Sixth Summer of Diabetes Virtual Camp Thanks to Researcher Jason Kim and Family
The laboratory of Jason Kim, PhD, at the UMass Chan Diabetes Center of Excellence, investigates obesity, diabetes, and its complications. Their research goal is to understand how inflammation develops in obesity and contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Kim’s daughters, Allison and Lauren, are also considering careers in medicine and science. When Lauren’s 2020 summer research internship at Harvard Medical School was canceled due to the pandemic, the family created Diabetes Virtual Camp to connect students and experts as an online internship.
“It came together quickly and reached hundreds of college and high school students across the world during the pandemic,” said Dr. Kim, Professor in the Program in Molecular Medicine, and Director of the Metabolic Disease Research Center at UMass Chan Medical School.
Past Participants
It has since grown, and the past virtual sessions included more than 2,700 students from 52 countries and 48 U.S. states. They represented more than 550 colleges & universities worldwide who participated in the free Zoom-based sessions.
Many of those students were underrepresented minorities living with type 1 diabetes or who have family members with diabetes. “We’ve partnered with the American Diabetes Association and have raised thousands of dollars for diabetes research, education, and care,” said Dr. Kim. “Our mission is to support diabetes education and inspire a new generation of physicians and scientists.”
Volunteer Diabetes Experts from UMass Chan Medical School
Among the diabetes experts who have participated in the program's past sessions in addition to Dr. Kim are UMass Chan Diabetes Center of Excellence co-director David Harlan, MD, the William and Doris Krupp Chair in Diabetes, and Michael Czech, PhD, the Isadore and Fannie Foxman Chair of Medical Research and Professor in the Program in Molecular Medicine.
“I was amazed at how quickly the first virtual program came together and reached so many students globally through the power of social media, and the credit goes to my daughters,” said Dr. Kim. “Lauren was already immersed in the virtual world through her high school’s remote learning, and she realized how we could use technology to reach more people than ever imagined.”
Although the virtual program was born in response to the pandemic, the Kim family is grateful that it has continued to reach students from all over the world who would not have otherwise had the opportunity to learn about diabetes from these renowned experts.
Diabetes Virtual Summer Camp 2025
Summer Camp 2025 will be a 13-session program held from August 4 to 15. The research internship program invites high school, college, graduate, and professional students, as well as trainees, researchers, physicians, and other healthcare professionals interested in learning about biomedical research and academic medicine, with a focus on diabetes research and care. The sessions will highlight current diabetes research and treatment topics as well as an academic career path in medicine and science.
The program is free to all registered attendees with a suggested donation to the American Diabetes Association. To register or for more information, visit diabetesvirtualcamp.org.
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