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International experts in type 2 diabetes will gather in Rome on September 27-28 to discuss how metabolic surgery may open new treatment opportunities for the disorder, which is on the rise worldwide.

The European Workshop on Metabolic Surgery for Type 2 Diabetes is sponsored by The Diabetes Surgery Center of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, in collaboration with the Imperial College in London and the Catholic University in Rome, where the event will be held.

"Given its dramatic clinical benefits, it is important that metabolic surgery becomes accessible to eligible patients. At the same time, it is imperative to recognize the experimental nature of this phase and promote a scientific, safe and orderly development of the field" said Dr. Francesco Rubino, director of the gastrointestinal metabolic surgery program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and associate professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Among the findings to be presented is early evidence from ongoing clinical trials which shows that metabolic surgery can be an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes in patients who are overweight or mildly obese. In addition, researchers will discuss the cost-effectiveness of the surgery and potential use of minimally invasive devices that offer remission from diabetes while avoiding extensive surgery.

"The goal of the meeting is to bring physicians and researchers from different disciplines together, along with health policy experts, to discuss the emerging scientific basis for metabolic surgery," said Dr. Marco Castagneto, Professor of Surgery and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Catholic University of Rome Italy, and honorary chairman of the European Workshop.

"The collaboration of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, Imperial College and Catholic University is an excellent initiative that could inspire further international collaborative efforts in both research and education," says Dr. Geltrude Mingrone, professor of endocrinology at the Catholic University of Rome who will be presenting new data at the workshop.

The workshop is intended to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary forum where European and international leaders will review and critically discuss the latest scientific data on diabetes care in Europe and the role and potential impact of metabolic/diabetes surgery in European countries.

"As economies in Europe recover from difficult financial times it remains important to identify those patients who would benefit most from metabolic surgery," says one of the workshop directors Dr. Carol le Roux, from Imperial College of London.

The European Workshop is another in a series of international meetings that have been presented by Dr. Rubino and his colleagues in an effort to provide an evidence-based approach to metabolic surgery as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Surgery Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell is committed to promoting a scientifically sound development of diabetes surgery in the United States and worldwide. The Center also organizes small, interactive workshops aimed at raising awareness of diabetes surgery and fostering regional collaborations between endocrinologists, surgeons, scientists and policy makers around the world. In March 2011, the Center will host its second World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes in New York City.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, the medical school of Cornell University. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine, and is committed to excellence in patient care, education, research and community service. Weill Cornell physician-scientists have been responsible for many medical advances — including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer; the synthesis of penicillin; the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S.; the first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease; the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth; and, most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report. Weill Cornell Medical College is the first U.S. medical college to offer a medical degree overseas and maintains a strong global presence in Austria, Brazil, Haiti, Tanzania, Turkey and Qatar. For more information, visit www.nyp.org and www.med.cornell.edu.