Board of Directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Charles King

Charles (C.C.) is a Co-Founder of the Diabetes Research Connection and is a Research Scientist who has helped define the molecular mechanisms of human embryonic stem cell differentiation from pluripotency toward pancreatic endoderm.

Charles “C.C.” King, Ph.D.

Co-Founder

Nigel Calcutt

Nigel is a Co-Founder of the Diabetes Research Connection and is a UCSD professor of Pathology whose research is focused on therapies for diabetic neuropathy and neuropathic pain.

Nigel Calcutt, Ph.D.

Co-Founder and Research Scientist

David Winkler_DRC

David, lawyer and entrepreneur, has had type 1 diabetes for over 60 years, and also has several family members and friends with the disease. He is a founder of the Diabetes Research Connection and currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer. David has been a tireless advocate and donor for diabetes research.

David Winkler

Co-Founder and Vice Chair

Vincenzo Cirulli_MD_DRC

Vincenzo is a physician scientist who has dedicated his entire career to the study of a special class of proteins, referred to as “cell adhesion molecules”, that regulate cell-to-cell interactions in virtually all tissues in the body, including pancreatic islets. A major goal of his lab is to understand the function of these proteins as biochemical signals of cell-to-cell communication in stem cell-derived islet progenitors, in developing and in mature β-cells.

Vincenzo Cirulli, M.D., Ph.D.

Scientific Director

Alberto Hayek_DRC

Alberto is a Co-Founder of the Diabetes Research Connection and serves on the Scientific Review Committee. He is Medical Director at San Diego Scripps/Whittier Diabetes Institute and Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at UCSD Medical School.

Alberto Hayek, M.D.

Co-Founder and Research Scientist

Ethan Harkleroad, CPA

Board Member

Allison is a scientist, mother, and Type-1 Diabetic with a passion for fueling innovations in health and health care. She brings to the board a strong background in research administration – previously for the U.S. Department of Education and currently for the University of Southern California.

ALLISON ORECHWA, PH.D.

Board Member

Amy Adams_DRC Director

Amy’s son was diagnosed with T1D when he was 5 years old. She served on the Board of Directors and various committees for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Chicago chapter for 10 years and was a contributing writer to Insulin Free Times. This is her second term on the DRC Board, and she has served as the Lay Person Review Committee Chair since DRC’s inception

Amy Adams

Co-Founder

Stephen Korniczky

Steve is the Partner and Former Intellectual Property Practice Group Leader at Sheppard, Mullin. He is also a trial lawyer with a focus on patent litigation. He is active on a number of professional, community, and charitable organizations including Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), San Diego Chapter where he was a board member from 2008-2014. Steve’s niece was diagnosed with T1D twenty years ago.

Stephen Korniczky

Vice Chair

Eric Zwisler

Eric, an internationalist and business entrepreneur, is committed to finding better treatments and a cure for T1D.  His son Taylor was diagnosed with T1D as a child.  Eric is active in a number of T1D organizations, including most recently as board chair of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology.

Eric Zwisler

President / Chair