COVID-19 and Diabetes: Clinical Implications

Dr. Umpierrez is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Emory University School of Medicine, and Chief of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Grady Memorial Hospital. Dr. Umpierrez first joined the Emory University School of Medicine faculty in 1992 – 1997. He returned in 2003 to focus on diabetes and metabolic disorders. Dr. Umpierrez’s research interests include mechanisms for ß-cell dysfunction in minority populations with ketosis-prone type 2 diabetes, the effects of free fatty acids on insulin secretion and hypertension in obese patients, and the inpatient management of insulin in critical and non-critical patients. His research programs at Grady Hospital and Emory University are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), American Diabetes Association (ADA), and American Heart Association (AHA). Dr. Umpierrez heads the Emory Latino Diabetes Education Program (ELDEP), the first nationally accredited all Spanish Diabetes education program dedicated to providing diabetes education and lifestyle intervention to Latinos in Georgia. Under his leadership, the ELDEP has received funding in the amount close to $500,000 from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation and the pharmaceutical industry to develop a culturally sensitive, community-based diabetes education program targeting Latinos in metro Atlanta and throughout the state of Georgia.