Boston – (March 11, 2022) – Joslin Diabetes Center is pleased to announce that Chief Scientific Officer George L. King, MD, section head of vascular cell biology, has been named the inaugural incumbent of the Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Professorship in the Field of Diabetes at Harvard Medical School (HMS). King also holds a secondary appointment as Professor of Ophthalmology at HMS.

This newly established professorship was made possible by an extraordinary $4 million dollar gift to Joslin from the Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Foundation. The Beatson Foundation, through the generosity of its Board of Trustees, established the professorship to create perpetual support for type 1 diabetes research, to which Dr. King has dedicated most of his professional life.

“When we were considering a gift to support an endowed professorship that would directly impact diabetes and people living with it, we asked ourselves one, main question: ‘What would Tom do?’ The answer was obvious. He would have wanted us to make sure Dr. King’s important work continues and that this Joslin-established professorship at Harvard Medical School would create a legacy of helping people with type 1 diabetes,” said Brent Ellsworth, a director of the Foundation.

Joslin’s partnership with the Foundation originated with Dr. King’s relationship with Tom Beatson himself. Mr. Beatson, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 83 after 74 years with type 1 diabetes, was a longtime patient and close friend of Dr. King’s. Mr. Beatson was also a Joslin Medalist, participated in the Medalist Study and supported Joslin in many endeavors related to type 1 research, including in Pediatrics. This endowed chair will forever honor Tom Beatson’s compassion and generosity to the type 1 community. 

“It’s a great honor to be named as the inaugural Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Professor of Medicine in the Field of Diabetes at HMS and I am excited for what this means for the study of type 1 diabetes leading to new treatments and a potential cure. I learned a great deal from my friendship with Tom Beatson and I am grateful for it and for the ongoing dedication and support of Joslin by the directors of the Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Foundation,” said Dr. King.

Joslin President Dr. Roberta Herman said, “Tom Beatson and now his Foundation have been supporters of Joslin and Dr. King’s work for several decades. Dr. King himself has been with Joslin for 41 years and has been one of our most prolific researchers over that time. He also has mentored and taught hundreds of other researchers and providers who have gone on to positively impact the field of diabetes study and treatment. This honor is well deserved and Joslin is tremendously grateful for the support from The Beatson Foundation.”

We heartily congratulate Dr. King and are tremendously grateful to the Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Foundation for its longtime support of Joslin and its type 1 research.

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