PROFESSOR PAUL ZIMMET AO 
MB BS MD (ADELAIDE) PhD (MONASH) FRACP FRCP (UK) FACE FACN FAFPHM Honoris Causa Doctoris (Complutense University, Madrid)

Professor Paul Zimmet currently holds the following positions:
· Professor/Director, International Diabetes Institute
· Professor of Diabetes, Monash University
· Professor (Hon), University of Pittsburgh (USA)
· Professor (Hon), Deakin University, Victoria
· Head, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for the Epidemiology of Diabetes Mellitus & Health Promotion for Non-communicable Disease Control.

On 7 December 2007 Paul was appointed to the board of the Baker Heart Research Institute.

Professor Zimmet pioneered Australia's first Institute dedicated exclusively to diabetes research, education and clinical care, becoming the Foundation Director when the International Diabetes Institute was opened at the hospital by the Governor General, Sir Ninian Stephen, in Melbourne in July 1985. He was appointed to the Chair of Diabetes at Monash University in 1989.

He has published over 600 scientific papers, chapters and reviews in peer-reviewed journals and books on various aspects of diabetes research (biochemical, epidemiological and clinical). He is an Editor of the major and widely used text on diabetes - "International Textbook of Diabetes Mellitus" (John Wiley and Sons) with Professors Eli Ferranini, Ralph DeFronzo and Harry Keen, was Co-editor of "Diabetes 1988" (Excerpta Medica), and also Editor of the  "The Epidemiology of Diabetes" with Professor J-M Ekoe.

He is a member of the Editorial Board of a number of peer-review international journals and has been a key note lecturer, symposium speaker and/or chairperson at over 120 international and 50 national scientific meetings since 1976. In 1991, he was awarded the Kelly West Medal by the American Diabetes Association for outstanding contributions to diabetes research in the field of epidemiology - the first Australian recipient. He was awarded the Eli Lilly Lecture for the 15th International Diabetes Federation Congress in Kobe, Japan. This award recognises outstanding contributions and leadership in research and teaching in the field of diabetes. He was also one of 6 people awarded the Masuji Takeda Medal by Kobe University for outstanding international scientific achievements.

In 1997, at the 16th IDF Congress in Finland, he received the inaugural Peter Bennett Diabetes Epidemiology Award for outstanding contributions to research on the epidemiology of diabetes. He is the first person to ever receive this prize and he was also awarded the inaugural Professor Xi-oren Pan Memorial Lecture at the 1999 IDF Western Pacific Congress in Sydney. In 2000, he delivered the Professor AM Cohen Memorial Oration, the opening Plenary Lecture at the EASD Congress 2000 in Jerusalem. In 2002, he received the Harold Rifkin Award of the American Diabetes Association for the American Diabetes Association for Distinguished International service in the cause of diabetes and was also conferred as Honoris Causa Doctoris, Complutense University, Madrid. He is Chairman of the IDF Epidemiology Task Force.

He was the recipient of the AM Cohen Memorial Lecture at the EASD 2000 in Jerusalem.

His current research involves:
· Epidemiological, environmental and molecular biological components in the causation of Type 2 diabetes. These studies also embrace the effects of life-style change resulting in diabetes, obesity, coronary heart disease and hypertension in developing countries in the Pacific and Indian Oceans
· Environmental factors in the etiology of, the early detection and ultimate prevention of Type 1 diabetes
· The role of the neuro-peptides in the genesis of obesity, the Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 diabetes combining research in animal models with high prevalence human populations

The research of Zimmet and his team in Pacific and Indian Ocean populations (Micronesians, Polynesians and Melanesians and migrant Asian Indians, Chinese and Creoles) have provided new insights into the genetic contribution of Type 2 diabetes as well as the role of obesity, physical activity, nutrition and socio-cultural change in the aetiology of this disorder. Some of the highest prevalence and incidence of Type 2 diabetes and its complications occur in these populations and their study provides a "natural" situation to investigate the epidemiology and natural history of the common disorder. These studies were continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (USA) from 1979 to 2000, and over 300 publications have resulted.

