This multi disciplinary research area is lead by Professor Kamlesh Khunti and collaborates closely with the Department of Cardiovascular Science, University Hospitals Leicester and NHS Leicester City.  It has established an international reputation in the field of diabetes and cardiovascular research. It has successfully bid for and been awarded significant grants to promote diabetes and cardiovascular research.

Professor Khunti chairs the NHS Diabetes - RCGP Classification of Diabetes Working Group and is a member of the NICE - Quality and Outcome Framework Panel. He sits on the Diabetes UK Research Committee. He has been a member of DoH/MRC Research Advisory Committee and is currently an advisor to the National Screening Committee on Vascular Risk. He was founding member of the Primary Care Study Group of the European Society of Diabetes (EASD). He was on the expert reference group of the National Service Framework for diabetes and and is the RCGP Representative for the Quality and Outcomes Framework Review Panel for Cardiovascular disease. He was awarded the RCGP's John Fry Award for Research for 2001. This award is awarded to a young member or fellow of the RCGP who has promoted the discipline of general practice through research. He was also awarded the Mary McKinnon Lecture at the 2006 Diabetes UK Annual Professional Conference.

Professor Khunti and Professor Davies (Department of Cardiovascular Sciences) team has established an international reputation in the field of diabetes and cardiovascular research. They reguarly present at conferences both in the UK and abroad. In 2010, they were the largest single research contributor to the Diabetes UK Annual Professional Conference where one of the team, Dr Sam Mostafa, won the Young Diabetologist Travel Award for work on the use of HbA1c as a diagnostic tool for diabetes.

The team is continually developing ideas for studies on early detection and prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and in improving diabetes care and promoting improvement and innovation in diabetes services. It continues to be awarded significant grants to promote diabetes and cardiovascular research.

Amongst key elements of its work are:

• £2m to run the South East Midlands Diabetes Research Network in collaboration with Professor Melanie Davies from the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences.  Professor Kamlesh Khunti and Professor Melanie Davies are joint co-directors of the network which includes Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, and Lincolnshire. For more information go to http://www.ukdrn.org/lrn_semidlands.html
• The Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed trial. This is the leading education and self-management programme for people with Type 2 Diabetes. It is endorsed by the Department of Health and is currently being delivered in PCTs throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland. For more information go to http://www.desmond-project.org.uk/
• The ADDITION trial - this is a mutli-national trial of the cost-effectiveness of an intensive multifactorial intervention on morbidity and mortality among people with Type 2 Diabetes detected by screening. It has already produced significant research evidence and a number of publications by team members.
• The Leicester Ethnic Atherosclerosis and Diabetes Risk (LEADER) study.
• The team is also a key component of one of the successful £10m National Institute of Health Research Collaborative Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) bids. This brought together the University and the eight NHS Trusts in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland in a partnership to deliver applied health research focused on the priorities of the Trusts. It also aims to increase "research awareness" in Trusts and develop local skills and knowledge to undertake effective studies. For more information on the CLAHRC-LNR in general and the studies it is supporting go to http://www.lnr-clahrc.org/

This research area continues to attract significant numbers of new PhD and MD students.