Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe is a forward-thinking leader dedicated to transforming health care practices and advancing health equity. As the inaugural director of the Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations, Lorraine works with experts from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and University of Toronto Mississauga to address the burden of diabetes and chronic diseases, focusing on the Region of Peel.
Under Lorraine’s leadership, the Network tackles the structural, social and environmental barriers that contribute to health disparities, particularly among disadvantaged groups. Central to Lorraine’s work is a commitment to translating knowledge into action. She notes that there is extensive research regarding risk factors and consequences of chronic disease. Now, she and her team are shifting focus from describing what might work to showing what does work.
The Network collaborates with stakeholders spanning disciplines and sectors to develop interventions that can make a tangible difference in people’s lives. For instance, they examine built environments and explore ways to increase physical activity through urban trails and access to parks and green spaces. The Network also supports a community-based program to screen for diabetes, a program to prevent amputations for patients with diabetic foot ulcers and a project to ethically deploy an AI tool that can predict risk of diabetes for primary care patients.
Lorraine’s efforts to conquer diabetes and other chronic diseases have earned her widespread recognition over the years. In 2023, her research team received a five-year grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to implement an integrated diabetes prevention program for women with gestational diabetes. That same year, she was appointed President of the International Diabetes Epidemiology Group. She was also selected for the F.M. Hill Lectureship and the Janet Rossant Lectureship at the University of Toronto. In addition, she was awarded the 2018 Diabetes Investigator Award from Diabetes Canada and the 2015 William Goldie Prize for Research.
Lorraine’s expertise and commitment to bridging the gap between research and health delivery is unparalleled. Her visionary leadership continues to pave the way for a healthier and more equitable future.