Gala Raises $4.7 Million for OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 800 people attended the 2025 Connect+Cure Gala on Wednesday night, raising $4.7 million to support research and programs at the University of Oklahoma Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center.

The majority of the funds will go toward research, and a portion will support diabetes outreach and prevention, as well as sponsor participants of Camp Blue Hawk, a residential summer camp for youth ages 9 to 17 with Type 1 diabetes.

Master of ceremonies for the evening was Robin Marsh, an Emmy Award-winning journalist with KWTV News 9 in Oklahoma City. Eight-time Grammy Award winner and Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood provided the entertainment.

The prestigious Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes was awarded to Professor Dr. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, director of the Institute of Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health. She is also Chair in Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes at Technische Universität München, School of Medicine.

The Hamm Prize recognizes and encourages lasting advances in research related to Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. It is awarded to an individual who has either demonstrated lifelong contributions to the field or realized a singular advance, especially one that promotes curative potential. The Hamm Prize laureate is selected by a rotating jury of national and international leaders in the diabetes research community and is awarded every two years. The honor includes a $250,000 award, the largest of its kind in the world. It is named for Harold Hamm, chairman and chief executive officer of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources Inc., who provided an endowment to fund the prize in perpetuity.

"Dr. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler's groundbreaking research is transforming the future of Type 1 diabetes," Hamm said. "Dr. Ziegler's work is turning hope into reality, giving families more time, more answers and more reasons to believe that a cure is within reach. This is exactly why this prize was created – to recognize and accelerate game-changing discoveries that make a real difference in the lives of those battling diabetes. What a tremendous evening it was celebrating her remarkable contributions and the incredible progress we've made at the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center toward ending diabetes once and for all."

Ziegler's research has been at the forefront of translating important research questions into long-term studies, including more than 20 clinical trials and implementing findings into public health. Among her many achievements, she launched the first birth cohort to study when and how Type 1 diabetes begins. She also created a public screening program to detect early signs of Type 1 diabetes, now a model for similar global efforts. In addition, she conducted research that led to a landmark clinical trial resulting in Food and Drug Administration approval for teplizumab, the first immunotherapy drug shown to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes in at-risk individuals.

"Dr. Ziegler's vision and dedication have not only deepened our understanding of Type 1 diabetes but also led to new ways of helping patients by delaying the disease's onset," said Jed Friedman, Ph.D., director of Harold Hamm Diabetes Center and a professor in the OU College of Medicine. "Her work shows how science and compassion can come together to make a real difference in people's lives. We're honored to celebrate her for her remarkable contributions to diabetes research and her lasting impact on public health."

Also at the Connect+Cure Gala, the University of Oklahoma honored Hamm with the inaugural Crystal Seed Sower Award, a distinction for donors whose philanthropic support of $25 million or more has profoundly shaped the university and the people it serves.

Hamm's generosity has transformed the OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center into a national leader in diabetes research. Because of his support, the center has assembled a team of dedicated scientists who have made promising discoveries regarding both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Research income from the National Institutes of Health has soared from $5 million to $33 million, and new research space has been added to accommodate growth in the research enterprise.

"Because of Mr. Hamm's steadfast commitment to the OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, we are making extraordinary progress in confronting the diabetes crisis," said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. "Few individuals have left such an enduring mark on the health and well-being of our state. His philanthropy reflects not only deep compassion, but also a profound belief in the power of discovery to save lives."

About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. As the state's flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. In Oklahoma City, the OU Health Campus is one of the nation's few academic health centers with seven health profession colleges located on the same campus. The OU Health Campus serves approximately 4,000 students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs spanning Oklahoma City and Tulsa and is the leading research institution in Oklahoma. For more information about the OU Health Campus, visit www.ouhsc.edu.

SOURCE University of Oklahoma