In this Exclusive Interview transcript, Aaron Vinik discusses the role of the brain in diabetes, moving away from a glucose-centric view of diabetes, and the importance of looking at heart rate.

AARON I. VINIK, MD, PhD, FCP, MACP, FACE is a global leader in basic and clinical neuropathy. He, in essence, has defined the heterogeneity of neuropathy, established a need for a modular approach depending on the particular nerve fiber damaged, and pioneered immunotherapy for autoimmune neuropathies.  He was awarded a lifetime achievement award by EASD Neurodiab in 2011 for his contributions to the understanding of neuropathies. In 2016, he received the American College of Endocrinology (AACE) Distinction in Endocrinology Award in recognition of advancing the understanding of endocrinology through research and education.

In this Exclusive Interview, Aaron Vinik, Diabetes in Control board member, talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the AACE 2018 convention in Boston, MA about the current position on the protein INGAP and the work to stop the body's attack on beta cells, which hinders advancement in this research. He also shares on balancing the body's autonomic nervous system.

In part 1 of this Exclusive Interview, Aaron Vinik talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the AACE 2018 convention in Boston, MA about the latest on his INGAP research and understanding the role of the brain in diabetes.

In part 2 of this Exclusive Interview, Aaron Vinik talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the AACE 2018 convention in Boston, MA about this year's exciting breakthroughs and reinforcing the importance of reducing cardio events by going beyond the focus on glucose.

In part 3 of this Exclusive Interview, Aaron Vinik talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the AACE 2018 convention in Boston, MA about the importance of knowing the resting heart rate and how it impacts the rest of the body.

In part 4 of this Exclusive Interview, Aaron Vinik talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the AACE 2018 convention in Boston, MA about the complexity and simplicity of measuring the balance of a patient's autonomic nervous system.

In part 5 of this Exclusive Interview, Aaron Vinik talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the AACE 2018 convention in Boston, MA about the best patients to whom to prescribe SGLT-2s or other medication with the use of the correct risk calculator.

In part 6, the conclusion of this Exclusive Interview, Aaron Vinik talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the AACE 2018 convention in Boston, MA about the possibility of using available medications to restore the body's balance as well as his thoughts on a possible tool to help with the prescribing of medications.

In part 8, the conclusion of this Exclusive Interview, Dr. Aaron Vinik talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the AACE 2017 convention in Austin, Texas about the reward of his work and making time for patients.