Youth Onset
Type 2 Diabetes
Listening to youth, learning from their experiences, leading change
What we do
We collaborate with families of youth living with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), using their stories to deepen understanding and address the urgent need for patient-oriented research and mental health care in youth-onset T2D.
Through this research program, we:
Co-design the care approach with youth and their parents.
Co-create a virtual lab platform with youth to learn about their mental health experiences.
Identify youth priorities for research and care regarding mental health and T2D, and communicate these to providers and researchers in Canada using novel arts-based Knowledge Translation methods.
BrightSpark Care Lab
A platform to share stories of mental health of youth with type 2 diabetes (T2D)
Funded by The SickKids Foundation-CIHR-IHDCYH New Investigator Grant in Child and Youth Health
Understanding the Complex Experiences of Youth Onset Type 2 Diabetes through Qualitative Research
We are thrilled to showcase our video from the published study, “Beyond AIC: An Interpretive Descriptive Qualitative Study of Youth Experiences and Perceptions of Living with Type 2 Diabetes”, which was also an entry in the 2025 IHDCYH Talks competition.
Led by Dr. Mandy Archibald at the University of Manitoba, this video was created with valuable input from patients and public partners, sharing the lived experiences of youth with type 2 diabetes and highlighting key mental health considerations for family-centered research and care. This video is an opportunity to amplify youth voices and highlight mental health as a key consideration in diabetes care.
Publications
Archibald, M. M., Wicklow, B., Sellers, E., Griffiths, A., Diffey, L., McGavock, J., Roos, L. E., Clark, A., Lopez, J., Ho, J., Ledoux, E., Dzorka, G., Parvin, S., Fagbuyi, O., & Dart, A. (2026). A virtual living lab platform co-developed for mental health in youth onset type 2 diabetes (BrightSpark Care Lab): Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study. JMIR research protocols, 15, e83865. doi: 10.2196/83865
Archibald, M. M., Dart, A., Wicklow, B., Pundyk, K. J., Marks, S. D., & Sellers, E. A. C. (2025). Beyond AIC: An Interpretive Descriptive Qualitative Study of Youth Experiences and Perceptions of Living With Type 2 Diabetes. J Adv Nurs. doi: 10.1111/jan.70230. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40995871.
Our Partners
