Lilly announces two Canadian winners of inaugural Leonard Award, a global program celebrating 100 years of innovation in diabetes care Français
Ahead of World Diabetes Day on November 14, Lilly has pledged $100,000 (USD) to Life for a Child in recognition of the five selected winners
TORONTO, Nov. 11, 2021 /CNW/ - Today Lilly Canada announced the five winners of the inaugural Leonard Award, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin by recognizing diverse champions dedicated to advancing diabetes management. Lilly is giving $20,000 (USD) in recognition of each winner ($100,000 total) to Life for a Child, a global non-profit organization that provides access to care, education and lifesaving medicines and supplies to children and young people with type 1 diabetes in resource-limited countries.
"As the birthplace of insulin, a hundred years ago, we couldn't be prouder that Canada was well represented with two Leonard Award recipients, the only country with multiple winners," says Rhonda Pacheco, General Manager, Lilly Canada. "The Leonard Award is all about recognizing important work in the diabetes community and inspiring future generations to take the lead and make a positive impact in their community – we look forward to seeing all that you can do!"
The Leonard Award was inspired by the life of Leonard Thompson, the first person with diabetes to be successfully treated with insulin in 1922, and celebrates ongoing achievements in the diabetes community. The 2021 Leonard Award winners and their categories are:
- Teen/young adult: Drew Mendelow of Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States, for work developing the T1D1 app, which helps people with diabetes calculate and log key metrics and easily send data to their diabetes care team.
- Advocate/advocacy professional: Sana Ajmal, PhD of Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan, for work as the founder and executive director of Meethi Zingagi, a non-profit organization that aims to improve the lives of people with diabetes.
- Endocrinologist/primary care physician: Giuseppina Chierici, MD of Milano, Italy, for work starting, "Portiamo a casa un sorriso," a project that provides free medical home care assistance and advice for people with diabetes in need.
- Diabetes educator/nurse: Vanita Pais, RD, CDE of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for work on food skills programs and workshops for children with type 1 diabetes.
- Researcher: James Shapiro, MD, PhD of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for work developing the Edmonton Protocol for islet cell transplantation, which has been carried out more than 700 times and aims to improve the care of people with diabetes.
The winners from each category were selected by an external judges' panel comprised of esteemed leaders in diabetes. The panel evaluated more than 70 submissions of an original project, innovation or effort that addressed either an important need or challenge in the management of diabetes or aimed to support the community.
"It was an honour to be part of the judging panel for the Leonard Award program, designed to recognize exceptional contributions in the area of diabetes," says Dr. Sarah Linklater, Chief Scientific Officer, JDRF Canada. "Judging was a challenge for the panel, as there were so many applications from individuals that have done incredible work all around the world to improve lives for people with diabetes. Congratulations to all of the winners, and well done to the two Canadian recipients."
The Leonard Award external judges' panel included the following:
- Tadej Battelino, MD, PhD, Consultant and Head of Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, UMC Ljubljana
- Amalia Gastaldelli, Research Director, Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR
- Mariana Gomez, Director, Emerging Markets, Beyond Type 1
- Irl B. Hirsch, MD, Professor of Medicine, UW Medicine Diabetes Institute
- Nicole Johnson, DrPH, MPH, MA, Vice President, Science & Health Care, American Diabetes Association
- Sarah Linklater, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, JDRF Canada
- Kenneth P. Moritsugu, MD, MPH, FACPM, RADM, USPHS (Retired)
- Anna Norton, MS, CEO, DiabetesSisters
- Navnit (Niti) Kaur Pall, MD, President, International Diabetes Federation Europe
- Leonard Glass, MD, F.A.C.E., Vice President, Lilly Diabetes Global Medical Affairs, Eli Lilly and Company
The panel reviewed entries based on several criteria, including impact, novelty, feasibility, and ability to advance Lilly's mission of life-changing care for people impacted by diabetes. In recognition of the winning projects, Lilly will be giving $100,000 (USD) total for Life for a Child to help provide care for youth with diabetes around the world.
"We are honoured to be the beneficiary of the outstanding work exhibited by the Leonard Award winners. I'm thankful for and inspired by the outstanding efforts of these individuals and their dedication to making a difference for people living with diabetes," said Dr. Graham Ogle, General Manager of Life for a Child. "This contribution from Lilly will further support our mission of providing the best possible diabetes care to children in less-resourced countries and will help build a world where children with diabetes thrive no matter what situation they are born into."
To learn more about the Leonard Award, the winning individuals, and their work, please visit Lilly.com/LeonardAward. Lilly plans to continue the Leonard Award Program through 2023.
About Diabetes in Canada
Approximately 11 million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes. There are 3 major types of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common diagnosis, followed by type 1 diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, and is usually temporary. Prediabetes is another important diagnosis that indicates an elevated risk of developing diabetes. Having high blood sugar can cause diabetes-related complications. Diabetes-related complications can be very serious and even life-threatening. Properly managing blood sugar levels reduces the risk of developing these complications.
About Lilly Diabetes
Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care since 1923, when we introduced the world's first commercial insulin. Today we are building upon this heritage by working to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes and people who care for them. Through research, collaboration, and quality manufacturing we strive to make life better for people affected by diabetes and related conditions. We work to deliver breakthrough outcomes through innovative solutions—from medicines and technologies to support programs and more.
About Lilly Canada
Eli Lilly and Company is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by Colonel Eli Lilly, who was committed to creating high quality medicines that meet people's needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to people who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and contribute to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.
Eli Lilly Canada was established in 1938, the result of a research collaboration with scientists at the University of Toronto which eventually produced the world's first commercially available insulin. Our work focuses on oncology, diabetes, autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, and pain. To learn more about Lilly Canada, please visit us at www.lilly.ca.
For our perspective on issues in healthcare and innovation, follow us on twitter @LillyPadCA.
SOURCE Eli Lilly Canada Inc.
Media Contact: Ethan Pigott, [email protected], 416-770-5843
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