Clinical Trials, Implementation and Education Research

Jennifer Green, MD, is a professor of medicine and endocrinologist at Duke University and a member of the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI). Her research has focused upon strategies to treat diabetes and reduce the risk of cardiovascular and other complications. She has served as an investigator in federally funded clinical trials of glycemic management in type 2 diabetes including ACCORD, BARI 2D, and GRADE. Her work with the DCRI has included leadership of several international trials designed to determine the cardiovascular effects of glucose-lowering medications (TECOS, EXSCEL, and Harmony Outcomes), and she is now the US coordinating center PI for the EMPA-Kidney trial.  Dr. Green is also a member of the ADA Professional Practice Committee, which publishes the annual Standards of Care in Diabetes.

Susan Spratt, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Assistant Professor of Community and Family Medicine. Dr. Spratt’s research focuses on management of diabetes in underserved populations, population health and diabetes, and informatics and clinical decision support for diabetes and other chronic diseases. This work includes developing phenotypes for diabetes identification in secondary data analysis; identifying patient perceptions and ethical issues involved in secondary data analysis; using geospatial analysis, risk assessment and community engagement to reduce death and disability in patients with diabetes.

Matt Crowley, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Crowley’s research seeks to improve outcomes in diabetes and other chronic diseases by developing, testing, and implementing practical, comprehensive health services interventions for individuals that do not respond optimally to clinic-based care. He is Principal Investigator on two ongoing VA-funded studies, and has served as a Co-Investigator on numerous NIH- and VA-funded studies. Dr. Crowley has an additional focus on systematic review and research prioritization, having led or participated in several AHRQ-, VA-, and PCORI-funded projects. Dr. Crowley is also the Program Director for Duke’s Endocrinology fellowship.

Bryan Batch, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine. Dr. Batch works on the design, adaptation and implementation of behavioral lifestyle interventions targeted to overweight, obese and diabetic people. Her focus is on variation in the demographics and responses among different racial/ethnic patient groups and how to explain and correct these disparities.

Richard Lee, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine. Dr Lee is a dual-trained Geriatrician and Endocrinologist with expertise in metabolic bone disease including osteoporosis. His primary research focuses on the interaction of comorbidities with bone health and bone fractures.   Dr. Lee, along with collaborators from the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the Duke Center for Aging, have identified factors associated with fracture risk among older adults with diabetes.   He also works within the Bone Health Service at the Durham VA GRECC developing approaches to enhance screening and treatment of osteoporosis in male Veterans.  Dr. Lee’s work has been supported by the American Diabetes Association, John A. Hartford Foundation/AFAR, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the NIH National Institute on Aging.

Diana McNeill, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director, Duke AHEAD. Education research: Interprofessional teams, wellness and resilience, learning environment, resident and medical student competency , curriculum development, faculty development, education innovation.

Leonor Corsino, MD, MHS, Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Corsino’s endocrine-related research focuses on diabetes and related co-morbidities with a particular interest in health disparities and Hispanic/Latino/Latinx populations.  She has served as the PI and Co-Investigator in NIH, Industry and internal and external awards including the Hypertension Improvement Project-Latino, Latino Health Project, Cellphone Intervention for You, Patient and Provider Intervention for the Management of Osteoarthritis (PRIMO), PRIMO-Latino, Duke Diet and Fitness Center Duke Employee Weight Loss Program, SAVOR-TIMI 53, Durham Diabetes Coalition, A Self- Management Intervention for Women with Breast Cancer and Diabetes, Improving Adherence to Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients, and Transition of Care Model for adults Hispanic/Latino patients with diabetes from hospital to community, among many others.

Also, Dr. Corsino has a special interest in health professions education, and diversifying the health professions and scientific workforce.  Some of her work includes her collaboration in the NIH sponsored Peer group psychosocial mentoring and mechanisms of change contributing to personal gains and objective career outcomes for racially underrepresented early-career biomedical Researchers, and the REACH Equity Center/Co- Director Training and Education Subscore.  Further, Dr. Corsino projects include the Aime Global- Advancing Medical Education Globally, Racial Bias in Medical Education, and the National Medical Spanish Standardized Curriculum study. Dr. Corsino and Dr. Velez-Rivera edited the Spanish version of the endocrine society COVID-19 resource page, and Dr. Corsino Ihas worked on articles in the society hormone network page.

Anastasia-Stefania Alexopoulos, MBBS, Assistant Professor of Medicine. Dr. Alexopoulos’s main research interest lies in exploring alternative approaches of delivering diabetes care to improve outcomes, particularly among the highest risk patients. She is co-principal investigator on a VA pilot study that will examine a proactive insulin simplification intervention in Veterans who maintain poor glycemic control despite intensive insulin regimens. Dr Alexopoulos is also interested in the interface between diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and has conducted multiple observational studies examining how different approaches to diabetes management impact NAFLD.

Jonathan Vélez-Rivera, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine. My diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) during my early teens helped define my career as a physician. Becoming an Endocrinologist was a no-brainer for me. I enjoy working with every endocrine-related problem, however, I plan on devoting most of my career in fostering relationships with T1DM patients and improving their access to care. Furthermore, I am working in creating the “Duke Endocrinology Pediatric-2-Adult Transition Service” (DE-PATS) for young and emerging adults who are transitioning from their usual pediatric to adult care. I am faculty advisor of a T1DM support group of undergraduate and graduate students in Duke University, in addition to leader of several support groups for patients with T1DM around the North Carolina Triangle Area and Puerto Rico (my birthplace). Lastly, I am focused in optimizing medical education amongst our Duke fellows, residents, and medical/visiting students by integrating technology to their usual learning systems.