Conference Coverage

Prediabetes may signal more than the future development of diabetes; it can also provide an opportunity to identify and address cardiovascular risk earlier. Here to recap his presentation at the 2026 European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting is Dr. John Ostrominski, preventive cardiologist and obesity medicine specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ostrominski explains how cardiovascular risk assessment can inform individualized prevention strategies and why risk-reduction efforts should not wait until diabetes develops.

Could lower doses of radiation help optimize immune response in mesothelioma? Dr. John Cho joins us to explain how tailoring radiation to a tumor’s inflammatory and immunogenic characteristics could help modulate antitumor immunity while reducing the potential for fibrosis and treatment-related toxicity. Dr. Cho is a radiation oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto, and he spoke about this topic at the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer.

How might diet and exercise influence metabolic outcomes among patients taking GLP-1 medicines? To find out, we recently spoke with Dr. Laura Chiavaroli, who discussed this topic at the 2026 European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting. She shares emerging evidence on combining lifestyle interventions with GLP-1 therapy and highlights where gaps in research still remain. Dr. Chiavaroli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and an affiliate scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Residual beta cells may persist after a type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis, but how well do they continue to function? Tune in to hear Dr. Edward Phelps discuss research he presented at the 2026 European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting that examined glucose-stimulated calcium responses in living pancreatic tissue from donors with recent-onset T1D. He explains how residual beta cells showed impaired responses to glucose regardless of the local presence of T cells, suggesting that beta cell dysfunction may extend beyond islets with substantial immune cell infiltration. Dr. Phelps is an Associate Professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida.

Cellular interactions within pancreatic islets may provide important insights into the early stages and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Tune in to hear Dr. Vira Kravets share research she presented at the 2026 European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting, which focused on how alpha-beta cell proximity influences GLP-1R-mediated communication as well as the spatial association between alpha cells and T cells in human islets. Dr. Kravets is an Assistant Professor in the University of California San Diego Department of Bioengineering and holds a secondary appointment in the Division of Endocrinology within the Department of Pediatrics at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Despite advances in type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, key questions remain about disease progression, immune mechanisms, and the optimal timing of intervention. Here to explore how immunology and islet research could help address these knowledge gaps is Dr. Edward Phelps. He’s an Associate Professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida.

New research is examining the relationship between gynecologic surgery and heart failure in women. Learn more about how surgery type and timing were associated with heart failure risk with Elise Shalowitz, a Principal Clinical Research Professional at the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.

For patients who smoke or have a history of smoking, seeking lung cancer screening can mean confronting more than the fear of a diagnosis; it can also mean anticipating blame and judgment. Dr. Lisa Carter-Bawa joins us to share how tobacco-related stigma and nihilism can discourage screening, honest conversations, and follow-up care. Learn how approaching patients with greater awareness and compassion can help create a more supportive path to early detection. Dr. Carter-Bawa is the Director of the Cancer Prevention Precision Control Institute at the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation and a Co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program and the Deputy Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. She spoke about this topic at the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer.

Even well-intentioned conversations about tobacco use can leave patients feeling judged and potentially less willing to engage in lung cancer screening, follow-up, or cessation support. Tune in as Dr. Lisa Carter-Bawa shares practical strategies for fostering more supportive, patient-centered conversations that reduce stigma and keep the door open to screening and continued care. In addition to being the Director of the Cancer Prevention Precision Control Institute at the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery & Innovation, she’s also a Co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program and the Deputy Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. She also spoke about this topic at the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer.

What does current evidence tell us about subcutaneous lipoprotein(a)-lowering therapies? Find out as Dr. M. Melih Dogan shares findings from a recent meta-analysis examining their efficacy, safety, and effects on key lipid parameters, along with the limitations that remain as larger clinical trials continue. He's a Postdoctoral Researcher at East Carolina University Heart Institute, and he spoke about this topic at the 2026 European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich.