Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), a global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, has appointed David E. Wheadon, M.D., as its new executive vice president of research and advocacy.

Wheadon brings 26 years of experience in drug development and translational research, regulatory and medical affairs, and patient advocacy. In this new position, he will work closely with JDRF's president and CEO, Jeffrey Brewer, and the senior leadership of JDRF's research and advocacy teams, overseeing all aspects of the organization's efforts to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of life-changing therapies for T1D.

Wheadon joins JDRF's leadership team after serving as senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). There, he provided strategic leadership in setting the scientific and regulatory advocacy agenda for the biopharmaceutical industry, and built and strengthened collaborative alliances. Wheadon has worked in leadership roles with major pharmaceutical companies, including: vice president of global pharmaceutical regulatory and medical sciences at Abbott Laboratories; senior vice president of U.S. regulatory affairs at GlaxoSmithKline; and clinical research physician at Eli Lilly.