Recent local type 1 diabetes community engagement.
T1D family research day, Jan 24, 2026
Dr. Thompson, Dr. Wicklow, engagement coordinator Brianna Hunt as well as members of Dr. Thompson's T1D parent advisory group joined with the local T1D community in Winnipeg for the 2026 T1D family research day, hosted by the Diabetes Education Resource for Children and Adolescents (DER-CA) held at the Inn at the Forks on Saturday January 24, 2026. The day was an amazing success with 75 people in attendance including many children and families, and included coffee/breakfast, lunch, speakers and networking opportunities!
Dr. Andrew Pepper, Canada Research Chair in cell therapies for diabetes and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta gave an outstanding plenary talk on the state of islet transplantation therapies for T1D, and local child and adolescent psychology expert Dr. Jennifer MacMullin from University of Manitoba spoke on parent-child relationship building in the context of T1D. Dr. Thompson spoke about local fundamental, clinical and community health research efforts going on in Winnipeg, including his lab's clinical study in collaboration with Dr. Wicklow at the DER-CA on markers of 'survivor' beta cells in recently diagnosed children and youth with T1D. Many thanks to those who spent time organizing this event and to the young adult and teen volunteers who oversaw the childcare for the day!
We are also very grateful for the generous support of a donor who funded the event, as well as the donations and engagement from corporate sponsors!
Please keep posted for next year, as we hope to host a T1D family research day in 2027!
Dr. Andrew Pepper, Canada Research Chair in cell therapies for diabetes and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta gave an outstanding plenary talk on the state of islet transplantation therapies for T1D, and local child and adolescent psychology expert Dr. Jennifer MacMullin from University of Manitoba spoke on parent-child relationship building in the context of T1D. Dr. Thompson spoke about local fundamental, clinical and community health research efforts going on in Winnipeg, including his lab's clinical study in collaboration with Dr. Wicklow at the DER-CA on markers of 'survivor' beta cells in recently diagnosed children and youth with T1D. Many thanks to those who spent time organizing this event and to the young adult and teen volunteers who oversaw the childcare for the day!
We are also very grateful for the generous support of a donor who funded the event, as well as the donations and engagement from corporate sponsors!
Please keep posted for next year, as we hope to host a T1D family research day in 2027!
Podcast and online type 1 diabetes community engagement.
Dr. Thompson has participated in several diabetes podcasts and interviews, geared at promoting accessible scientific dialogue with the public and people and families living with T1D. Check out the links below to some recent podcast episodes and interviews:
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The Juicebox Podcast - Episode 1431, Feb 12, 2025:
Dr. Thompson was featured as a guest on the Juicebox Podcast by Scott Benner. Dr. Thompson discusses his career journey, interest in T1D and what the future of T1D research could look like with AI and other lessons learned from other fields. Click here or click the podcast logo to listen to this episode. Diabetes Canada Podcast - season 7, episode 3, Apr 2023: Beta cells are a big area of interest for researchers looking at ways to treat or prevent type 1 diabetes. Dr. Peter Thompson from the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba joins us on the show today to discuss his work studying beta cells to try and find new therapies. Click here or click the podcast logo to listen to this episode. |
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The SugarScience - Episode 20, Sept 2020 and 'heard on the street' June 2023:
In the podcast episode, Peter Thompson joins Monica Westley to discuss his research in the type 1 diabetes space. Dr. Thompson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba and his research focuses on investigating cellular and molecular mechanisms operating in pancreatic beta cells to understand how and why this disease occurs. Dr. Thompson also provided a 'heard on the street' update with Monica Westley at the Islet Study Group meeting in Vancouver, BC held in June of 2023. Click here or click the podcast logo to listen to this episode and the interview. |
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A new way of looking at beta cells with Dr. Peter Thompson, Nov, 2022
Todd Boudreaux at Beyond Type 1 interviewed Dr. Thompson about his recently launched research program at the University of Manitoba to understand beta cells and what goes wrong in type 1 diabetes. This followed from his funding by the Diabetes Research Connection during his postdoctoral fellowship training at the University of California San Francisco Diabetes Center. Click here or the logo to read and watch the interview. |
Are you, your child or someone in your family personally affected by Type 1 Diabetes? We'd love to hear from you!
We are seeking to build connections with people living with T1D in Manitoba and beyond, who are interested in learning about our research, current T1D research more generally and sharing their unique perspectives and feedback. If you are affected by T1D (living with T1D, a caregiver for someone with T1D) and you would like to join us or learn more, please reach out directly to Dr. Thompson.
