Summer Studentship 2025-2026: Yosh Patel

1.Can you tell us how you got involved with medical research? 

I have always been particularly interested in research. Before joining medical school I had completed a Bachelor's of Science majoring in Physiology and Neuroscience, and through this degree I had gained an understanding about the significance of how research is able to improve our understanding of conditions and how we manage them clinically. This has always pushed me to get involved in research and I am looking forward to carrying this with me into the future.

2.Your research topic is “Exploring self-reported risk of falls and foot health among Māori and non-Māori older adults at risk of diabetes foot disease: Insights from the DaSH Study,” Could you provide a brief overview of the key aspects your study will explore?

International consensus statements advocate for data collection and between-centre benchmarking to enhance outcomes for individuals with diabetes. Until recently, there was no capacity for paediatric benchmarking within this country, however, in 2019 KiwiDiab was established to link data from existing databases with a goal of creating a national dataset. Therefore, this summer studentship aims to update the KiwiDiab database for children and adolescents attending Paediatric Diabetes services in the Capital, Coast, and Hutt regions with 2024 clinic visit data. Once the data is collected, this study will also aim to complete a quantitative retrospective audit of the Capital, Coast, and Hutt paediatric diabetes service to analyse if complication screening in these services are aligned with ISPAD guidelines.

3.Can you tell us about your motivation and inspiration for your research?

Diabetes research has always held a place close to my heart, as I have relatives who live with both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. When this opportunity came up, it felt like a no brainer to be involved. I am grateful to be a cog in the wheel of benchmarking diabetes care for children and adolescents in New Zealand. 

4.Can you elaborate on how your research project will positively impact the lives of individuals in Aotearoa living with diabetes? 

By benchmarking between-centre data collection, we are able to gain a deeper understanding of the prevalence and incidence of diabetes in children and adolescents in Aotearoa. In addition to this the study also aims to audit the paediatric services complication screening according to ISPAD guidelines which may help identify any areas we may need to improve on.

5.What does it mean to you being selected as one of the five recipients of the Summer Studentships this year? 

As touched on earlier, I feel extremely privileged to be able to contribute to this research. I am very grateful to be one of the recipients for a studentship this summer, as without Diabetes New Zealand Research Foundation's support this would not possible.

6. The Summer Studentships are made possible thanks to donations to the Diabetes Research Foundation. Please tell us how important these Summer Studentships are to others looking to conduct research? 

I believe summer studentships are an incredible way to get young aspiring researchers to get involved with research. It provides students such as myself with opportunities to develop important skills that we will be able to carry through our careers.