Front of the hospital

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of twenty-two type 1 diabetes TrialNet International Clinical Centers at the forefront of type 1 diabetes research. Led by Bill Russell, MD, the TrialNet team at Vanderbilt is dedicated to preventing type 1 diabetes and stopping disease progression by preserving insulin production before and after diagnosis.

Our Team

bill russell

Bill Russell, MD

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Faith Brendle, RN, CPN, CCRP

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Anne Brown, MSN, BC-ANP, BC-ADM

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Brenna Hammel, BSN, RN, CPN

Kim Rainer

Kim Rainer, RN

Regional Affiliates

University Diabetes & Endocrine Consultants
5616 Brainerd Road, Suite 208 , Chattanooga, 37411 United States
University of Louisville Pediatric Endocrinology
601 S. Floyd St , Louisville, 40202 United States
University of Tennessee/ Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
50 N Dunlop St, 7th Floor PCRU , Memphis, 38103 United States
AM Diabetes & Endocrinology Center
3025 Kate Bond Rd , Bartlett, 38133 United States
Baptist Memorial Medical Group, Inc.
5659 South Rex Rd , Memphis, 38119 United States
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Med School Wing E Rm 128, Chapel Hill, 27599 United States
Virginia Commonwealth University
1001 E. Marshall Street, Room P1-006, Richmond, 23298 United States

Research Studies

The following studies are actively recruiting participants. Please click on the study title to learn more. For those interested in participation, contact us for more information.   

Risk Screening Risk Screening for Relatives

If you have a relative with T1D, you may be eligible for risk screening that can detect the early stages of T1D years before symptoms appear. More

Monitoring Monitoring

Depending on your risk screening results, you may be eligible for monitoring. We’ll monitor you for disease progression and let you know if you become eligible for a study. More

Prevention Study Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

We are testing the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to see if it can delay or prevent early stage T1D (stage 1) from progressing to abnormal glucose tolerance (stage 2) and ultimately prevent clinical diagnosis (stage 3). HCQ is already used to reduce symptoms and progression of other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. This is the first study to see if it can prevent or delay T1D. Details

Prevention Study Abatacept Prevention Study

TrialNet tested the drug abatacept to see if it could delay or prevent stage 1 T1D (two or more diabetes-related autoantibodies, but normal blood sugar) from progressing to stage 2 (abnormal blood sugar) or to stage 3 (clinical diagnosis). In an earlier study in people newly diagnosed (stage 3), participants treated with abatacept had 59% better insulin production and a 9.6-month average delay in progression of insulin loss compared to those who received placebo. That difference extended out to 3 years. Details

Long Term Long-Term Follow-up

If you are diagnosed with T1D while participating in one of our prevention studies, we’re still here for you. You can continue to receive personal monitoring while helping us learn more. More