What's in a Name? Breakthrough T1D’s Mission Evolution

February 6, 2025

Last year, JDRF rebranded to Breakthrough T1D, the third name change it has undergone since inception. Breakthrough T1D is considered the leading global type 1 diabetes nonprofit.

The organization, initially the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF), was founded by Lee Ducat in 1970 after her son’s T1D diagnosis. Shortly thereafter, Carol Lurie was drawn to the organization after her own son was diagnosed, joining as co-founder. What started with a Philadelphia mom hosting a cocktail party to raise awareness and funds for a cure, grew into a global nonprofit with international affiliates in five countries, and over one million volunteers in the US alone.

Over the course of 50+ years, the commitment to T1D held steadfast, but what started with the sole focus of raising money for a cure incrementally grew to include glucose management, prevention, complications, access to care, venture funding, mental health, and government relations. Though these areas are important, one must ask if this expansion diluted the organization’s founding purpose: A cure, above all else.

This report delves deeper into Breakthrough T1D’s evolution. All data is based on public information, including archived newspaper articles, video media, and financial filings.

Juvenile Diabetes Foundation: Born for a Cure

“The most exacting bench research, the boldest clinical trial, the most promising technology means nothing if the result is not ultimately a cure for the disease.”

“Many Voices, One Goal,” Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, 1977. 

Lee Ducat founded the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF) in 1970, following her son Larry’s T1D diagnosis at the age of ten. This was fifty years after insulin injections were created. At the time, glucose was measured with error-ridden urine test strips, and awareness of T1D was not widespread. Despite limited treatment options, she did not fight for better technology. She fought for a cure.

In a video interview, Ducat recalled the story of her son’s diagnosis and the founding of JDF. When told by Larry’s doctor that her son would be fine, Ducat responded,

“He’s not going to be fine. Is he going to spend a lifetime taking insulin shots and look forward to a life full of complications? . . . If money is all you need, we will get the money to cure diabetes.”

“The Founding of JDRF,” posted 2012 at Breakthrough T1D, YouTube.

1970s-1980s

Raising money for a cure was the driving force behind JDF. The organization was manned almost exclusively by volunteers—parents of T1D children who wanted a cure above all else. Early work entailed fundraising and aggressively lobbying the government to allocate more funds to T1D research. This cure-focus is observed in advertising verbiage, mission statements, and fundraising endeavors.

Secondary importance was placed on community support and education. Parents of newly diagnosed children were offered counseling services and information hotlines, as T1D community support systems were largely nonexistent at the time.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: The Shift Away from Cure

1990s

“JDF’s Mission Is to Find a Cure for Diabetes and Its Complications through the Support of Research.”

“JDF Implements Plan to Speed Research Advances to Patients,” JDF, 1999.

By the late ’90s, the mission began to broaden. Research funding was still the primary application of funds, and cure the central mission, but now complications research was given second billing.

In 2001, “Research” was added to the name to reflect the organization’s research focus.

2000s

In 2005, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation created the Artificial Pancreas Project (APP)—the pivotal shift displacing a cure as the organization’s priority in favor of day-to-day treatment.

The APP was a multilayered, million-dollar initiative to accelerate the development and FDA approval of hybrid closed-loop systems. Jeffrey Brewer, who later became CEO, and today’s CEO Aaron Kowalski, spearheaded the initiative and led the nonprofit to invest significant time and money.

At the time, support for the APP was not universal.

“Senior staff and volunteer Board leadership believed passionately that diverting resources from curing T1D would break faith with donors and throw the organization off course from its singular mission and identity to cure T1D. . . .

The intensity and passion of those who had been involved for years was incredibly high. They did not see room for treatment in our mission. They argued we were founded to find a cure, not to treat the disease.”

Lowenstein, “Putting the Foxes in Charge of the Henhouse,” Breakthrough T1D, 2024.

Ultimately, the board approved pursuing this initiative, but the actual impact of this investment is controversial. Some say it was a considerable success; others believe the industry was already well underway and did not materially benefit from the nonprofit’s relatively small investment. Others point out that even today, we do not have a full closed-loop system widely available.

The passionate debate the board and executive team had twenty years ago about maintaining the cure focus, is equally relevant today.

JDRF: Further Changes

2010s

Jeffrey Brewer became CEO in 2011, further expanding the organization's mission. During this time, the importance of a cure was pushed further aside. Brewer’s priority was the continued advancement of the APP. He led the organization to aggressively delve into health care policy, altering the mission to include bettering the day-to-day quality of life.

Brewer described the transition himself:

“We’re moving away from the over reliance on the cure as the central part of our message and funding. This does not mean JDRF is any less committed in its focus to find a cure . . . one of the big changes that we’re undergoing is focusing on improving the lives of people living with diabetes on a day-to-day basis.

“Jeffrey Brewer Highlights JDRF’s New Direction,” interview by Brown et al., diaTribe, 2011.

In 2012, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation was shortened to the initials JDRF. The rationale was to remove the word “Juvenile,” acknowledging that people of all ages are diagnosed with T1D.

Aaron Kowalski took the helm as JDRF’s CEO in 2019, the first to have T1D. Kowalski often mentions the importance of a cure but has notably pushed the organization into other areas, including greater public education, advocacy initiatives like access to care, and care availability in developing nations.

Kowalski is a respected and strong CEO. He led the organization through COVID effectively, achieving record-high revenue during those years while substantially restructuring and reducing costs. Kowalski is currently the 11th highest-compensated chronic disease nonprofit CEO.

Breakthrough T1D: Where to Go from Here?

2024-Present

June 2024, Kowalski led another name change, rebranding JDRF to Breakthrough T1D—one of his most significant moves to date. Breakthrough T1D contains no reference to the original mission; the first logo to omit the intention to cure T1D, and the only iteration removing “Research” from the name.

Lisa F. Wallack (Chairman of the board of directors), and Jim Lurie (global board member) endorsed the rebrand, claiming their parents, who were among the earliest members, would approve.

But that is hard to say.

The no-nonsense determination to find a cure in the earliest years of JDF is no longer apparent. This is in contrast from its origins, when JDF was manned by an army of passionate parents, bound together with one purpose: Raise money for research and ensure their children see a cure for T1D. Instead, the focus is stretched thin and generalized. ‘Breakthrough’ could mean any kind of breakthrough related to T1D. It raises the question of what the current focus of Breakthrough T1D is today.

Ultimately, the questions are for us. Are we, donors and supporters, happy with this mission evolution? How much faster would a cure be attainable if Breakthrough T1D restructured its priorities to the earliest vision of JDF, and held a cure as the funding priority?

Access to care, T1D education, complications research, and advocacy are all important ventures. But the T1D community’s priority and Breakthrough T1D’s founding priority, are to find a cure. A cure is the only solution to ensure the highest level of health and quality of life for people living with and battling T1D today.