David T. Broome, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes (MEND) Division at the University of Michigan. Dr. Broome is a Caswell Diabetes Institute Clinical and Translational Research Scholar at the University of Michigan. He additionally serves as a Review Editor on the Editorial Board for Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare and as an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Dr. Broome leads several NIH- and industry-sponsored clinical trials, including using novel treatments to prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes. 

Interview with David T. Broome, MD 

In this interview, Dr. Broome discusses his involvement with the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative (T1DX-QI) and his life and career with diabetes as a clinical and translational research endocrinologist.  

The T1DX-QI was established in 2016— with the support of The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust — to refine best practices and improve the quality of care and outcomes for individuals living with T1D. Growth has been tremendous, with over 60 endocrine clinics across the US participating in the Collaborative.  

Fueled by top leaders in diabetes care, the T1DX-QI has become an engine of innovation and inspiration. By engaging with the shared, data-driven, and systematic methods of the T1DX-QI, clinics have seen unprecedented success in their approach to diabetes management.  

With members working closely to identify gaps in care, discover and refine best practices, and share research — the process has become knowledge-sharing at its very best. While collated data gives clinics a clear sense of “where they are,” it also demonstrates “where they can be” by applying shared, evidence-based methods for improving care. 

 

What led you to endocrinology and research?  

“From a personal perspective, I live with type 1 diabetes,” said Dr. Broome, who went on to share, “I was actually diagnosed 20 years ago to the day, today.” Although Dr. Broome’s lived experience contributed to his specialization in endocrinology, he discovered his love of medicine in grade school. 

“In AP biology, one of the things I found fascinating, even before my diagnosis, was a project where we put together an insulin molecule.” As Dr. Broome learned more about Banting and Best, he shared, “Their work was profound — from the trials and tribulations in discovering insulin to selling the patent for $1. I thought that was incredibly altruistic and a true act of heroism.” 

“After my diagnosis of type 1, it became a personal endeavor for myself and my family, too,” said Broome. “I wanted to emulate some of those traits (of Banting and Best) moving forward: to develop novel treatments for people, offer them altruistically to those who need them most, and ensure accessibility for everyone.” 

Dr. Broome went on to study biochemistry and molecular biology in an undergraduate honors program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and his exposure to stem cell research further honed his interest in medicine. “I took some of that information moving forward into my clinical and translational research.” 

“Researching new ways to improve diabetes care and treatments for people living with type 1 while leading clinical trials to prevent T1D in at-risk people is incredibly interesting. This has now led to us actively using treatments to reverse or treat new-onset cases,” explained Dr. Broome, who helped write the protocol for using the novel treatment, teplizumab, at the University of Michigan for patients with stage 2 dysglycemic T1D. 

 

What do you like best about what you do? 

“I love helping people,” said Dr. Broome without a hitch. “Honestly, that may sound like a generic statement in some regards, but it’s fantastic to be a part of bringing new information, treatments, and trials into clinical care — and make it even that much better.” 

“Take teplizumab therapy, for example. On average, someone can potentially get two additional birthdays without having type 1 diabetes — and in some people, they may never go on to develop T1D. And that’s a pretty cool thing to offer people.” 

At the University of Michigan, Dr. Broome helped develop the standard protocol for giving teplizumab and is currently an investigator in the long-term study of teplizumab as a co-investigator with Dr. Thomas (PI). As a site, they’ll monitor drug recipients for years to come.  

“We gave our first two infusions of teplizumab this week,” said Dr. Broome. 

  

Let’s talk about your research 

“I predominantly do clinical trials as they relate to diabetes, focusing on type 1 diabetes and data management at an institutional level,” said Broome. “I do a lot of investigational work with teplizumab, TrialNet, PRECIDENT, the Rare and Atypical Diabetes Network (RADIANT), MODY, and work on T1D Exchange QI projects with Dr. Joyce Lee and our clinical leadership team.”  

“I’m also part of the Caswell Diabetes Institute Clinical and Translational Research Scholars Program, a three-year program that takes junior faculty and provides sufficient time to submit an NIH-level grant.” 

“I just submitted my career development grant, the Stanford DiabDocs K12 grant focused on large-scale implementation of screening for type 1 diabetes and treatment for prevention in the State of Michigan,” said Dr. Broome.  

