Over 200 medical students at Universiti Sains Malaysia participated in a remote lecture on diabetes care delivered by Dr. Philip Otterbeck, Chief Medical Officer of Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC). The event was organized after the Sekretariat Sukarelawan India, a student group at the Malaysian university, invited Dr. Otterbeck to share updates on diagnosing and treating diabetes.
Dr. Otterbeck also serves as Chair of Medicine and Chief of Endocrinology at RUMC. He was chosen from RUMC’s Speakers Bureau, which allows organizations to invite hospital professionals for educational talks at no cost. Topics available through the bureau cover various areas such as cardiovascular health, nutrition, and urology.
“Sharing information with my patients and our community has been my passion since I have been in clinical practice,” Dr. Otterbeck said. “I was so pleased to provide this education internationally, collaborating with young minds to increase access to evidence-based medicine and to encourage healthy lifestyle practices.”
During his presentation, Dr. Otterbeck discussed advances in diabetes treatment including new medications like Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Jardiance. He stated: “More than ever, we have pharmacotherapies that not only improve glucose, but can help patients lose weight, protect their kidneys, and prevent endpoints such as stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular death.”
He shared data from the International Diabetes Foundation indicating that 589 million adults worldwide are living with diabetes—a figure larger than the combined populations of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean—and projected this number could surpass 850 million by 2050. Additionally, he noted that 12% of global health spending is linked to diabetes care.
The session concluded with a question-and-answer segment where students asked about future trends in diabetes care and current medication guidelines used in the United States.
Dr. Otterbeck is a board-certified endocrinologist who trained at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center.
Richmond University Medical Center is a not-for-profit healthcare provider serving Staten Island’s diverse population through emergency care and other medical services. More details are available at www.rumcsi.org.
