Presidency:

2022 - 2025

Country of Birth:

Belgium

Interest & Accomplishments:

• She is a passionate endocrinologist who brings unique energy nad perspective eto her work.
• Rose gardening is one of her main hobbies, and she is known to appreiate presents in any shape or form.
• She has created her own distinctive communication style by seamlessly blending English, French, Flemish and German - a "language" that everyone somehow understands.

Biography:

Chantal Mathieu, MD, PhD is Professor of Medicine at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Endocrinologist at the University Hospital Gasthuisberg Leuven, Belgium. A physician-scientist, Prof. Mathieu has contributed to the field of diabetes and endocrinology through basic and clinical research. Her basic research work focuses on pathogenesis and prevention of type 1 diabetes, including the immune effects of vitamin D. Prof. Mathieu’s clinical work involves studies of new products and treatment paradigms in diabetes, screening for type 1 diabetes, arresting type 1 diabetes, diabetes and pregnancy, new insulins and other therapies in diabetes, novel technologies and adjunct therapies in type 1 diabetes, establishing her as a sought-after speaker in international fora. Prof. Mathieu coordinates the European clinical trial network for interventions in type 1 diabetes ‘INNODIA’ and the European project ‘EDENT1FI’ on screening for type 1 diabetes. Prof. Mathieu served as the 21st President of the EASD - European Association for the Study of Diabetes and is currently Chair of the EUDF - European Diabetes Forum. To date, she has been the promotor of 30 PhD theses and author or co-author of more than 500 peer-reviewed publications in international journals.

Presidency:

2020 - 2022

Country of Birth: 

Italy

Interests & Accomplishments:

• Not just a top diabetes expert - he’s also a real chef in the kitchen! From lab coats to aprons, he serves up science and spaghetti with the same passion
  

Biography:

He is a renowned Italian endocrinologist and diabetologist with an international reputation in metabolic disease research and education. He earned his medical degree with honors and specialized in Endocrinology and Internal Medicine at the University of Padua. He also completed advanced training at Yale University in the United States. His academic career includes roles as Associate Professor at both the University of Texas, San Antonio, and the University of Padua. From 2001 to 2022, he was Full Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Pisa, where he also directed the Metabolic Diseases and Diabetology Unit. A leader in the diabetes field, he has served as President of the Italian Society of Diabetology (now Honorary President), the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), and currently leads the European Diabetes Forum (EUDF). In recognition of his scientific contributions, he was named Commander of the Italian Republic in 2011 and has received numerous international awards. He has published over 500 peer-reviewed articles and delivered prestigious lectures worldwide, reflecting his global influence in diabetes research and care.

Presidency:

2018 - 2019

Country of Birth: 

United Kingdom

Interests & Accomplishments:

• Lay preacher and a member of the Methodist Church Council
• He raised the funds and led the creation of OCDEM in Oxford

Biography: 

He is a leading expert in diabetes research and education at the University of Oxford and a Medical Tutor at Harris Manchester College. He holds several key roles including Co-Director of the UK Diabetes Research Network, NIHR Senior Investigator, and Director of the Oxford Health Alliance. He is also an Honorary Consultant at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals and serves on multiple editorial boards and advisory panels. A founding figure of the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM), he played a major role in the UKPDS, one of the largest studies on type 2 diabetes. His research focuses on insulin resistance, beta-cell function (including the widely used HOMA model), pulsatile hormone secretion, and clinical trials of diabetes treatments. He has also contributed to the development of home ketone testing and advanced time-series analysis for endocrine signals. He has been recognized with multiple academic awards and was elected as a former President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. In 2010, he delivered the prestigious Banting Lecture for Diabetes UK.

Presidency:

2015 - 2018

Country of Birth: 

United States of America

Interests & Accomplishments:

• A member of the Nobel Committee since 2011.
• Editor-in-Chief of Diabetologia from 2010 - 2015.
• A field hockey, swimming, and track athlete who spends summers fishing for pike and perch at a lake cottage in Northern Wisconsin.
• First female EASD President.

Biography: 

Professor Juleen R. Zierath is an American-Swedish biologist renowned for her research on insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetes and the effects of exercise on muscle metabolism and gene expression. She earned her PhD from the Karolinska Institute and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. Zierath is a professor at both the Karolinska Institute and the University of Copenhagen, where she directs major diabetes research programs. She has published over 200 scientific papers and was the first to show how insulin signalling is impaired in diabetes. Her work also demonstrated that exercise could alter gene expression in muscle cells. She has served as Chair of the Nobel Committee, President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, and Editor-in-Chief of Diabetologia, making her a leading figure in global diabetes research.

