Thomas Donner, MD is principle investigator on the multicenter Epidemiology of Diabetes Intensive Control (EDIC)/ Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), which longitudinally follows participants of the DCCT to determine the long-term effects of intensive glycemic control on microvascular and macrovascular complications of type 1 diabetes. Dr. Donner is also a principle investigator in BARI-2D, a multicenter study investigating whether there are added cardiovascular benefits to insulin-sensitizing vs insulin-providing medications in patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. Dr. Donner is exploring the actions of a novel hexose, D-tagatose in man. D-tagatose, developed originally as a bulk sweetener, has been found to delay glucose absorption which can ameliorate glucose intolerance in type 2 diabetics both acutely and chronically, reflected by a decline in HbA1c concentrations. Longer-term studies are underway to assess the potential role of D-tagatose as a new therapeutic agent in patients with type 2 diabetes. Dr. Donner is a principle investigator in a multicenter study looking at the effectiveness of growth hormone to improve body composition, lipids, bone density and symptoms of depression and social isolation in adult patients with growth-hormone deficiency due to pituitary disorders. Dr. Donner is a co-investigator of a trial studying diabetes in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Dr. Donner has mentored the research projects of many internal medicine residents and fellows. These projects have included investigations on: 1) the effects of D-tagatose on insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes, 2) screening for coronary artery disease in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes, 3) the effects of hemoglobinopathies on HbA1c determinations and glycemic control, 4) the effects of estrogen on arterial vasoactivity in patients with type 2 diabetes, 5) the effects of hyperglycemia on clinical outcomes following transplantation.