Our Symposium and Seminars
The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center is pleased to host specialized events that foster collaboration, support, and shared discovery within the greater diabetes research and patient care community.
Frontiers in Diabetes Research
The Frontiers in Diabetes Research Symposium held at the Berrie Center each November for more than two decades, has gathered over 2,500 physicians, scientists, students, fellows, faculty, and other diabetes professionals from 70 institutions in a spirit of collaboration and discovery. Over the years, more than 100 speakers from 50 institutions have given lectures on topics that include the immunobiology of type 1 diabetes, trends in stem cell research, molecular genetics of diabetes, the biology of the beta cell, and more.
Each year, the recipients of the Naomi Berrie Awards for Achievement in Diabetes Research are announced at the Frontiers Symposium. The Berrie Awards have provided critical seed funding to more than 30 of the world’s most promising diabetes researchers. One award supports a two-year fellowship for a diabetes researcher at Columbia University. To promote collaboration with other organizations and scientists, a second, extramural award is granted to an established scientist who has accomplished outstanding achievement in research related to diabetes. This award is made in support of a two-year fellowship for a post-doctoral student to continue an aspect of his or her research. Through the continued generosity of the Russell Berrie Foundation, a third award, known as the Berrie Scholar Award, was added in 2013.
Designed to accomplish three goals—foster the training of young scientists, recognize the achievements of senior scientists, and advance research for a diabetes cure—the Berrie Awards and Frontiers Symposium have been emulated by universities across the country.
2021 Symposium – "Neural Control of Metabolic Homeostasis"
The 2021 Frontiers in Diabetes Research Symposium was held November 20, 2021, via Zoom. Titled “Neural Control of Metabolic Homeostasis,” this conference united research scientists, clinicians, and students with an interest in diabetes and obesity. The conference focused on recent basic and clinical insights regarding bidirectional crosstalk between the brain and peripheral tissues integral to maintaining body weight, glucose and lipid homeostasis. Particular emphasis was placed on the interactions—and potential genetic mechanistic links—relating to susceptibility to development of obesity, diabetes, and related dyslipidemias. Additional areas of focus included novel potential approaches to the treatment of these metabolic diseases. Columbia University awarded the 2021 Naomi Berrie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Diabetes Research to Barbara B. Kahn, MD. Dr. Kahn, who is the George R. Minot Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, was recognized for her work on “molecules secreted from fat that mediate systemic insulin resistance.”