Breakthrough T1D President and CEO, Dr. Aaron Kowalski, will provide the Mission Update at this year’s TypeOneNation Summit. It’s been an incredible year, as can be seen through the Top 10 T1D Breakthroughs of the Year.

This year, we are hosting two programs and we encourage you to register today to join us. Luckily, regardless of which program you attend you be hearing Aaron’s Mission Update.

TypeOneNation Summit for Those Caring for Children with T1D

TypeOneNation Summit for Adults Living with T1D and Their Loved Ones

As Breakthrough T1D President and CEO, Aaron Kowalski drives strategies to accelerate progress toward curing type 1 diabetes (T1D) and improving lives of those living with the disease today.

The global leader in T1D research and advocacy, Breakthrough T1D raises, invests and drives more funds to T1D research than other organization in the world and has played a role in nearly every major advance – drug, device, cell therapy – made in T1D in the last 50 years.

Aaron, who joined Breakthrough T1D in 2004 and most recently served as Chief Mission Officer, is an internationally recognized scientific expert in T1D research who brings to the role both personal experience of living with T1D for over 35 years and a natural ability to engage the T1D community.

He has helped shape the innovative work that defined Breakthrough T1D’s therapy pipeline aimed at accelerating progress in each development stage so that advances in the lab can be turned into real solutions.

He also was pivotal in transforming Breakthrough T1D from an organization funding primarily academic research to a highly engaged strategic funder influencing all stages of the research and development pipeline. He also shaped collaboration networks across the global T1D community – working closely with senior industry executives and leaders in academia, clinical care and government.

Aaron has authored numerous articles on T1D research that are improving standards of care, including his artificial pancreas roadmap that was adopted by the diabetes industry to significantly accelerate the delivery of the first commercial systems, and the landmark Breakthrough T1D CGM Trial in the New England Journal of Medicine, which opened up access to continuous glucose monitoring through insurance coverage.

Aaron also served as a policy leader for Breakthrough T1D, regularly advising Members of Congress and leaders of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ensure access to T1D therapies and regulatory frameworks that promote innovation. He is a champion for coverage, affordability and choice of therapies, advocating for life-saving treatment options and expanded access to help people with T1D stay healthy until we have a cure.

He has traveled and spoken globally about T1D, presenting at many national and international conferences, including ADA’s Annual Scientific Sessions, EASD, ATTD, AACE, and AADE.

Aaron was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 13 following a similar diagnosis for his younger brother Stephen at the age of 3. While living with T1D, he has completed 20 marathons and remains an avid golfer and ice hockey player. Aaron has been married to his wife Michele, a high school biology teacher, for nearly 25 years. Together, they have three children.

Aaron holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a doctorate in microbiology and molecular genetics from Rutgers University.