The call for nomination is open until September 18, 2026.
Congratulations 2026 Interest Group Award Recipients!
Edwin Bierman Lecture Award
Jane E.B. Reusch, MD, FAHA, is the recipient of the 2026 Edwin Bierman Award. This award recognizes a leading scientist who has made outstanding contributions to the field of diabetes-related macrovascular complications and their associated risk factors. Dr. Reusch will deliver the Edwin Bierman Award Lecture on Friday, June 5, 2026 at ADA’s 2026 Scientific Sessions.
Dr. Reusch is Professor of Medicine, Bioengineering, and Integrative Physiology, and Associate Director of the Ludeman Center for Women’s Health Research, Anschutz Medical Campus at the University of Colorado; Staff Physician and Merit Review Investigator at the Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Reusch has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of cellular metabolism of diabetes and its complications, studying people with diabetes and cell and animal models. Her clinical research program with Drs Regenstein and Nadeau focuses on exercise intolerance in adults and youth with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, worse in women. She has been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Association of Physicians, and awarded the Women of Valor in Diabetes Award, the Endocrine Society Laureate Award for Mentoring, the Banting Medal for Leadership and Service, and the Albert Renold Award from the American Diabetes Association. She served as President for Medicine and Science of the American Diabetes Association and on the ADA professional Practice Committee 2019–2021 (writing group for the ADA Standard of Medical Care for Diabetes), and she is a strong advocate for equitable care for diabetes and the development of evidence-based guidelines for men and women. Her work on the collaboration between the ADA and AHA enhances guideline harmonization, optimizes evidence-based care for women, and supports comprehensive CV risk reduction for all.
Please join us in celebrating Jane E.B. Reusch, MD, FAHA, for her outstanding contributions in the field of diabetes-related macrovascular complications.
Norbert Freinkel Lecture Award
Mary Loeken, PhD, is the recipient of the 2026 Norbert Freinkel Award. This award honors a researcher who has made outstanding contributions to the understanding and treatment of diabetes in pregnancy. Dr. Loeken will deliver the Norbert Freinkel Award Lecture on Friday, June 5, 2026, at ADA’s 2026 Scientific Sessions.
Mary Loeken received a BA in Biology from Gonzaga University, an MS in Biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a PhD in Physiology from the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. She obtained postdoctoral training in Molecular Virology at the National Institutes of Health. In 1988, Dr. Loeken moved to the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, MA, where she developed a mouse model of diabetic pregnancy, and to the faculty in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is currently a Research Investigator at Joslin and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. She has served on grant review panels for the National Institutes of Health, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the American Diabetes Association. She served twice on the Editorial Board of Diabetes, and is a Co-Editor of Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews. Dr. Loeken was Chair of the Pregnancy and Reproductive Health Subcommittee of the ADA Scientific Sessions Planning Committee (2018–2020). She was Chair (2018–2020) and Post-Chair (2020–2022) of the Pregnancy and Reproductive Health Professional Interest Group of the ADA. She has been Treasurer of the International Association of Diabetic Pregnancy Study Groups since 2019.
Please join us in celebrating Mary Loeken, PhD, for her outstanding contributions to the understanding and treatment of diabetes in pregnancy.
Roger Pecoraro Lecture Award
Chandan K. Sen, MS, PhD, FNAI, is the recipient of the 2026 Roger Pecoraro Award. This award recognizes a researcher who has made significant scientific contributions and demonstrated an unwavering commitment to enhancing the understanding of the detection, treatment, and prevention of diabetic foot complications. Dr. Sen will deliver the Roger Pecoraro Award Lecture on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at ADA’s 2026 Scientific Sessions.
