#15: LIVE from the Connect+Cure Gala | Asking The Questions We’ve Always Wanted To Ask To People Who Actually Know The Answers

In the midst of a VIP cocktail hour LIVE from the Connect+Cure Gala in Oklahoma City, leaders on the diabetes research and treatment frontier were kind enough to converse with us. We didn’t focus on run of the mill research questions. We got to the heart of their individual diabetes motivations. We covered the importance of a physician’s own A1C, the equal importance of cowboy boots, favorite Toby Keith (he played a full concert that night) songs, and why both Amber and Ryan haven’t been dropped as patients for non-compliance… yet. As the night’s feature ceremony, the Hamm Prize–$250,000 for research advances toward a cure–was awarded to Dr. Ronald Kahn, and he joined us to share his enlightening perspectives (that’s not hyperbole, it’s truth).

After we wrapped up our interviews, we were honored to join 900+ people who support the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center’s (HHODC) future and groundbreaking strides toward eradicating diabetes. As Oklahomans, where 1 out of every 3 people is affected by diabetes, it was a meaningful night filled with promise. We are so grateful for the opportunity provided by the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center and appreciative of our guests to supply insights for all of us with diabetes. Thank you everyone! 

Not only were we live at a gala, it was also our first sponsored podcast, and we’re thankful to have support from First United Bank, the home of DiabetesDailyGrind’s financial services. Stop by any of the Oklahoma or North Texas locations or visit FirstUnitedBank.com. Equal Housing Lender, Member FDIC.

CLICK HERE to make a tax deductible charitable donation.

NOTES & LINKS:                                              

• If you liked the banjo and beat of that hot jam during the show, it comes courtesy of the Turnpike Troubadours (our resident favorite Oklahoma red dirt, Waylon Jenningsesque band). You can download the song (Gin, Smoke, and Lies) HERE.

HHDC Mission – To be a world leader inspiring innovative, creative diabetes research focused on progress towards a cure, education of health care professionals and families with diabetes, optimal care for people with diabetes, and effective strategies for the prevention of diabetes.

HHDC Connect+Cure Award Recipient – Ronald Kahn is a world recognized expert in diabetes and obesity research, as well as a preeminent investigator in the area of insulin signal transduction and mechanisms of altered signaling in diabetes and metabolic disease. Dr. Kahn is Senior Investigator, Head of the Section on Integrative Physiology and Metabolism at Joslin Diabetes Center and the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kahn served as Research Director of the Joslin Diabetes Center from 1981 to 2000, and served as President of Joslin from 2001 to 2007. He is currently the Center’s Chief Academic Officer.