Presidency: 

• 2011 - 2015
  

Country of Birth:

United Kingdom

Interests & Accomplishments:

• He is a former first oboe player, still a church bell-ringer, lifelong railway enthusiast and a James Bond fan - one of his email addresses even includes "007".

Biography: 

Professor Andrew Boulton is a leading expert in diabetes and its complications, currently serving as Professor of Medicine at the University of Manchester and Consultant Physician at Manchester Royal Infirmary. He directs the DIALEX (Diabetes Lower Extremity) Research Group, focusing on diabetic foot disease, peripheral neuropathy, and nephropathy. He collaborates extensively with researchers in Europe and North America and plays a key role in both undergraduate and postgraduate diabetes education. Professor Boulton has held numerous prestigious positions, including President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, President of the Worldwide Initiative for Diabetes Education, and President-Elect of the International Diabetes Federation. He has received several major awards, including the Roger Pecoraro Award (ADA), the Castelli-Pedroli Prize (EASD), and the Edward Olmos Award for Advocacy in Diabetes. An accomplished researcher and educator, he has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers, held major research grants, and supervised many PhD and MD students. He also serves in editorial roles for leading diabetes journals and is an advisor to the NIH on the EDIC study.

Presidency: 

2008 - 2011

Country of Birth:

Sweden

Interests & Accomplishments:

• He was the first Swedish President of the EASD, just like a fika (Swedish coffee break) he brings people together, and brings innovation to diabetes research.

Biography: 

Professor Ulf Smith is a leading Swedish diabetologist and Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Gothenburg, where he also directs the Lundberg Laboratory for Diabetes Research at the Sahlgrenska Academy. He has held several key leadership roles, including Chair of the Institute of Medicine, Executive Medical Director and Chief of Medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, as well as Dean of Research and member of the Scientific Board at the Sahlgrenska Academy. His research focuses on the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and its complications, and he has authored around 500 scientific publications. He has got numerous honors, including being named a Fogarty Scholar at the NIH in the U.S. Professor Smith is a former President of both the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and the Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe. He also serves on various scientific advisory boards and is a member of the European Commission’s Scientific Panel for Health.

Presidency: 

2004 - 2008

Country of Birth:

Italy

Interests & Accomplishments:

• 2011 Claude Bernard prize winner.
• Editor-in-Chief of Diabetologia from 1994 - 1997.
• He has a passion for roaming especially the Tyrrhenian Sea aboard his high-tech, eco-friendly boat.

Biography: 

Ele Ferrannini is an internationally recognized expert in diabetes and metabolic diseases. He graduated in 1972 and began his career at the National Research Council (CNR) and the University of Pisa, where he later became a full professor of Internal Medicine in 1995. He specialized in Nuclear Medicine and Diabetology, and gained international experience at leading institutions including the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Yale University, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. He built one of Italy’s leading research groups in metabolic disease, with an international reputation. His work, cited over 36,000 times, includes more than 500 peer-reviewed publications and over 50 book chapters, particularly on insulin resistance, beta-cell dysfunction, obesity, and vascular complications in diabetes. His h-index of 90 ranks him among the top 100 researchers globally in his field. He is a founding member and former President of the Italian Obesity Society, and served as President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). He has been Editor-in-Chief of Diabetologia and the International Textbook of Diabetes, and contributed to the ADA/EASD guidelines for type 2 diabetes management.

Presidency:

2001 - 2004

Country of Birth:

United Kingdom

Interests & Accomplishments:

• Despite being British and based in Switzerland, he's passionate about all things Italian - architecture, food, people, and language
• He has a passion for skiing and 20th century art
  

Biography:

Philippe Halban is a European cell biologist recognized for his contributions to diabetes research. He received his PhD from the University of Oxford and held academic appointments at both Harvard University in the United States and the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Now retired, he is an Emeritus Professor of Medicine and continues to reside in Geneva. In 2001, he was elected President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). He is the son of Hans Halban, a distinguished Austrian physicist who earned his doctorate in Zurich and played a pivotal role in the early discovery of atomic fission, a breakthrough that transformed modern science and energy.

Presidency:

1998 - 2001

Country of Birth:

Denmark

Interests & Accomplishments:

• He worked as a Senior Volunteer Consultant in Palestine and Gaza, helping set up a national diabetes program.
• He was involved in the creation of the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD).

