The Goal

The goal of Decade of Discovery is to prevent, optimally treat and ultimately cure Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Benefits

At the end of the decade, Minnesota will have witnessed and benefited from:

• A substantial decrease in the incidence of diabetes
• A substantial improvement in the quality of life in people with diabetes
• A substantial decrease in the burden and rate of complications
• A substantial reduction in the disparities of care and outcomes across gender, race, geography, and socioeconomic status
• A substantial decrease in the treatment burden to patients and caregivers
• A substantial improvement in the patient care experience

When the goal is successfully reached, Minnesota will have better health outcomes, reduced health care costs and enhanced economic opportunity in the form of jobs and commercialization.

The Pathway

The science and research element of Decade of Discovery will focus on discovery, translation and delivery within two core areas:

• Prevention and Care Delivery – focused on the public health research necessary to improve the implementation of optimal prevention and care strategies across the state
• Discovery and Translation for Treatment/Cure – focused on developing new ways to manage and treat diabetes while exploring new approaches to replace what does not work in the body

Orienting Principles

The following strategies will guide Decade of Discovery to reach the goal:

• Discovery will transform how we prevent, treat and ultimately cure diabetes
• Pursuing prevention approaches that emphasize healthy living from cradle to grave
• Advancing a patient-centered approach focused on the individual’s needs around schedule of visits, tests, treatments, and intensity of those treatments
• Improving care delivery according to commonly accepted protocols and consistent measures of health care experience, quality of life and functionality
• Promoting transparency and accountability to advance the goals in a collaborative manner
• Creating a safe environment in which participating organizations can commit to sharing data, participating in experiments and implementing best practices