A Professsorship Advances Translational Research in Juvenile Diabetes

A professorship has enabled Dr. William Clarke to work with colleagues at the University of Virginia School of Medicine on a project to develop a small, artificial pancreas that can dispense insulin automatically.

"If you want to try something new, you have to take risks," said Dr. Clarke, the Robert M. Blizzard Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology. "It doesn't always pay financially. Without the chair, I wouldn't be able to participate in a project that may make a difference in people's lives."

The Robert M. Blizzard Professorship in Pediatric Endocrinology was established in 2006 by Dr. Blizzard's friends and colleagues to honor the former U.Va. faculty member who was a pioneer in the field of pediatric endocrinology.

Dr. Clarke arrived at the School of Medicine in 1978, toting an artificial pancreas the size of a television console. Today, U.Va. is home to one of seven select centers funded by the national Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to develop a wearable, artificial pancreas to help treat Type I diabetes.

"I'm looking forward to the day when children do not have to inject insulin," he said.

The Robert M. Blizzard Professorship in Pediatric Endocrinology was established in 2006 through the efforts of friends, colleagues, and former trainees to honor the former chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. The professorship enables the School of Medicine to attract and retain eminent scholars in the field of pediatric endocrinology. Dr. Blizzard, who retired in 1994, lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.