T1D-PATCHY Federal Grant Award Summary

Albert Einstein College of Medicine received a $183,558 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) effective March 1, 2026, through February 28, 2031. The award supports implementation and evaluation of T1D-PATCHY (Type 1 Diabetes-Promoting Access to Diabetes Technology with Community Health Workers for Youth), a specialty care model designed to improve diabetes technology adoption among underserved youth with Type 1 Diabetes from low-income families or on public insurance. The research addresses multi-level barriers including social needs and inadequate school support that prevent these populations from accessing diabetes devices.

Under this grant, the institution will deliver three primary research products: identification of implementation barriers at school sites; development of multifaceted implementation strategies for deploying T1D-PATCHY using an implementation mapping framework; and feasibility evaluation of the intervention through a pilot randomized controlled trial conducted in Bronx, New York. The project leverages community health workers as trusted community members to bridge medical care with social support services, with exploratory outcomes measuring diabetes device uptake, resolution of social needs barriers, and implementation effectiveness. This research addresses documented health disparities in diabetes technology use and health outcomes among vulnerable youth populations.