Dr. Sen holds the prestigious Bartley P. Griffith MD FACS FRCS Chair of Regenerative Medicine and serves as Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. In addition, Dr. Sen is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Life Sciences Innovation and Commercialization at the University of Pittsburgh, where he plays a pivotal role in fostering academic-industry partnerships and accelerating the translation of scientific discoveries into clinical solutions. Within the UPMC health system, Dr. Sen serves as Chief Scientific Officer for the Wound Care Service Line, guiding research and innovation to improve patient outcomes across a broad spectrum of skin and soft-tissue pathologies. Nationally, he is the Vice Chair and Chair-Elect of the NIH/NIDDK Diabetic Foot Consortium (DFC), where he also leads the Pennsylvania Clinical Research Unit and contributes to multi-institutional efforts to address diabetic wound complications through rigorous clinical research. The DFC brings together teams from across the country to study diabetic foot ulcers.
Work by Dr. Sen’s team has led to the development of several pioneering technologies, including tissue nanotransfection (TNT), a non-viral gene-delivery platform for in vivo tissue reprogramming, and electroceutical approaches for managing infections and promoting wound healing. The latter is currently under clinical trial in the battlefield of Ukraine. The former led to a Pitt Inc startup. Dr. Sen’s work has led to several startups, including one currently in Brooklyn, NY—VispalExo (Brand: Ubility), of which he is the founding president. These innovations have garnered widespread recognition, including the 2018 Edison Award for Innovation, the 2016 Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation, the Science & Humanity Prize from the Oxygen Club of California, and the Indiana University Bicentennial Medal. Dr. Sen serves as the Chief Editor of the top-ranked journal in wound care, Advances in Wound Care. Dr. Sen is an elected lifetime Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. With an H-index of 122, he has authored 400+ peer-reviewed publications cited over 58,000 times.
Please join us in recognizing Chandan K. Sen, MS, PhD, FNAI, for outstanding contributions and commitment to improving the understanding of the detection, treatment, and prevention of diabetic foot complications.
Richard R. Rubin Lecture Award
Korey Hood, PhD, is the recipient of the 2026 Richard R. Rubin Lecture Award. This award recognizes a behavioral researcher who has made outstanding and/or innovative contributions in the study and understanding of the behavioral aspects of diabetes. Dr. Hood will deliver the Roger Pecoraro Award Lecture on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at ADA’s 2026 Scientific Sessions.
Korey Hood, PhD, is personally and professionally committed to improving the lives of people with diabetes. As a Professor and Staff Psychologist at Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Hood runs a behavioral science laboratory focused on optimizing health and quality-of-life outcomes. A recipient of federal and foundation grants and author of over 200 scientific articles, Dr. Hood works to put behavioral science at the forefront of person-centered diabetes care. Dr. Hood has type 1 diabetes himself and works across advocacy and service settings to promote awareness of diabetes treatments, the psychological impact, and emerging technologies. Dr. Hood is a compassionate behavioral scientist with a keen understanding of the intersection between diabetes and behavioral health.
Please join us in celebrating Korey Hood, PhD, for outstanding scientific achievement in the understanding of the behavioral aspects of diabetes.
Congratulations 2026 WIN ADA Award Recipient!
Lori Sussel, PhD, is the recipient of the 2026 Lois Jovanovic Transformative Woman in Diabetes Award. This award recognizes a woman who has made a significant impact in diabetes care, research, education, or public health. Dr. Sussel will give remarks at the Women’s Interprofessional Network of the American Diabetes Association (WIN ADA) reception on Friday, June 5, 2026.
Dr. Lori Sussel is a Professor of Pediatrics and Cell & Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center. She also serves as the Research Director of the Barbara Davis Diabetes Center (BDC) and Director of the NIH-funded University of Colorado Diabetes Research Center. Research in the Sussel Lab focuses on understanding how transcription factors, RNA processing, and RNA molecules regulate pancreatic islet development and function; these studies have helped lay the foundation for the differentiation of insulin-producing beta cells from human ES cells. She has also identified the importance of maintaining beta-cell maturation and identity in the adult during physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Overall, Dr. Sussel’s research has contributed to the understanding of the development and function of pancreatic islet cells, as well as how alpha and beta cells become dysfunctional in diabetes.
Please join us in celebrating Lori Sussel, PhD, for her significant contributions to diabetes care, research, education, and public health.