Jasna Šuput Omladič

Full Citation: Šuput Omladič, J., Slana Ozimič, A., Vovk, A., et al. Acute hyperglycemia and spatial working memory in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2020, 43(8), 1941–1944.

Unfortunately there is not enough money for everyone who wants to research.

For the Slovenian finalist Jasna Šuput Omladič, MD, a paediatrician from the Division of Paediatrics of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, the nomination is a very big recognition and at the same time proof that the research she conducted together with her research group was interesting and also important.

She assesses that the conditions for research work in Slovenia are good, but not ideal, with particular emphasis on funding, as there is not enough money for everyone who has the knowledge, desire and will to do research work.

In her research, Dr. Šuput Omladič and her team tried to prove that even a short period of high blood sugar affects the brain function in diabetics. They focused on working memory which is very important in school work. They confirmed that high blood sugar affects working memory and consequently the quality of school work.

“When diabetics had adequate blood sugar levels, they were just as successful at solving the task as their healthy peers, whereas during hyperglycaemia this was not the case. The differences were also shown in the activation of the brain while solving the task,”

she explains, adding that the results of the research will certainly be an important piece of information for doctors, as well as a confirmation that it is necessary to strive for as regulated diabetes as possible. For patients, however, this is certainly proof that with high blood sugar they are not able to do school work as well as they can with normal blood sugar.

Dr. Šuput Omladič sees many positive sides in her work, but she feels most satisfaction when she can help an ill child to feel better, perform normal daily tasks and live a full life.

She also wants to live fully on her own, which is largely ensured by the members of her family – her husband Sergej and children Ella and Robert.