance Funds and is also on the board of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Weill Cornell Medical College

Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research from bench to bedside aimed at unlocking mysteries of the human body in health and sickness and toward developing new treatments and prevention strategies. In its commitment to global health and education, Weill Cornell has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Cornell University is the first in the U.S. to offer a M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances — including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. Weill Cornell Medical College is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where its faculty provides comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Medical College is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.