Dr. Annalijn Conklin, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, has secured over $400,000 in competitive research funding from Diabetes Canada to investigate a critical yet underexplored question: Can social connections help protect against diabetes and its complications? The funding will support three new graduate students and several members of a Patient Advisory Group.
Diabetes Canada received 135 applications and awarded only 13 grants, representing a highly selective acceptance rate. Conklin's project was among five awards led by members of Diabetes Action Canada (DAC), demonstrating the strength of patient-led Canadian diabetes networks.
Conklin's funded project, titled "Can social connections help protect against the risk of diabetes and its physical and mental health complications?", examines the relationship between social determinants of health and metabolic outcomes from a gender-based perspective. This research aligns with her broader program of Social Epidemiology and Metabolic Outcomes Research (SEMOR), which she leads at UBC.
The research represents a shift in diabetes prevention thinking. While traditional approaches focus primarily on diet, exercise, and medication, Conklin's work explores how gains, loss or continued absence of social relationships—such as marital status, diverse social participation—may influence diabetes risk and disease progression. This population-level perspective could inform new intervention strategies that address the social dimensions of chronic disease.
As diabetes prevalence continues to rise globally, research like Conklin's offers hope that new pathways to prevention and management may emerge from understanding the full context of people's lives, not just their biology.