Harold Hamm International Prize

Awarded biennially and in the amount of $250,000, the Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes recognizes innovation in the field of diabetes research with an emphasis on progress toward a cure. The Prize, established in 2012, celebrates the scientific achievements of an outstanding researcher, team of researchers, or research institution selected by a rotating Jury of national and international leaders in the diabetes community.

2023 Laureate

Sir Stephen O’Rahilly, M.D., FRS, FMedSci, is a Professor and Head of the Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine department at the University of Cambridge. O’Rahilly also co-directs the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science (IMS), one of the world’s largest institutes for metabolic research at the University of Cambridge.

Dr. O’Rahilly is a graduate of the University College of Dublin and the National University of Ireland. Before his appointment to the University of Cambridge, O’Rahilly held clinical and research fellow positions at the University of Oxford and Harvard University.

O’Rahilly was selected as the 2023 Hamm Prize laureate for his research that linked a specific mechanism to the development of obesity. Obesity is considered the biggest risk factor for Type 2 diabetes and O’Rahilly’s rigorous clinical research defined very specific molecular mechanisms and genes that are responsible for the condition of obesity.

In addition to the Hamm Prize, his findings have been recognized internationally with many awards and prizes. In 2013 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for services to medical research, specifically, his work in diabetes research.

Establishment

The Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes was established to recognize and promote lasting achievements in diabetes research focused on progress toward a cure. The $250,000 Prize, the largest of its kind in the world, is named for Mr. Harold Hamm, chairman and chief executive office of Continental Resources, Inc., and who generously provided for an endowment to fund the Prize in perpetuity.

Selection Process

At the beginning of each award cycle, Harold Hamm Diabetes Center representatives will select a jury of five international leaders in the field of diabetes research to nominate and select the Prize Laureate. In their consideration of Nominees, Selection Jury Members will write a Nominating Statement for two Nominees. Jurors can either select their own Nominees or, at their discretion, choose Nominees recommended by the diabetes community at large through an open call for letters of recommendation. Any person writing a Letter of Recommendation must submit his or her letter prior to the public announcement of the Selection Jury. Details for submitting a Letter of Recommendation are located here.

Once Nominees are selected, Jurors will deliberate at Harold Hamm Diabetes Center in Oklahoma City. Deliberations will begin with each Juror presenting the merits of his/her two Nominees. After ensuing discussion, the voting process with successive rounds of elimination will follow, until the Prize Laureate is selected.

No administrative or research officer from Harold Hamm Diabetes Center casts a vote in the final voting procedure.