Dr. Laffel is the only physician among the eight Pinnacle Awardees.

BOSTON – (January 26, 2016) – The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce has awarded Lori Laffel, M.D., MPH, Chief of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section at Joslin Diabetes Center and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, the Achievement in the Professions distinction for the 2016 Pinnacle Awards. Dr. Laffel is the only physician to be honored among the eight outstanding female leaders selected for their accomplishments in business and management.

These awards honor business and professional women who have demonstrated excellence in entrepreneurship, management, and lifetime achievement. This year marks the twenty-second year that the Chamber has presented the Pinnacle Awards. 

“I am grateful to The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce for this recognition, and I want to acknowledge the clinical and research opportunities I have had at Joslin Diabetes Center,” said Dr. Laffel. “The Pinnacle Award is inspirational for future generations of women. Throughout my career, I have valued and benefited from a supportive group of mentors and colleagues. I thank these people and hope that I can continue to inspire others to achieve and succeed for a better future.” 

With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Lori Laffel oversees New England’s largest pediatric diabetes clinic; under her leadership the Joslin pediatrics clinic has quadrupled in size. In addition to her clinical leadership, Dr. Laffel also helped to establish an extensive, complimentary pediatric diabetes research program. Dr. Laffel serves as the co-head of the Clinical, Behavioral and Outcomes Section of Joslin’s Research Division and Joslin’s Clinical Research Center (CRC). Previously, she was a Senior Investigator in the Section on Genetics and Epidemiology at Joslin. Her research and clinical interests focus on preventing the late complications of type 1 diabetes and preserving the health, growth, development and family functioning of children, adolescents and young adults with diabetes.  

Dr. Laffel’s research has been translated into the routine clinical care for families of children with newly diagnosed or established diabetes at Joslin and has helped to form the basis of national and international initiatives. She pioneered the “Care Ambassador” approach to diabetes care, which encourages routine clinic attendance and adherence to diabetes management tasks, such as blood glucose monitoring.

Dr. Laffel’s other notable accomplishments include:
• Recipient of the American Diabetes Association 2015 Outstanding Physician Clinician in Diabetes, one of the ADA’s highest annual awards
• Recipient of the JDRF Nancy Jones Diabetes Champion Award for Research in 2014
• Past member of the ADA’s National Committee for Professional Practice Guidelines
• Inaugural Chair of the ADA’s Working Group on Transitions in Care for Young Adults with Diabetes
• Past Chair of ADA’s Youth Strategies Committee
• Past member of the Advisory Board of the International Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD)
• Past member of the JDRF’s Clinical Advisory Committee

As Professor of Pediatrics, Dr. Laffel lectures at undergraduate and graduate levels, and serves as mentor for doctoral students, fellows, and junior faculty. She is an invited speaker at local, national, and international meetings, in areas of pediatric diabetes, childhood obesity, behavioral and outcomes research, and the assessment and translation of new technologies in diabetes. She is Principal Investigator on multiple clinical research projects, with grants from NIH, foundations, and industry.

“Dr. Laffel is nationally recognized for her outstanding contributions to all facets of pediatric diabetes care and research. This award not only highlights her clinical and research successes, but also her leadership role as a mentor to many of Joslin’s clinicians and researchers,” said Peter S. Amenta, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of Joslin Diabetes Center.

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