Congratulations to the 2022 winner of the Leonard Award — our very own Osagie Ebekozien MD, MPH, CPHQ, CMO! Ebekozien is the recipient of the Researcher category, selected from an impressive group of fellow researchers.

“I am deeply honored to receive the 2022 Leonard Award,” said Ebekozien. “I dedicate this award to my village of support including my family, team, co-investigators, and everybody impacted by diabetes.”

About the Leonard Award

This award from Lilly Diabetes was named after Leonard Thompson — the first person with type 1 diabetes to receive an injection of insulin in 1922. Leonard was 14 years old. He lived for another 13 years thanks to this breakthrough in medical history.

Through four recipients in different categories, Lilly Diabetes donates a total of $100,000 to Life for a Child — a critical program working to get insulin to children across the globe who struggle to access it but depend on it for survival.

Ebekozien’s Work in T1D Research

Ebekozien’s work in developing and leading the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative (T1DX-QI) has led to an outstanding amount of research. Ongoing research within the T1DX-QI is designed to improve the quality and efficacy of healthcare provided to people with T1D.

Under Ebekozien’s leadership, the T1DX-QI has grown to 54 participating endocrinology clinics across the country with a remarkable list of accomplishments in just a handful of years, including:

  • Publishing research in over 40 top medical journals since 2019
  • 90+ active research projects today
  • Sharing 70+ presentations at international conferences
  • Launching the Health Equity Advancement Lab (HEAL) Program
  • Launching a pilot program to serve the type 2 diabetes population
  • Mapping data at 16 participating centers
  • Improving overall HbA1c trends across all participating clinics
  • 18 manuscripts accepted and published so far in 2022
  • 25 abstracts accepted/presented at 5 International conferences in 2022

Ebekozien added that he is both humbled and energized by the Leonard Award, inevitably fueling his drive to do more. T1D Exchange is immensely grateful for the passion and expertise he brings to every part of this work and for the immeasurable impact it has on the lives of people with diabetes.