Biography:

Jørn Nerup is a prominent Danish physician specializing in endocrinology and autoimmune diseases. He earned his medical degree in 1964, became a specialist in internal medicine (1975) and endocrinology (1984), and received his Dr.med. from the University of Copenhagen in 1974. He held professorships at Lund University and the University of Copenhagen, and served as chief physician at the Steno Diabetes Center from 1976 to 2005. In 1998, he was elected President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), reflecting his leadership in the international diabetes research community. From 2005 to 2019, Nerup volunteered as a senior consultant in Palestine and Gaza, helping to develop a national diabetes programme. He remains active in Grandparents for Asylum, supporting refugee rights.

Presidency:

1995 - 1998

Country of Birth:

Germany

Interests & Accomplishments:

• He was a key advocate, in the ‘80s, for higher insulin doses, genetically engineered insulin, and even insulin analogues
• Editor-in-Chief of Diabetologia 1983 - 1988
  

Biography: 

Michael Berger was a leading figure in diabetes care and internal medicine in Germany. He studied in Würzburg, Munich, Galway, and Düsseldorf, earning his doctorate in 1970. After research stints at Harvard and Geneva, he became a professor at the University of Düsseldorf, where he later led the Department of Metabolic Diseases. Berger pioneered structured education programs for chronic illnesses like diabetes, asthma, and hypertension, promoting patient self-management and the use of insulin pumps. He founded Germany’s first outpatient clinic for diabetic foot care and was deeply involved in international collaboration and healthcare reform. A proponent of evidence-based and patient-centred medicine, Berger later advocated for patients to set their own treatment goals. He had strong ties to the pharmaceutical industry and contributed to the development of insulin analogues. He published over 600 scientific papers, served on key journal boards, and received numerous honours, including the Claude Bernard Medal and multiple honorary doctorates. After his death, several awards and symposia were named in his honour. The EASD has dedicated a separate symposium to Michael Berger since its 2008 annual conference.

Presidency:

1992 - 1995

Country of Birth:

Germany

Interests & Accomplishments:

• He received knighthood from King Charles while he was still Prince Charles.
• Prof. Alberti’s 1979 regimen revolutionized insulin and fluid therapy.
• Editor-in-Chief of Diabetologia from 1977 - 1980.
• Passion for sheep watching in the Lake District and a big opera fan.
• Unbroken streak of attending EASD Annual Meetings for decades

Biography: 

Sir George Alberti (born 1938 in Koblenz, Germany) is a leading British physician and global expert in diabetes. He is best known for developing the 'Alberti regime' in the 1970s, which transformed the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. He has held senior academic positions at Oxford, Harvard, Southampton, Newcastle, and Imperial College London, and served as Dean of Medicine at Newcastle. Alberti was President of the EASD, President of the International Diabetes Federation, and President of the Royal College of Physicians. From 2002 to 2009, he served as the UK’s National Clinical Director for Emergency Access, leading major reforms in emergency care. He is a Fellow of multiple medical institutions, a Founder Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and was knighted in 2000 for his contributions to diabetic medicine.

Presidency:

1989 - 1992

Country of Birth:

Belgium

Interests & Accomplishments:

• He is the oldest living (former) EASD president.
• He met many renowned world leaders such as Bill Clinton (former President of the USA) and he joined World Diabetes Foundation leaders in meeting Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Bhutan, alongside members of the Danish royal family.

Biography:

Born in Liège, Belgium, a distinguished physician, researcher, and educator in the field of endocrinology and diabetes. He earned his B.S. in 1955 and M.D. in 1959 from the University of Liège, where he also completed his training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology between 1959 and 1965. He obtained his Agrégé de l'Enseignement Supérieur (equivalent to a PhD) in 1967 and became board-certified in Internal Medicine in 1965. Upon the establishment of the national certification, he was also board-certified in Endocrinology and Diabetes in 1997. He served in the Belgian Army as a medical officer and held key roles at the University Hospital of Liège, including Head of the Division of Diabetes and Chairman of the Department of Medicine. A long-time leader in the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), he served as Council Member, Honorary Secretary, President (1989-1992), and chaired the 1999 EASD Congress in Brussels. He was named an Honorary Member of the EASD in 2003. Professor Lefebvre is recognized for his significant contributions to clinical care, academic medicine, and diabetes research in Europe.

