Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded $151,448 to the University of California, Davis on May 15, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to develop and pilot test a patient-centered virtual intervention addressing the critical healthcare transition period for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). The research applies implementation science methodology across three primary objectives: developing implementation strategies using capacity, organization, motivation-behavior (COM-B) theoretical constructs; conducting a randomized pilot trial of the virtual intervention incorporating peer mentorship, healthcare navigation education, and transition planning; and surveying pediatric endocrinology practices nationally to identify existing transition resources, implementation barriers, and scaling opportunities.

The project, with a completion date of January 31, 2031, addresses a significant clinical gap by creating a scalable, resource-efficient alternative to traditional transition interventions, which are often clinician or system-dependent and have limited accessibility. The intervention components—developed through human-centered design—are designed to reduce healthcare lapses during the transition from pediatric to adult care that typically result in worsening health outcomes and increased emergency department utilization. This work will establish foundational evidence and implementation strategies supporting a future multi-center hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial to improve transition outcomes for AYAs with T1D.