Years of research are beginning to pay off for Anastasia Albanese-O’Neill.
The UF assistant professor recently received the 2015 Innovative Use of Media Technology Award from the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
Albanese-O’Neill’s research led to the development of a prototype mobile diabetes educational program, which was developed during her doctoral studies.
The program is called “mDAD: Mobile Diabetes Advice for Dads” and was developed to deliver diabetes education on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets to fathers of youth with Type 1 diabetes.
The $3,000 grant awarded to Albanese-O’Neill will go to help beta test the use of a mobile app to see if users like it before testing it in a larger study.
“Fathers who participated in earlier phases of the research told us that they were enthusiastic about receiving diabetes education via mobile technology,” she said. “We think that involving fathers early on in the design of mDAD will help ensure it will be accessible and easy for them to use.”
Albanese-O'Neill said she never considered a career in health care until her daughter, now 14, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 16 months old.
Those with Type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin, so they have to check their blood sugar multiple times each day, count carbohydrates, calculate insulin doses, carry supplies and always be prepared for emergencies that can be potentially life threatening.
“(My daughter) inspired me to get a Ph.D. in nursing and become a pediatric nurse practitioner so I could contribute in a meaningful way to research that will ultimately lead to improved treatments and one day a cure for the disease,” she said.
Dr. Desmond Schatz, medical director of the UF Diabetes Institute, served as a mentor for Albanese-O’Neill on the project.
“She’s not only improving the life of her child, but those everywhere,” Schatz said. “She is one of the most outstanding professionals I’ve ever worked with. To give up a career to help not only the child in her life but all children with diabetes is beyond words.”
The goal for Albanese-O’Neill is to give not only fathers, but anyone who cares for a child with Type 1 diabetes information in a convenient way.
“The fact that this organization chose my project as a technological innovation is encouraging, and indicates its potential to change the way we deliver diabetes education to our patients and their caregivers,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 7/21/15]