Presidency:

1986 - 1989

Country of Birth:

France

Interests & Accomplishments:

• The 1975 Minkowski Award winner - for his pioneering research focused on insulin receptors and insulin action

Biography: 

Pierre Freychet, born in 1935, is a French endocrinologist and diabetes researcher. From 1969 to 1971, he was a Fogarty Postdoctoral Fellow in the Diabetes Section at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He led INSERM Unit 145 at the University of Nice Medical School from 1975 to 1986 and later served as Vice Dean of the medical school from 1989 to 1994. Since 1982, he has been a Full Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases at the University of Nice and Chief Physician in Internal Medicine, Diabetes, and Endocrinology at Nice University Hospital. He has held leadership roles in numerous scientific committees and served as President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) from 1986 to 1989. His research initially focused on insulin receptors and insulin action (1969–1987), and later on clinical aspects of diabetes and endocrinology from 1984 onward. He has authored or co-authored over 330 scientific publications.

Presidency: 

1983 - 1986

Country of Birth: 

Italy

Interests & Accomplishments:

• 1993 - Claude Bernard Award winner
• His favourite treat was his wife’s homemade ice cream

Biography: 

Professor Andreani, born on March 5, 1925, in Taranto, studied in Massa Carrara and Pisa. During WWII, he served as a partisan in the “Apuani” Patriot Unit. After earning his degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Pisa, he specialized in Cardiology and worked under Professor Cataldo Cassano. He later joined the University of Rome “La Sapienza,” where he became Chair of Endocrinology and served as Director of the School of Specialization in Endocrinology from 1980 to 2000. He was a founding member of the Italian Diabetes Society, President of both the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and the Italian Society of Endocrinology, and a member of the Ministerial Council for Health from 1978 to 1996.

Presidency: 

1980 - 1983

Country of Birth:

Belgium

Interests & Accomplishments:

• He made history as the first person to discover that type 1 diabetes is caused by the immune system attacking insulin-producing cells.

Biography: 

Willy Gepts was a Belgian pathologist and diabetes researcher known for his work on the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. After graduating in medicine from the Université libre de Bruxelles in 1946, he specialized in pathology and focused on the morphological study of the pancreas in various diseases. His research revealed that type 1 diabetes is marked by a significant decrease in the number of islets, which became the basis for his 1957 dissertation. In 1965, Gepts became a professor of pathology at the newly established Dutch-speaking section of the Université libre de Bruxelles, which later became the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 1970. He also led the Department of Pathology at Brugmann University Hospital and served as Vice-Rector of the university from 1974 to 1979. Gepts played a key role in the creation of the university's School of Medicine and continued his research on pancreatic pathology throughout his career.

Presidency:

1977 - 1980

Country of Birth:

United Kingdom

Interests & Accomplishments:

• He didn’t just study diabetes - he explained it through uncovering the glucose-fatty acid cycle, which later named as the Randle Cycle

Biography:

He was born in 1926 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, to a baker father and a music teacher mother. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School and went on to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, earning a first-class degree in Biochemistry in 1947 - a field still emerging at the time. It was during this period that he developed a lasting interest in insulin and the metabolic changes linked to diabetes. He pursued medical studies at University College Hospital Medical School, then returned to Cambridge for research under Professor Frank Young. In 1955, he earned his PhD for work on insulin’s metabolic effects. He was immediately appointed a lecturer in Cambridge’s Biochemistry Department, where he continued investigating insulin function and metabolic regulation, particularly in muscle tissue. In 1964, Randle moved to the University of Bristol during a time of expansion in UK higher education. Under his leadership, the Department of Biochemistry grew rapidly, becoming a centre of excellence in metabolic research. Beyond his university roles, Randle took on numerous influential positions throughout his career. He chaired several research committees and advisory boards for organisations such as Diabetes UK, the Medical Research Council, and the British Heart Foundation. He also served as President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, Vice-President of the Royal Society, and President of the Biochemical Society. He didn’t just shape science - he shaped scientists by greatly influencing the PhD students and young research fellows who passed through his laboratory.

Presidency:

1974 - 1977

Country of Birth: 

Germany

Interests & Accomplishments:

• He holds a unique honour: The only EASD President to receive the King Faisal Prize (Medicine) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  

Biography: 

He was born on July 10, 1923, in Karlsruhe, Germany, to a Swiss father and a German mother, and was a descendant of 19th-century painter Georg Friedrich Kersting. He grew up in Switzerland, attending school in Montreux and Lausanne, and later studied medicine at the University of Zurich, earning his MD in 1947 with a thesis on diabetes induced by Alloxan. Renold moved to Boston in 1948 on a scholarship from the American Swiss Foundation. There, he conducted research at New England Deaconess Hospital, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, collaborating with leading figures in diabetes research. He became director of Harvard’s Carbohydrate Research Laboratory in 1956 and led the Baker Clinic Research Laboratory from 1959, helping it gain international recognition in diabetes research. His early work in Boston focused on insulin’s role in fat tissue, leading to a widely used method for measuring insulin levels. Later, in Geneva, his research shifted to how pancreatic beta cells produce and secrete insulin. Over his career, he published more than 400 scientific papers. Renold played a major role in founding the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and the European Society for Clinical Investigation, and he led both the EASD and the International Diabetes Federation. He received many honours including the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine (1986), shared with Lelio Orci and Gian Franco Bottazzo for their work on diabetes.

Presidency:

1971 - 1974

Country of Birth:

Germany

Interests & Accomplishments:

• Not just a brilliant mind himself, he was the son of Hans Creutzfeldt, who discovered the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
• Editor-in-Chief of Diabetologia 1973 - 1976

Biography:

Presidency: 

1968 - 1971

Country of Birth:

Denmark

Interests & Accomplishments: 

• He has lived three lives in one; as a Surrealist poet, a Physician, and a Sinologist’

Biography: 

A Danish physician and a pioneer in diabetes research. He graduated in medicine from the University of Copenhagen in 1938 and worked at several hospitals in Copenhagen until 1946. After a research year at Yale University in the U.S., he moved to Aarhus in 1948, where he began his lifelong work on diabetes at the Municipal Hospital. Between 1948 and 1979, he served as both a professor at Aarhus University and chief physician at the hospital. Lundbæk was deeply committed to research and published nearly 600 articles on diabetes. He also mentored around 25 colleagues with their dissertations. His own doctoral thesis in 1943 focused on how insulin affects blood sugar and metabolism, especially under different diets. In 1953, he co-authored Long-term Diabetes with Viggo A. Jensen, a groundbreaking work on long-term complications of diabetes. Lundbæk believed medicine was not just science but also an act of compassion. In addition to his medical career, he wrote about art, literature, and Chinese culture, publishing in both Danish and international journals. He held leadership roles in various medical and cultural societies, including chairing the European Association for the Study of Diabetes from 1968 to 1971, and co-founding the Aarhus branch of the Society for Cultural Relations with China. Lundbæk received many honours and was also invited to lecture at universities around the world.

Presidency:

1965 - 1968

Country of Birth:

United Kingdom

Interests & Accomplishments:

• The first EASD President ever knighted by Queen Elizabeth II - for his outstanding contributions to biochemistry.

Biography:

Born in London, he was educated at Alleyn's School, Dulwich, and College University, London, where he earned a degree in chemistry and physics in 1929. He continued at UCL for postgraduate research in biochemistry before studying diabetes as a research fellow at the University of Aberdeen and University of Toronto. At 34, he became Professor of Biochemistry at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in 1942. His career progressed rapidly, becoming Professor of Biochemistry at UCL in 1945 and, in 1949, the third Sir William Dunn Professor of Biochemistry at Cambridge University, a position he held for 26 years. Young also contributed to several government advisory bodies, including the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy and the Royal Commission on Medical Education. His passion for diabetes research was evident in his leadership roles as Vice-President of the British Diabetic Association (from 1948), President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (1965-1968), and President of the International Diabetes Federation (1970-1973).

Presidency:

1965

Country of Birth:

Belgium

Interests & Accomplishments:

• A WWII real-life superhero - he worked with the Red Cross to secure insulin for Belgian children saving countless young lives.

Biography: 

Joseph P. Hoet was a prominent Belgian physician and researcher in the field of diabetology. He earned his medical doctorate from the University of Louvain in 1923 and continued his studies in Cambridge and London with support from the Belgian government and the Rockefeller Foundation. His 1926 Ph.D. dissertation focused on insulin's effect on muscle glycogen. Hoet became a lecturer at Louvain in 1926 and later a full professor, leading research in general pathology, diabetes treatments, iron metabolism, haemolytic anaemia, and coagulation disorders. From the 1950s, he concentrated on maternal diabetes and foetal pathology. He received multiple honours for his work, including an honorary LL.D. from Toronto and the Banting Medal in 1964. Hoet served as Honorary President of the International Diabetes Federation (1961) and the Belgian Diabetes Association, and in 1965, became the first President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).