January 25, 2013 — JDRF announced today a new award named in honor of longtime friend and esteemed diabetes researcher, George S. Eisenbarth, M.D., Ph.D., who passed away in November. Dr. Eisenbarth’s research transformed our understanding of type 1 diabetes (T1D), providing the foundation for predicting the disease and identifying novel approaches toward its prevention and cure.

The JDRF George Eisenbarth Award for Type 1 Diabetes Prevention will recognize outstanding research advances in the prevention of T1D. The award was formally announced today at a memorial for Dr. Eisenbarth at the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado Denver, where he worked as a professor up until his death. Dr. Eisenbarth was also the executive director of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes.

“George was one of the exceptional researchers in the field who made seminal contributions to our understanding of type 1 diabetes throughout his career,” said Richard Insel, M.D., JDRF’s chief scientific officer. “He was also one of the most passionate and dedicated researchers we knew whose citizenship and unselfish approach to science was legendary. When he died, the entire diabetes community suffered a great loss. George’s contributions to type 1 diabetes, particularly in the area of risk and prevention of the disease, have created the critical foundation that will be built on in the years ahead as we progress toward prevention of the disease. This award was created to honor his legacy.”

Dr. Eisenbarth’s meritorious contributions to T1D research earned him many awards throughout his career, including the David Rumbough Award for Scientific Excellence from JDRF in 1997, and more recently, JDRF’s 10^th annual Mary Tyler Moore and S. Robert Levine, M.D. Excellence in Clinical Research Award in July 2012.

“We will remember Dr. Eisenbarth’s extraordinary career, his singular contribution to our understanding of type 1 diabetes, his mentorship of young diabetes researchers, and his generosity as a collaborator,” said JDRF International Chairman Mary Tyler Moore and her husband, S. Robert Levine, M.D., a member of JDRF’s Board of Chancellors. “Most of all, we’ll remember his special connection to the community of people personally affected by type 1 diabetes.”

To read JDRF’s statement on the loss of Dr. Eisenbarth and his enormous contributions to T1D research, please click here.

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