With people of minority background and those with obesity and diabetes most at risk for severe cases of COVID-19, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases is leading in the research behind why that is. Director Dr. Griffin Rodgers, who contributed to the first effective therapy for sickle cell anemia, updates HealthCast on the institute's work to lessen the effects of COVID-19 on its research community, as well as other top research and data initiatives at the institution.