Our History

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, communities across the United States started noticing a troubling trend. More children and teens were experiencing higher body weights and high blood glucose, something once seen mostly in older adults.

At Yale, pediatric endocrinologist Sonia Caprio, MD, launched a clinic dedicated to helping these young people and their families. Many were struggling with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and related health challenges.

Recognizing the urgent need for answers, Dr. Caprio secured federal research funding to better understand what was happening. Support for her work has continued for over 30 years, growing into a vibrant collaboration of physicians and scientists committed to improving children’s health.

Through careful, in-depth metabolic testing—available only in expert research settings--Dr. Caprio and her team collected valuable insights. They measured:

• How much insulin participants were producing
• How well their insulin was working
• Where they stored fat, including in the liver (can be influenced by genetics)

Parents also shared important family and pregnancy histories, helping researchers identify risk factors for diabetes and other conditions. This pioneering work has helped shape today’s treatment options and continues to guide new approaches to care.

Today, we’re excited to continue this journey with the Legacy Collaborative. We are launching a follow-up study that invites the original participants, now adults, to stay involved. This initiative is led by Clare Flannery, MD.

When we say “collaborative,” we mean it. Participants have a voice in shaping the questions and research that impact their lives. We also partner with researchers who share our mission to tackle health issues young adults now face.

If you participated in any of the earlier metabolic studies with Dr. Caprio, Mary Savoye, and Dr. Santoro, please reconnect with us!

The Adolescent Metabolic Health studies include:

• The origin of youth onset type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes
• Prevalence of carbohydrate intolerance in lean and obese children
• Bright Bodies: The effects of a comprehensive weight management program on obese children and adolescents
• Prevention of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents with a family-based healthy lifestyle program
• Process of obesity development
• Cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
• Effects of weight loss on hepatic and muscle lipid content and on insulin
• Sensitivity in obese adolescents with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Study to investigate the cause of type 2 diabetes in youth