An Interview with Dr. Darryl Tonemah

TC:  So you moved around?

DT:   Yes, we moved around quite a bit, but in retrospect it turned out to be a good thing. I got to see perspectives of different tribes, different communities, and how the relationships of Indians and non-Indians were in different parts of the country. I also got to see how different tribes treat each other. That was really a big learning experience because at that age I thought Indians were Indians. I went from being a Kiowa, Comanche and Tuscarora surrounded by other tribal members, then going up to North Dakota where it is all Lakota. I would get teased because I wasn't Lakota. Looking back it was a really interesting dynamic. All that moving around and seeing all those different tribes really enhanced my view of the world, I got more perspective. Looking back on it now, I was probably gaining some coping skills, and some socialization skills. I had to adapt at a young age to making friends and figuring out an environment. I think that helped me later in life, and still helps me.

TC:  Tell me about the work you are doing with diabetes.

DT:  I am working on two National Institutes of Health studies. One is called the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and the new one is called Look Ahead. The DPP concluded about three years ago. Its goal was to do research on people who were borderline diabetic, or IGT, and see if losing 7% of body weight and exercising 150 minutes a week could prevent that IGT from converting to diabetes. The results were compelling. They were so compelling the study had to end early. Just by ethical research, if you find what you are looking for, you don't have to continue it. The research found that lifestyle change decreased the chance of converting to diabetes after that three year period by 58%, which is significant among Indian communities considering our rates of diabetes conversion. There was also a medication arm, which was also successful, but not as successful as the lifestyle change. If we lose ten to fifteen pounds, that was the average weight for the study, and exercise, moderate activity – it doesn't have to be running a marathon, a huge percent of the people just walked – you can affect your outcomes with your diabetes in a really big way. This was a national study, over 3,000 participants. Our particular site had 177 participants. It was a southwest site with all Native participants – in Gila River, Phoenix, Salt River, Zuni, and Shiprock, New Mexico.