This is really important, I've learned. I think it has been mandated by CIHR funding that we have an element of patient engagement whereby we interact with persons with lived experience of diabetes with our funded investigators and our trainees. We've had a lot more interaction with people in the community, both with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. That's inspired and helped instruct our research and how we communicate it.
Importantly, it's critical that we get out to the community, particularly those who are in lifestyle intervention research—especially with people who may not live, for example, in the Lower Mainland in B.C. but in more remote areas—just to learn about diabetes awareness, about the potential impact of effective diet and lifestyle. We can do much more there, and I think the research is showing that it works. One example is our BC Diabetes Research Network, which we formed now as a van that allows us to go out into the community and interact with groups, for example, in Surrey, in the South Asian community. We are hoping to do more of that.