Carolina Silva

MD

Investigator and Staff Pediatric Endocrinologist, BC Children's Hospital

My academic work focuses on type 1 diabetes in children and youth, and specifically, education in this area. My current projects aim to leverage technology to improve delivery of care, and the experience and health outcomes of children and youth living with diabetes and their families.

I am evaluating the implementation LearnDiabetes, a novel multimedia platform that provides easy-to-understand education and training for families living with diabetes throughout their journey. This is intended to complement traditional diabetes teaching. We are looking at the impact of this platform in both clinical and patient-reported outcomes, as well as families and educators’ perspectives and experience using it.

I am working on the development and evaluation of a virtual community of practice for providers caring for children and youth with T1D across British Columbia, using the ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) model. Additionally, I will be assessing the educational needs of pediatric residents and community healthcare providers in our province around Type 1 diabetes, as well as ways to support them in meeting their learning goals.

I also have a clinical interest in the care of transgender youth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we assessed the usability of virtual visits for gender-affirming care.