Insulin pump innovator receives high honor for diabetes research

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has selected William V. Tamborlane, M.D., to receive its Outstanding Physician Clinician Award, one of the highest honors bestowed by the ADA each year.

A professor of pediatrics and a world-renowned figure in the understanding and treatment of childhood diabetes, Tamborlane is chief of pediatric endocrinology at the School of Medicine.

Tamborlane’s major achievements have included pioneering work in the development of insulin pump therapy, continuous glucose monitoring, sensor-augmented pumps, and, most recently, designing a prototype of an artificial pancreas.

Tamborlane has also demonstrated the role of insulin resistance in pediatric metabolic disorders, including obesity and type 2 diabetes.

In late 2009, Tamborlane was honored by the Diabetes Technology Society with the Diabetes Technology Leadership Award for his extraordinary lifetime accomplishments in diabetes research and technological innovation.

Also in 2009, Tamborlane was one of six members of the YSM faculty elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, in recognition of his original contributions to “theoretical or applied science or engineering.”

Tamborlane will be presented with the award at the annual ADA meeting in Orlando, Fla., in June.