“I’m also the PI for the REVITALIZE1 trial, a study using duodenal mucosal resurfacing technology to treat type 2 diabetes,” said Broome. “The idea here is that if you resurface the duodenum, or the first portion of the small intestine, the body produces higher levels of endogenous incretin hormones, which can improve weight, glycemic control, and reduce medication burden.  

Finally, Dr. Broome is the site PI for the PRECIDENTD trial, a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)-sponsored, Harvard-initiated clinical trial. “It’s a multi-center trial looking at 6,000 people and using GLP-1 or SGLT2 inhibitors, comparing which class (GLP-1 or SGLT-2i) is superior for reducing major adverse cardiac events (MACE) or kidney disease risk.”   

 

How does your first-hand experience with type 1 benefit your practice? 

“I think our practice really benefits from personal experiences because, you know, one of the things that tends to occur in large academic centers is that sometimes things like new interventions, new treatments, and initiatives can get lost in a mix of priorities.”  

“Sometimes, there is simply so much going on that you really need someone who says, ‘We’re going for this.’ We’re going to introduce new interventions for people with type 1 diabetes and make that our mission,” said Dr. Broome. “I think putting my nickel down and persistently pursuing these novel trials and implementing them at a large scale is challenging and rewarding.” 

“For type 1 diabetes, there are typically people you think of at different institutions who are like, ‘That’s my thing. I’m going to do this, and we will make it happen.’ Being the person who spearheaded some of these efforts was a big step forward for me, especially as a junior faculty member over the last year or two.” 

“Since I started this work, not only did we have a bigger footprint on the adult side for T1D Exchange, but we also implemented three additional new trials for type 1 diabetes in addition to TrialNet, including novel treatments targeting type 1 diabetes prevention.” 

 

How is the University of Michigan involved in the T1DX-QI? 

Dr. Broome has been involved with the T1DX-QI as the PI for adult endocrinology since 2024, along with Joyce Lee, MD, who serves as the PI on the pediatric side at the University of Michigan.   

“One of the biggest benefits of the Collaborative is hearing presentations that we have in the QI calls,” said Dr. Broome. “It’s been great to learn how other institutions approach nuanced areas and challenges and utilize these tactics at our site to improve care for patients with type 1 diabetes.” 

“It’s been a really positive experience for us to hear what others are doing, bounce ideas off one another, and utilize some of these techniques at the University of Michigan.” 

“As part of our work with the Collaborative, we’ve been actively implementing new interventions to identify people who are at high risk for developing diabetes distress — and providing supportive resources to help reduce that distress,” said Dr. Broome. “We’re excited about these outcomes, which we’re measuring at follow-up visits.”  

“In addition, we’re looking into implementing automated insulin delivery (AID) system research to improve and expand access for our pediatric and adult populations,” said Dr. Broome.  

  

Can you share an impactful story about T1D tech? 

“I was caring for a woman in her 20’s with type 1 diabetes. She was in the immediate postpartum setting before seeing us, and she was not using a CGM or an insulin pump,” explained Dr. Broome. “Her A1C was consistently in the 10-11% range, so we started to discuss novel treatment approaches that fit her busy lifestyle.”

“Over time, she started on a hybrid closed loop system, and since then, her A1C has been in the 6.8 to 7% range for the last two years. She had so much to gain when we met, and she was personally battling a lot of misinformation,” said Broome. “Gaining her trust and confidence back for her to succeed was a huge win, and it has been a career highlight of mine.” 

“Seeing a young person turn the corner and start to thrive has probably been one of the best things I’ve seen in all of healthcare. It was such a life-altering improvement in care.”

 

What’s your hope for the future with diabetes care? 

“My hope for the future — part of this is inherent in the grant that I wrote — but my hope is to screen people at an earlier age to identify those who are at risk for type 1 diabetes and to prevent it from ever happening.”  

“Then, I hope to reduce the incidence of type 1 diabetes across the state, at least initially, and expand that to the rest of the country, and hopefully, the implementation model will be utilized across the world at some point. Once we have a good handle on reducing diabetes, the focus would be on reversing previous type 1 diabetes cases and preventing the permanence of new-onset cases.”  

“That’s my hope for where we’re headed: preventing new cases and, thereafter, reversing previously diagnosed cases of type 1 diabetes.” 

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Outside of work, Dr. Broome enjoys staying active, engaging in Orangetheory, playing hockey, and spending time with his family. Highlights of his weekends include playing basketball with his son, who is six.