Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Health and Wellness has received a Certificate of Full Recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for its diabetes prevention program for employees.

In between zip-lining through the woods and playing ball, 13-year-old Rhett Stanley takes a break from summer camp, pulls a tiny bag from his backpack and quickly tests his blood glucose level. Then, just as quickly, he’s back to the fun.

Eighteen-year-old Grace Long had just been accepted at the renowned United States Naval Academy, with plans to become a nuclear engineering officer. Then, she learned she had type 1 diabetes, an immediate disqualifier for military service.

In Middle Tennessee, where roughly one-third of children are overweight or obese, the risk of developing pediatric type 2 diabetes is high and the consequences can be serious.

Shichun Bao, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine, unclips an insulin pump smaller than a deck of cards from her waistband to glance at its digital readout — but she doesn’t actually have diabetes and the pump contains only saline.

Interventions that increase circulating levels of compounds called EETs may improve insulin sensitivity and treat hypertension.