Dr. Meng Tan calls it the first step in his journey of 1,000 miles.
A native of Malaysia, he was pursuing his residency in internal medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and considering what his sub-specialty might be. He was reading Sir William Osler, who wrote in 1897 that the physician who knows syphilis knows medicine.
Osler called it the great imitator, because the protean clinical signs of syphilis mimic many diseases.
Tan had an insight.
“Diabetes affects many body systems and presents with symptoms and signs that mimic many diseases as well. Paraphrasing Osler’s words, a physician who knows diabetes knows medicine. I then took the first step in the journey of 1,000 miles in diabetes. I chose to learn more about it,” he says.
Tan is professor of internal medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes at the U-M Health System. His mission, inspired in Halifax, is to promote better care for people with diabetes and endocrine diseases.
To help fulfill that mission, in June from his Domino’s Farms office, he oversaw the first issue of Clinical Diabetes and Endocrinology, as its inaugural editor-in-chief. It is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal from U-M and BioMed Central.
The journal was created by Dr. Peter Arvan, chief of the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, along with Tan and Jasna Markovac, director of Learning Design & Publishing, Medical School Information Services.
While there are other open access journals on diabetes and endocrinology, this collaboration between an academic institution and an open access journal publisher is unique.
“With the goal of supporting the University of Michigan’s desire to share knowledge with the world, our vision is to share new research and clinical knowledge in diabetes and endocrine diseases with the health professional community, so that ultimately, our patients can have better care,” he says.
It is intended for physicians, researchers, nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists, podiatrists, psychologists, epidemiologists, exercise physiologists and health care researchers.
The journal publishes for health professionals and researchers on a variety of aspects related to diabetes and endocrine diseases and their management.
“Each year, new knowledge and treatments for diabetes and endocrine diseases are uncovered in many parts of the world. To have a global impact, new knowledge should be readily available and freely accessible to health professionals worldwide via the Internet. Times are changing,” he says.
Tan finds diabetes mellitus — the “too sweet” disease (because of high blood glucose) — fascinating because it is a chronic metabolic disease that affects so many body systems — the pancreas, eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, brain, circulation to limbs, liver, stomach and intestines.
The weekly Spotlight features faculty and staff members at the university. To nominate a candidate, email the Record staff at urecord@umich.edu.
“People who have diabetes live with it all their lives. Their blood fat levels, blood pressure and mood are also affected.” he says.
Before coming to U-M eight years ago, Tan worked at the pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Co. in roles including global senior medical director in diabetes and endocrinology products as well as Distinguished Medical Fellow. Over the years, as a physician, he has witnessed the improvement of strategies and treatments for diabetes.
Through networking Tan was able to draw on scores of experts in diabetes and endocrinology to be members of an international editorial board. “We have 80 experts from 21 countries in five continents.”
The online journal is published regularly. Interested readers can sign up for email alerts or follow BioMed Central on Twitter to stay in touch with the latest news and developments. The publication is at www.clindiabetesendo.com.
Q&A
What moment in the classroom stands out as the most memorable?
Seeing a gifted teacher making a complex subject simple as A, B, C.
What can’t you live without?
My iPhone.
What is your favorite spot on campus?
Domino’s Farms.
What inspires you?
Faith.
What are you currently reading?
“Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande.
Who had the biggest influence on your career path?
Dr. W. Nicholas, my clinician-teacher who introduced me to the Endocrine Symphony Orchestra when I was an intern.
Ilze Kana
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