Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers awardee

King’s College London

Exploring the barriers to a safe diabetes control in  people with type 1 diabetes and eating disorders through better understanding of the psychological and physiological triggers leading to insulin omission.

To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers scheme we are pleased to feature case studies of past and present Starter Grant awardees. Dr Marietta Stadler was awarded a Starter Grant for Clinical Lecturers in 2017, and tells us how the award has allowed her to develop her research independence. She also highlights some of the main achievements and challenges of her research career.  

 

Can you give us an overview of your research interests?

My research focuses on type 1 diabetes mellitus and its complications. I am particularly interested in the overlap between type 1 diabetes and mental health. People with type 1 diabetes have to carefully manage their blood glucose levels, monitoring their carbohydrate intake and matching their insulin injections with it- this is a 24/7 job without any ‘time off’. This can impact on how people feel about their body image and it can affect their eating and self-management behavior.  Type 1 diabetes is a condition that affects body and mind: for example, low blood glucose levels can be associated with feeling tired or moody and patients also report that swings in blood glucose level link to changes in their emotions and behavior. I compare people with type 1 diabetes who self-identify as having an eating disorder with those who do not, so that I can understand which thinking patterns and behaviors and which aspects of the physiology of diabetes drive the development and maintenance of eating disorders.

What has been the impact of your Starter Grant so far?

My Starter Grant enabled me to develop my research into the novel area of exploring the psychology and physiology of people with type 1 diabetes that are living with an eating disorder. I have been able to gather pilot data that has helped me to develop my research interest into a full fellowship application. I have recently been awarded a Clinician Scientist Fellowship from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), which I will use to develop of a complex intervention for people with type 1 diabetes that have an eating disorder. The Starter Grant was perfect in allowing me to test the waters in developing research independence and has provided the first step into developing a bigger research programme. The award has also been valuable in helping me to build up a collaborative network within the field.

What are the challenges you face as a clinical academic?

A clinical academic is pulled into two directions - the clinical work will always take priority over the academic component and there is a tendency to let your clinical work eat into academic time. Balancing the two commitments and maintaining a high quality of work requires good time management and communication skills, and a supportive academic and clinical environment. 

What’s next for you and your research?

In the coming years I will be busy delivering my fellowship project “Safe management of people with Type 1 diabetes and Eating Disorder StudY (STEADY)”. This will integrate cognitive behavioural therapy elements with diabetes self-management education to improve diabetes management and reduce psychological distress. We will test the feasibility of STEADY in a randomised control trial and compare it to the current standard care. If STEADY is successful, I will apply for further funding to test the intervention in a larger study, with an aim to eventually make it more widely available across the NHS.

 

Research highlights

  • NIHR Clinician Scientist Fellowship awarded in 2017
  • Awarded the Langerhans-Preis by the Austrian Diabetes Society for publications in diabetology
  • 44 peer reviewed publications, 13 as first or last author
  • Awarded the Exchange in Endocrinology Expertise (3E) scholarship from the Board of Endocrinology of The European Union of Medical Specialists.

Key contacts


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