St. Louis, Missouri— JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, announced the appointment of John Kurowski as a new member of the JDRF International Finance Committee. Committee members provide volunteer guidance to JDRF and play a vital role in executing fundraising, leadership and advocacy activities to ensure that its efforts remain aligned with the needs of people who live with the disease.

“We congratulate John and are delighted to have him serve the mission as a member of the JDRF International Finance Committee,” said Chris Martinez, JDRF Greater Missouri & Southern Illinois Chapter Executive Director. “I am confident that John will continue to provide the strengths needed to advance JDRF’s goals of improving the lives of families facing this disease and creating a world without T1D just as he has done for years for our region.”

The JDRF Greater Missouri & Southern Illinois Chapter was formed in 1976 and has established an impressive track record in patient education programs, support groups, public awareness and advocacy.

John Kurowski is the founder and managing partner of Kurowski Shultz LLC. Mr. Kurowski’s practice focuses on several areas of civil litigation that is national in scope and reputation. His areas of specialty include asbestos and toxic tort litigation, and an array of complex civil litigation matters and government affairs. A native of Southwestern Illinois, Mr. Kurowski received his B.A. degree from Loyola University of Chicago, graduating cum laude in History in 1975. He received his J.D. degree from St. Louis University School of Law in 1978. Mr. Kurowski has been a visiting Professor of Law at the Nicolaus Copernicus University School of Law and Administration in Torun, Poland where he sponsors an annual Human Rights Symposium each October. He is a Board Member for the JDRF Greater Missouri & Southern Illinois Chapter, and a member of the Society of Fellows of the Aspen Institute.

Type 1 diabetes strikes both children and adults at any age. Each year, more than 15,000 children and 15,000 adults—approximately 80 people per day—are diagnosed with T1D in the U.S. It comes on suddenly, causes dependence on injected or pumped insulin for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. JDRF is committed to an ongoing stream of life-changing therapies moving from development through to the marketplace that lessen the impact of T1D.