One of E. Dale Abel’s mentors at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, was the School of Medicine chairman, whose strong interest in diabetes and passion for discovery rubbed off on the young scholar. Today, Abel, MD, PhD, is internationally recognized for his research on heart failure in diabetes. Since 2013 he has directed the University of Iowa’s Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, launched in 2008 with a $25 million gift—one of the largest commitments to diabetes research institutionally in the nation. Throughout his career, Abel’s accomplishments have been celebrated with numerous honors, awards, and appointments to leadership positions. Two such acknowledgements came after his visit with Medicine Iowa: In October, he was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine, and in December, Abel was named chair and departmental executive officer of internal medicine, the largest specialty department in the UI Carver College of Medicine.