Garvey receives Gerald Reavan Distinguished Leader in Insulin Resistance Award

Garvey’s career spans decades of influential work, shaping national guidelines for obesity and diabetes treatment.
Written by: Kevin Storr
Media contact: Adam Pope


Stream w garveyW. Timothy Garvey, M.D.W. Timothy Garvey, M.D., a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was awarded the Gerald Reaven Distinguished Leader in Insulin Resistance Award by the World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. Garvey, known for developing Cardiometabolic Disease Staging, helps clinicians assess risk for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, guiding treatment and weight loss therapy decisions.

In 2021, Garvey led groundbreaking trials at UAB for semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus), a drug that showed promise in preventing and treating diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and sleep apnea. During the WCIRDC, he delivered the keynote lecture on the “landmark” potential of obesity drugs, likening this era to the discovery of insulin, penicillin and the polio vaccine.

The award, named after Gerald Reaven, M.D., who coined the term “Syndrome X” (now metabolic syndrome), honors Garvey’s decades of research in carbohydrate metabolism and insulin resistance.

Garvey’s career spans decades of influential work, including leading the UAB Diabetes Research Center, securing NIH and other funding, and shaping national guidelines for obesity and diabetes treatment. He has been recognized by several prestigious organizations and has served on numerous research committees and editorial boards.