Sherwin received the Long-Standing Achievement Award at the 40th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Munich, Germany on September 7.
Sherwin's role in the early development of insulin pump therapy represents a crucial advance in diabetes patient care. While studying the effect of continuous insulin infusion on the liver's response to increases and reductions in glucose levels, he and fellow Yale researcher William Tamborlane, M.D., proposed and subsequently showed that continuous subcutaneous infusion via a small pump would provide a relatively safe and superior method of insulin delivery in people with diabetes.
Sherwin's other work included helping to develop the most widely accepted method for measuring body cell sensitivity to insulin, a procedure known as the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp technique. He also defined the mechanism used by the brain to sense glucose and activate defenses against hypoglycemia, the major complication of insulin therapy.
"I am deeply grateful for this recognition and thank my colleagues, trainees and patients for their contributions to my work," said Sherwin.
Ele Ferranni of the University of Pisa, Italy also received the Long-Standing Achievement Award and two other international researchers received young investigator awards.