Paul Zimmet

Paul Zimmet has an outstanding international record in diabetes and obesity clinically and in research covering epidemiology, public health and genetics. In 2010, he received the prestigious Grand Hamdan International Award for Medical Sciences “for his classic observations in the 1970s that helped foresee the current epidemic of type 2 diabetes”. He was the Founding Director of the International Diabetes Institute and is now Director Emeritus, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. He co-chairs the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention and co-chaired the 2009 WHO Expert Consultation on Diabetes. He designed the “AusDiab Study”— the first national diabetes and obesity study in Australia, now in its 11th year. He is widely recognised for his studies in Indian and Pacific Ocean populations which highlighted the global diabetes epidemic which now threatens the health and economies of many nations. He has received many international awards including EASD and ADA awards, the Banting Award (Diabetes UK), the Charles Best Award (Canada) and the 2007 International Novartis Award for accomplishments in research that have had a major impact in diabetes. He is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished services to medicine, nutrition, and the biotechnology industry. He has recently been named as one of the 50 most influentual people in the Australian Jewish Community