The JDRF Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter is honored to have hosted JDRF President and CEO Derek Rapp in the Philadelphia market on Wednesday, February 21, 2018. Derek spent the day in the greater Philadelphia area meeting with various JDRF partners. The visit culminated with an exciting evening event at the Overbrook Golf Club in Villanova, sponsored by M&T Bank/Wilmington Trust.

When asked which promising therapy he is most excited about, Derek spoke candidly about the encouraging progress in immunology. He also shared his appreciation for the tremendous advocacy efforts of the T1D community that led to a two-year renewal of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) in February. The SDP is now extended with a total of $300 million in new funding for T1D research.

Derek delivered several research updates; answered questions from attendees; and offered his sincere gratitude to the roomful of key volunteers, donors, and community partners for their hard work and dedication to the JDRF mission. “You are JDRF,” he humbly acknowledged.

“It was a great pleasure to host Derek in the Philadelphia area, where JDRF was founded in 1970,” shared JDRF Eastern Pennsylvania Board President Matthew Cohn. “His updates on the great advances being made by JDRF truly inspired our volunteers, who work all year long to raise funds for research and awareness of those in our community living with type 1 diabetes.”