Kierstin Webster, an MD/PhD candidate in the Mirmira Lab, presented at the Midwest Islet Club meeting in Minneapolis on May 24, 2023.

Kierstin emphasized that, although many autoimmune diseases are more prevalent in females, type 1 diabetes (or autoimmune diabetes) is just as common in males as in females. She hypothesized that pancreatic islets in males and females respond differently to inflammation, with the female response being more protective against autoimmunity.