Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, announced it is the exclusive sponsor of an educational programme to be developed in 2005 by the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. This groundbreaking initiative will offer pharmacy students, pharmacists-in-training, and practicing pharmacists an opportunity to learn the latest information on comprehensive diabetes management. Novo Nordisk will provide an unrestricted educational grant for $500,000 to the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy to underwrite the programme.

"Millions of Americans with diabetes rely on their pharmacists to understand their condition and the diabetes care products prescribed by their physicians," said Martin Soeters, president of Novo Nordisk Inc. "This intensive program in diabetes management will provide pharmacy students and pharmacists the tools to take an active role in their patients' diabetes care team."

"When not managed properly, diabetes can lead to a number of serious complications, including heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and death," said Patricia Kroboth, Ph.D., dean of the School of Pharmacy. "Because of their knowledge, skills, and access to patients, pharmacists are in a unique position to improve diabetes management on a patient-by-patient basis."

Titled "An Elective Course in Comprehensive Diabetes Management," the educational programme will be developed over several months with the input of a panel of nationally renowned experts in diabetes management, pharmacy education, and instructional development. The panel will create teams of educators to prepare the trainers who will teach the course, and schools of pharmacy will be invited to send faculty members to the regional training sessions.

Schools adopting the program will receive extensive instructional materials, including "practice kits" for hands-on training of insulin administration and glucose monitoring techniques. The schools will be encouraged to collaborate by sharing teaching techniques, new course materials, and assessment methods. As the initiative moves into the implementation phase, the panel will assess how the course is actually used by schools of pharmacy, obtain student and instructor course evaluations, and revise the course as necessary based on those evaluations.