Posted 21 October 2024
Professor Tom Kay has received the 2024 Diabetes Victoria Outstanding Contribution Award at an annual Thank You event at The Hall, NAB, Docklands.
“Today, we honoured Tom’s exceptional contributions to groundbreaking diabetes research. His dedication, innovation, and relentless pursuit of advancing type 1 diabetes research is inspirational. We thank him for his tireless commitment and contributions,” said Glen Noonan, CEO, Diabetes Victoria.
At the event, Georgie Peters received the 2024 Outstanding Contribution – Lived Experience with Diabetes Award.
The Diabetes Victoria Outstanding Contribution Award has been awarded each year since 2007 and the Outstanding Contribution – Lived Experience with Diabetes Award since 2020. These awards acknowledge people who have made substantial and meaningful contributions to improving the lives of Victorians affected by, or at risk of, diabetes.
“I’m honoured and grateful to receive the award from Diabetes Victoria – it takes a team to succeed in this competitive and fast-moving space.
“I pay tribute to my friend and colleague of 30 years, Professor Helen Thomas, who died recently.
“Helen was instrumental in many of the Institute’s key type 1 diabetes discoveries, including the recent successful BANDIT clinical trial and the development of the JDRF-funded Australasian Type 1 Diabetes Immunotherapy Collaborative (ATIC),” said Tom.
Tom is the Director of SVI and an Honorary Professorial Fellow at The University of Melbourne. He trained in endocrinology and clinical immunology.
His research focuses on challenging insulin replacement therapy for type 1 diabetes by introducing new treatments based on better understanding of the mechanisms of the disease.
He was the principal investigator of the BANDIT trial, a recent phase 2 clinical trial of baricitinib, which showed that this commonly prescribed rheumatoid arthritis drug was able to suppress the progression of type 1 diabetes in people who commenced treatment soon after diagnosis. Tom is also Chair of the Australian Type 1 Diabetes Immunotherapy Collaborative.