Dialing Back Diabetes — The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded Dr. Jeffrey Gonzalez $2.5 million over five years to test a telephone-based program designed to help patients manage their diabetes. Studies have shown that successful self-management reduces diabetes-related complications and improves quality of life. But many patients have trouble sticking with their treatment plans and become distressed by the struggle to do so. Dr. Gonzalez has partnered with the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to supplement primary clinical care with a program in which patients receive regular phone calls supporting self-management. The program’s effectiveness will be evaluated by measuring changes in patients’ health behaviors, as well as glucose levels, distress, and blood pressure. Dr. Gonzalez is assistant professor of medicine and of epidemiology & population health.