Laurie Quinn: Making diabetes more manageable
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What if patients could control their diabetes without having to manually control an insulin pump?
That’s a dream for many people with diabetes—and one that is in reach for researcher Laurie Quinn, PhD ’96, RN, FAAN, FAHA, CDE. She is working with engineers from the Illinois Institute of Technology on an artificial pancreas system, a device that would respond to a diabetic person’s need for insulin without having to be fed information about meals and exercise.
Quinn, a clinical associate professor, is the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Mi Ja Kim Endowed Faculty Research Award. Mi Ja Kim, PhD, RN, FRCN, FAAN, was dean of the UIC College of Nursing from 1989 to 1995. She created this award in 2018 to reward nurse researchers who are changing the face of healthcare.
Quinn says the award is allowing her to expand her research program and bring more students into the lab. She is currently testing algorithms in the laboratory, comparing the ability of the automated insulin pump against a manual one during exercise. Next, her team will apply to the FDA for permission to convert the system to a smartphone.
“It’s inspiring to win an honor that bears the name of someone as important to nursing research as Mi Ja Kim,” says Quinn.