Dr. Michael Riddell, PhD
January 16, 2024 | Dr. Michael Riddell is a Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science and Muscle Health Research Centre at York University in Canada. He is also a Senior Scientist at LMC Diabetes and Centricity Research in his hometown of Toronto. His research interests center on the effects of exercise and stress on diabetes and metabolism. Dr. Riddell has a PhD in Physiology/ Pharmacology from McMaster University where he conducted studies on hypoglycemia prevention during exercise in children and adults living with type 1 diabetes. He completed his post-doctoral studies at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Mladen Vranic where he conducted studies on the impact of stress hormones on diabetes-related hyper and hypoglycemia. Dr. Riddell has published over 240 peer-reviewed journal articles, 30 book chapters, and one patient guidebook on the metabolic and hormonal responses to exercise and stress in diabetes. He has authored several international guidelines on exercise and diabetes and he engages with numerous community-based diabetes and sports educational programs that enhance diabetes self-care behaviors in people living with type 1 diabetes. Michael has been living with type 1 diabetes since age 15.
The UVA Center for Diabetes Technology hosted Dr. Riddell as a guest lecturer for UVA diabetes researchers, students, faculty, and physicians. He spoke about his and his family’s personal experiences managing their diabetes and the challenges when performing physical activity. How the Control-IQ AID system has revolutionized the ability to manage type 1 diabetes, especially for athletes and during sleep. Riddell also provided information about diabetes physiology and a persons’ VO2 max. This is the maximum oxygen the body takes up per minute, which is an important indicator of health and survival. He sees there is still opportunities to improve the artificial pancreas algorithm to better predict carbohydrate and insulin metabolism during exercise.
By Madison Maloney (mgm3t@virginia.edu)