Apart from the major interest in diabetes epidemiology, he and his group have also made important contributions in the area of autoimmune Type 1 diabetes causation and detection with their studies on the role of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). Zimmet and his collaborators have contributed substantially to the area of prediction of Type 1 diabetes developing tests for antibodies to GAD and ICA 12. They have delineated and defined the condition of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). Recently they have reported that a food toxin produced in infected vegetables may cause beta-cell damage and Type 1 diabetes in genetically susceptible subjects.

Professor Zimmet was a member of the 1985 WHO Expert Committee on Diabetes, is a member of the WHO Expert Panel on Chronic Diseases, and was appointed to the inaugural WHO Global Scientific Advisory Committee for the INTERHEALTH Program - the WHO chronic disease strategy for "Health for all by the Year 2000" in 1988. He has acted as a WHO consultant on many occasions in several Pacific countries, China, Mauritius, Brunei, Thailand and in Geneva, and Manila. In 1994, he co-chaired the WHO Expert Committee on the Prevention of Diabetes. This committee produced the WHO Technical Report which has become be the global "gold standard" for diabetes prevention. In 1996, he was co-chairman of the WHO Study Group on the Classification of Diabetes Mellitus.

He has also been Project Director for several Australian International Development Assistance Bureau projects. He was Chairman of the Health Care and Education Committee for the 13th International Diabetes Federation Congress in Sydney in 1988. He was appointed as an Australian representative to the WHO Regional Advisory Committee on Health Research and from 1996-8 he was a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Diabetes which helped develop the Australian National Diabetes Strategy. In 1998, he was appointed by the Federal Minister of Health to the Australian Government's 4 person Strategic Task Force on Diabetes.

He co-chaired the WHO Expert Committee on the Prevention of Diabetes in 1995, the 1999 WHO Consultation on Classification and Criteria for Diabetes and the 2001 IDF Consultation on IGT. He was also appointed by the Federal Minister of Health to the Australian Government's Strategic Task Force on Diabetes.

He currently chairs the Scientific Advisory Boards for Chemgenex Pharmaceuticals (ASX: CXS) and for the Institute of Diabetes Diacovery, USA. He also is Program Director for Dia-B Technologies, recently listed on the Australian stock exchange ASX: DIA).

In 1993, he was honoured by Her Majesty the Queen and the Australian Government with the Order of Australia Medal (AM) for distinguished services to medicine and education, particularly in the field of diabetes. In 2001, he was further honoured as an Officer of the Order (OA) for medical research of national and international significance, particularly in diabetes, and for contributions to Australia's biotechnology development.

Distinguished Named Lectures & Awards - Prof Paul Zimmet

· Tsuji Memorial Lecture, Symposium on Diabetes in Asia and Oceania 1984
· Annie Cunning Lecture, Royal Australasian College of Physicians 1987
· Bernard Pimstone Memorial Lecture, South African Endocrine Society 1991
· Kelly West Lecture American Diabetes Association 1991 for outstanding research in epidemiology of diabetes
· Eli Lilly Lecture International Diabetes Federation 1994 for outstanding research
· Inaugural Peter Bennett Lecture International Diabetes Epidemiology Association 1997 for outstanding research in epidemiology of diabetes
· Inaugural Professor Xi-Oren Pan Lecture International Diabetes Federation 1999
· A M Cohen Memorial Lecture European Association For The Study Of Diabetes Congress 2000
· Harold Rifkin Award, American Diabetes Association for international service and research in diabetes, 2002
· Kellion Award Lecture, Australian Diabetes Society, 2003
· David Curnow Plenary Lecture, Australian Association of Clinical Biochemists, 2003
· UNESCO/Helmut Mehnert/German Diabetes Union Award, EASD, Munich 2004
· Banting Award Lecture, Diabetes UK, Glasgow 2005