"Phil Polgreen, MD, associate professor of infectious diseases, has been awarded an exploratory/developmental research (R21) grant from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases. These NIH funds will fuel a novel approach to encouraging individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and those at risk of acquiring the disease to decrease their sedentary time, a cornerstone of T2D prevention and management. Polgreen has been working with Alberto Segre, PhD, professor of computer science, in developing a phone-based walking game that allows people to take a virtual walk through interesting global locations at the same time as their real-world steps are counted by a wrist-worn accelerometer. Users of this application, called MapTrek, can monitor their own progress and be encouraged to make daily use of it, thus helping reduce their risk of T2D and better managing their disease."

From VPMA Voice (7/11/2016)