Dr. Jennifer Sherr’s type 1 diabetes diagnosis in childhood inspired her to become both a doctor and a researcher, caring for kids with T1D today and pursuing new therapies for the future

“I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes [T1D] when I was nine years old, and from the minute I was diagnosed, I was positive I was going to become a pediatric endocrinologist,” explains Jennifer Sherr, M.D., Ph.D., of Yale School of Medicine. “In fourth grade I could spell it, and I told everybody I was working on a scholarship so I could get to medical school.”

And so she did. Then, during her residency at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, she learned from clinical research pioneer William Tamborlane, M.D., that research could enable her to help many more people beyond her own patients. “I was sold,” she says, “and ended up devoting my life to clinical research.”

As a clinical research scientist, Dr. Sherr provides medical care to kids with T1D and also does cutting-edge research to develop new therapeutic approaches for T1D. “I carry all my patients with me. It’s amazing to watch them grow up. I love my job more than I can explain.”

But Dr. Sherr says it can be very difficult to get funding for clinical research. That’s why her five-year Early-Career Patient-Oriented Diabetes Research award from JDRF is so vital. “JDRF has supported me in many ways in various aspects throughout my life,” she says. “It’s not just about raising funds and advancing science, it’s about supporting families. It’s about advocacy and getting CGM [continuous glucose monitoring] approved for the Medicare population. And it’s about this amazing network of individuals, who are brought together for a joint cause they are passionate about.”

Learn how you too can join our cause and help create a world without T1D!