Frederick Banting and Charles Best, who together discovered insulin (Courtesy of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto)
2021 marks the 100th anniversary of this discovery, which transformed the treatment of diabetes forever. Before the discovery of insulin, the lives of people with diabetes were cut short.
In 1923, Lilly became the first company to commercialize insulin. Today, we are commemorating the centennial of insulin by recognizing the work of researchers, advocates and people living with diabetes.
Meet Leonard Thompson
Lilly's Leonard campaign commemorating the centennial anniversary of insulin is named for Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy who in 1922 became the first person with diabetes ever treated with insulin.
Leonard Thompson, the first person treated with insulin
Since then, developments in insulin have come a long way. We are proud to recognize the progress made in insulin development over the last century, and the advancements yet to come, while honoring the bravery of Leonard and millions of others whose lives were forever changed by insulin.
James Collip, who purified insulin for diabetes treatment (Courtesy of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto)
Named for Leonard, our insulin centennial celebration both honors the past and recognizes modern advancements made in the development of insulin and other diabetes treatments. We look forward to celebrating many stories of courage and perseverance in the global diabetes community.
The Leonard Award - Celebrating 100+ Years of Innovation in Diabetes Care
About the Leonard Award
In 2021 Lilly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, and a century of innovation in diabetes care, by launching the Leonard Award. The Leonard Award − inspired by the life of Leonard Thompson, the first person with diabetes to be treated with insulin − recognizes diverse champions dedicated to advancing diabetes management and care. In 2022, we are continuing this insulin centennial celebration by recognizing four new champions in the diabetes community, and will be giving a total of $100,000 USD to Life for a Child, a non-profit organization that provides access to care, education, lifesaving medicines and supplies to children and young people with type 1 diabetes in resource-limited countries, in recognition of these winning entries.
Information about the upcoming 2023 Award will be shared on this webpage. See terms and conditions for additional information about the Leonard Award.
Meet the Recipients of the 2022 Leonard Award
This year, Lilly received many impressive submissions highlighting the innovation and dedication of the diabetes community, and we are excited to announce the winning submissions across four entry categories! Congratulations to the 2022 Leonard Award recipients:
Advocate/Advocacy Professional: Nupur Lalvani, CDE, of Pune, Maharashtra, India, for work as the founder of the Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation, India’s largest patient-led diabetes community and support group.
Endocrinologist/Primary Care Physician: Steve Edelman, MD, of San Diego, California, United States, for work as an endocrinologist serving the diabetes community and as the founder of Taking Control of Your Diabetes, a non-profit organization providing diabetes education and resources.
Diabetes Educator/Nurse: Yuan Li, of Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China, for work in establishing an educational diabetes management approach in medical facilities in China.
Researcher: Osagie Ebekozien, MD, MPH, CPHQ, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, for work leading the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative to reduce diabetes disparities in health outcomes.
Meet the 2022 Leonard Award Judges’ Panel
The 2022 Leonard Award recipients were selected by a judges’ panel comprised of esteemed leaders in diabetes care. Submissions were evaluated based on impact, novelty, contribution and commitment and the ability to advance life-changing care for people impacted by diabetes.
Leonard Award Judges’ Panel
Tadej Battelino, MD, PhD, Professor and Head of Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, UMC Ljubljana
Janet Brown-Friday, RN, MSN, MPH, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Health and Education President-elect, American Diabetes Association
Amalia Gastaldelli, PhD, Research Director of Cardiometabolic Risk Unit, Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy
Mariana Gomez, MBA, BS in Psychology, Vice President, International Markets Beyond Type 1
Sarah Linklater, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, JDRF Canada
Kenneth P. Moritsugu, MD, MPH, FACPM, RADM, USPHS (Retired)
Anna Norton, MS, CEO, DiabetesSisters
Niti Pall, MD, President, International Diabetes Federation Europe
Kim Roosevelt, Chair Emeritus, Global Mission Board, JDRF International
Christina Roth-Sleeper, CEO and Founder, The Diabetes Link (formerly the College Diabetes Network/CDN)
Leonard Glass, MD, F.A.C.E., Senior Vice President, Lilly Diabetes Global Medical Affairs, Eli Lilly and Company
Our Commitment to Insulin Advancement and Access
Addressing the impact of diabetes has been at the heart of our purpose for a century and advancing insulin therapy is a hallmark of our business.
Two years after Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin for the treatment of humans, Lilly manufactured and brought the first commercial insulin, Iletin, to people living with diabetes. The widespread manufacturing of insulin came with challenges, but Lilly continued to persevere in our commitment to provide solutions for people with diabetes.
Great strides have been made in the fight against diabetes through improvements to life-saving insulins by many people and institutes in the healthcare space. This is good for people living with diabetes, but taking insulin remains a frustrating process with complex variables that may limit medicines from reaching their full potential.
Global rates of diabetes quadrupled between 1980 and 2014, and continue to rise. Most people with diabetes are not achieving their treatment goals, despite new medicines and advances in diabetes management technology. In fact, only 17% of youth and 21% of adults living with diabetes are meeting target A1C levels, and outcomes are worsening for young adults over time.
We are working to transform care for tens of millions more people living with diabetes, including those with related metabolic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. We continue to research ways to improve current treatments, such as connected care solutions that will increase efficiencies in treatment delivery and alleviate the burden associated with disease management.
Looking to the future, we remain committed to deliver breakthrough outcomes for people with diabetes. Today, people with diabetes can access more than 150 Lilly patient support programs across 51 countries, reaching close to two million people each year. We strive to ensure access to treatment for everyone in the global diabetes community.
The History of Diabetes Research
Travel back thousands of years before Banting and Best, and discover the full history of diabetes research — beginning with the first recorded mention of diabetes symptoms in 1552 B.C.E.
