Meet Our Executive Director - Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe

By Krista Lamb

For Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe, the Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations brings to the forefront work that researchers have been doing for decades about how structural change and population impact can create meaningful change in the area of type 2 diabetes risk and prevention.

Lipscombe, the Network’s first Director, believes it is high time that this work goes from concept to practice, and that they have the team in place to do this in the Mississauga and Peel Regions. “We have known for years that there are structural barriers and inequities when it comes to health services in the diabetes space,” she says. “There has been extensive work done on how the built environment, policy and socioeconomic conditions impact the type 2 diabetes experience in a community. This new Network gives us the opportunity to continue the research, but also to look at viable ways to create structural change that will reduce risk and improve health outcomes for those with type 2 diabetes.”

With a team comprised of some of the world’s foremost diabetes researchers and a mandate to work closely with community programs and leaders, Lipscombe is excited to see what can happen. Mississauga and Peel, with their diverse populations in terms of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and health services provide a great testing ground for much of the current work. “We knew that this region, where we have such a unique population alongside a motivated community and government, would be an ideal place to implement programs that could bring real change and act as a testing ground for work that could become the standard for the rest of Canada.”

For Lipscombe, working to reduce the barriers that many people face in terms of diabetes risk and treatment is a deeply personal cause. Raised by a single mother in Montreal, she did not have access to many of the privileges that others around her did. Her family had to make significant sacrifices for her to even study medicine, including both Lipscombe and her mother taking on extra jobs to help finance med school. “Coming from a background where we faced systemic challenges and struggles, I can see how hard it is when you face structural barriers. I was very lucky, but not everyone is. My goal for work we are doing is to help remove some of those barriers in the health space because that can make an enormous difference in so many other areas,” says Lipscombe.

Already, the team is developing relationships with those who can support them in creating new strategies and concrete programming. “As we learn more about the many reasons why some communities are at higher risk, we can work with policymakers and community support organizations to find structural ways to change that,” says Lipscombe. “Rather than saying to an individual “eat less and exercise more,” we’re looking at things like how to create more walkable communities or to improve access to healthy food and safe spaces for outdoor activities. Can we find ways within neighbourhoods to enact largescale change that will have impact on many by reducing the barriers people face to making lifestyle changes? I believe we can.”