Transforming Pediatric Care: Universal Early Screening for Type 1 Diabetes

January 6, 2026

By: Julie A. Bednark

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a lifelong autoimmune condition impacting millions of children and families worldwide. Its effects extend beyond physical health—shaping emotional well-being, cognitive development, quality of life, and financial stability. Alarmingly, diagnoses of T1D continue to rise among both children and adults. In the U.S., the burden is profound for patients, families, and communities—and costly for healthcare systems. According to CDC data through 2019, incidence among youth under 20 has steadily increased, with the largest proportional rises among non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Black populations, while non-Hispanic White youth maintain the highest overall rates. Hospitalizations for diabetes rank third among children ages 10–14 and fourth among adolescents ages 15–18, surpassing asthma and accounting for approximately $425 million annually in hospital care. Children diagnosed with Stage 3 before age 10 may lose up to 16 years of life expectancy. Beyond immediate costs, the lifetime economic burden is staggering—each person with T1D incurs roughly $500,000 in additional healthcare costs.

The Challenge

Early detection of T1D can lead to better outcomes and less severe symptoms.  Universal screening is potentially an equitable and inclusive approach to identifying – and potentially delaying onset for at-risk children with T1D to prevent Diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious and potentially life-threatening complication.

Yet, current screening practices focus primarily on children with a family history of diabetes or other autoimmune diseases. This leaves out 90% of children who will eventually develop T1D—simply because they don’t have a known family connection.

Recent recommendations, including those from the American Diabetes Association, suggest a more inclusive approach: measuring islet autoantibodies in all children, not just those with a family history. These autoantibodies—IAA, GADA, IA-2A, and ZnT8A—can signal the early stages of T1D, long before symptoms appear.

Our Vision

The Ideas to Implementation team, led by Rinad Beidas, PhD, chair of the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in collaboration with Herbert Bravo, MD (Bravo Pediatrics LLC), Kimber Simmons, MD, MSPH (Barbara Davis Center and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus), funded by Sanofi, is spearheading an ambitious effort to translate this science into everyday pediatric care. Our goal is to make universal screening for T1D a routine part of well-child visits—so that every child has the chance for early detection and timely intervention. “We are so thankful to Sanofi for investing in this work and for seeing the promise in bringing insights from implementation science to this opportunity,” said Rinad Beidas, PhD. “This collaboration underscores the power of academia–industry partnerships to accelerate impact for patients and health systems.”

The Study

The team is launching this initiative in six pediatric practices across the U.S., reaching approximately 3,500 children during their 1–2 and 4–6 year well-child visits. These age groups are ideal for preventive care and already include routine blood tests for things like lead and hemoglobin—making it easy to integrate autoantibody screening into existing workflows.

A mixed-methods approach will be used to study how this screening can be implemented effectively, safely, and equitably. Blood samples will be collected via venipuncture or finger prick, and children who test positive will also receive a Hemoglobin A1C test for further staging followed with physician counseling and confirmatory testing.

What We’re Aiming to Learn

• Aim 1 (Primary): Is it feasible, acceptable, and appropriate to include islet autoantibody screening in routine pediatric care?
• Aim 2 (Secondary): What do parents, clinicians, clinic administrators, payers, and leaders from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Diabetes Association think about this approach?

Next Steps

We’re currently identifying and onboarding our six partner clinics. From there, we’ll work closely with each site to tailor the screening process to their unique needs—ensuring it fits seamlessly into their daily operations - and turn scientific discovery into action! 

Why It Matters

If our study shows that universal screening is practical and well-received, we’ll pursue funding for a larger-scale implementation trial. Ultimately, we hope to build a future where every child has access to early detection—regardless of background or family history.