Oct 29, 2020

Professor Patricia Brubaker Wins Diabetes Canada Lifetime Achievement Award

Photo of Professor Pat Brubaker with a sign that says Physiology behind her

Congratulations to Professor Patricia Brubaker on receiving the Diabetes Canada Lifetime Achievement Award! She is the first woman to receive this honour. She will be giving an online Award Lecture on November 18th. Details on the event to follow.

The Lifetime Achievement award is bestowed annually upon a prominent Canadian MD or PhD medical scientist who is recognized and nominated by his/her peers for longstanding contribution to the Canadian diabetes community and a leader in diabetes research. Scroll down to view the Nomination and Acceptance videos in full.

Professor Brubaker and her lab members among foliage“When I think about lifetime achievement," Professor Brubaker said, "I think about the joy of discovery. That eureka moment keeps me going. I would say my most significant contributions have been my work on the implications of glucagon-like peptide 1 in diabetes, as well as the discovery and application of glucagon-like peptide 2 as a new treatment for short bowel syndrome.

“But aside from the discovery aspect, my lifetime achievement has been the joy of interacting with my amazing trainees who challenge me and keep me engaged. I have a wall of photographs in my office...I think I have one up of every person I’ve trained. Those relationships I have built over the years are a real source of pride.”

Professor Brubaker was nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Award by esteemed U of T endocrinologist Professor Daniel Drucker who said:

"As Professor Brubaker's work has shown us over the last several decades, she has become one of the international leaders in the biology of the glucagon-like peptides...This work has had tremendous translational impact and Pat has been at the forefront of this exciting wave of research."

Watch Professor Drucker's nomination video here:

Watch Professor Brubaker's acceptance speech here: