On Monday, May 4th, 2026, the Fraternal Order of Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC) held its highly anticipated annual Diabetes Research Day. This event, established by former FOEDRC Director Dale Abel over a decade ago, highlights cutting-edge research and fosters collaboration among numerous faculty members, students, and trainees in the field of diabetes and metabolism.

This morning began with a poster session which showcased over two dozen diverse posters that presented a wide array of research projects by students and faculty members. The Diabetes Research Day Poster Session also provided an excellent
opportunity for our researchers to share their findings, engage with peers, and receive feedback from experts in the field. Posters were judged for their effectiveness by faculty, and awards for the best posters were given out at the end of the day. The FOEDRC congratulates these awardees for their excellent posters, and the winners were:

• Jamal Naderi for “Ceramide-Induced FGF13 Limits Healthspan and Lifespan”
• Sydney Walker for “A functional dissection of angiopoietin-like 3”
• Rachel Rethwisch for “Understanding the role of chaperones in the regulation of the purine biosynthetic enzyme FGAMS”

The Diabetes Research Day poster session was followed by a keynote talk and engaging symposiums in the afternoon. This year’s Diabetes Research Day keynote speech, entitled Heart Failure in Diabetes: From Epidemiologic Risk to Evidence-Based Implementation, was presented by Rodica Pop-Busui MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Director of the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Center at Oregon Health & Science University, and former 2023 President for Medicine and Science for the ADA.

We want to thank the DRC faculty, trainees, students, and Abby Donovan for helping to make the 2026 Annual Diabetes Research Day a resounding success. As always, the event showcased the remarkable work of the FOEDRC researchers and underscored the University of Iowa’s commitment to advancing diabetes research.