Making breakthoughs every day

Southwest Health Family Physician Aditya Sukhwal, MD, MS, FAAFP has been awarded a grant of $4000 from the Ira and Ineva Reilly Badwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment to positively impact community health by studying the impact of diet and exercise on patients with diabetes.

With both the grant and the assistance of fourth year students from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Dr. Sukhwal’s Program for Extensive Diabetes Activity and Lifestyle Success (PEDALS) will soon begin enrolling volunteers (diagnosed with diabetes) in a 12-week study that begins in July. A total of about 20 patients will meet regularly to receive education and counseling on nutrition and exercise and to have their diabetes management monitored closely to determine the medical impacts of the interventions.

“As the Cardiac Rehab program director, I regularly see first-hand the positive health benefits patients reap when they are able to consistently maintain positive lifestyle changes. The students I work with are really eager to make an impact while they’re on rotation, and this is a perfect opportunity to involve them in making a real difference in people’s lives.”

Through this grant, Dr. Sukhwal and his students intend to further their understanding of diabetes, demonstrate positive outcomes, and reduce the costs of diabetes care. The goal of this study is to effectively manage diabetes in patients while reducing their reliance on medications. “With a single diabetes medication costing as much as $500 a month, we stand to help people not only live healthier but also greatly reduce the costs of their chronic disease,” says Dr. Sukhwal.

Dr. Sukhwal is a highly experienced, board-certified family physician with special interests and expertise in cardiology, obstetrics, pediatrics, and diabetes management. He practices at the Platteville Clinic at Southwest Health and is also the Medical Director for our Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, as well as Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Wisconsin’s Medical School, whose fourth year students come to Platteville for rotations under his guidance.