Breakthrough T1D Indianapolis Gala 2025

Jennifer Sullivan is a National Director at Experis Health Solutions and serving in her fourth year as Auction Committee Chair. Jenny served on the Breakthrough T1D Indiana Community Board for over 6 years and her family has participated in numerous One Walks throughout her 20-year history with T1d.

A mother of 5, Jenny’s son Aidan was diagnosed with T1D in 2004 at the age of 2. Ten years later, her son Chris, would also be diagnosed at age 10. Jenny remembers the early days of insulin injections and manually calculating Aidan’s insulin injections using pencil, paper, and an algebra equation. By the time Chris was diagnosed, injections were given using pre-loaded insulin pens. The last 20 years have been spent worrying about blood sugars, but the advancements in T1D treatments and technology have been tremendous. Today, both boys wear Tandem TSlim insulin pumps and Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitors.  It has been life changing for the boys and for Jenny.

Breakthrough T1D has been instrumental in her family’s journey with type 1 diabetes. Jenny believes that she will see a cure in her boys’ lifetimes and continues to support Breakthrough T1D through her volunteer efforts.

Jayna is a partner in the Indianapolis office of Taft, and the past Chair of the Indianapolis Litigation practice group. Jayna’s practice concentrates in the areas of complex commercial, civil, and white-collar criminal litigation, as well as regulatory investigations by state and federal agencies. She is a trial lawyer with significant courtroom experience in both criminal and civil matters. Jayna is currently serving on the Breakthrough T1D Indiana Community board and leading Indiana Gala sponsorship efforts as Revenue Committee Chair.

Ruth Gimeno is Group Vice President at Eli Lilly and Company, leading diabetes, obesity and cardiometabolic research & early clinical development, with responsibility from project initiation through the end of Phase 2.

Ruth joined Lilly in 2011 as CSO, diabetes research, and assumed her current position in 2016. Prior to joining Lilly, Ruth worked at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth and Pfizer, focusing on diabetes, obesity, and their complications. Ruth received undergraduate training in medicine at the Julius-Maximilians-University in Würzburg, Germany, and obtained a Ph.D. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Under Ruth’s leadership, Lilly advanced many new molecules into late phase development, including tirzepatide, a first-in-class GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist (now launched); orforglipron, an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist; retatrutide, a triple GIP, GLP-1 and Glucagon receptor agonist; insulin efsitora, a novel weekly insulin; and lepodisiran, a very long-acting siRNA designed to lower Lp(a) for cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Linda DiMeglio is the Edwin Letzter Professor of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, Division Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology at Riley Children’s Health in Indianapolis, and the co-director of Workforce Development for the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.  Dr. DiMeglio graduated with honors from Harvard University and obtained her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her residency at Children’s Memorial Hospital (now Lurie Children’s) in Chicago and a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Indiana University School of Medicine, where she also earned a Master of Public Health degree from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis.

Her research focuses on type 1 diabetes prevention, beta-cell preservation, and new diabetes management technologies and therapeutics. Dr. DiMeglio has published over 200 articles, including guidelines for glycemic management in children and monitoring guidance for persons with early-stage type 1 diabetes. She serves as the co-PI of the National DiabDocs Physician Scientist Development Program, Vice Chair of Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet and is co-leading the current International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes guidelines. In 2023, Dr. DiMeglio received the George Eisenbarth Award for Type 1 Diabetes Prevention from the JDRF (now Breakthrough T1D), recognizing her leadership in T1D prevention research.