Wistar Celebrates Dr. Svetlana Mojsov – the 2025 Helen Dean King Awardee
Distinguished Biochemist Behind Blockbuster Drugs for Diabetes, Obesity & Weight Loss Spent the Day Imparting Her Wisdom & Scientific Know-how on Wistar Researchers
It was an all-day affair. Wistar scientists & staff welcomed Dr. Svetlaa Mojsov for a celebration of who she is and what she’s accomplished—namely the instrumental biochemist behind the discovery of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which went on to become several blockbuster diabetes and weight loss treatments.
As Wistar’s 2025 Helen Dean King Awardee, Dr. Mojsov spent the day meeting scientists, talking shop with our up-and-coming postdoctoral fellows & junior researchers, and just becoming immersed in Wistar Science—from the collaborative research culture of our scientists to the deep history of Institute excellence.
In between breakfast with principal investigators (PIs) and lunch with trainees, Dr. Mojsov was awarded the 2025 Helen Dean King Award, named after our own Dr. Helen Dean King, a trailblazing female scientist at the turn of the 20th century when women were barely in the workplace, let alone leading research for more than 40 years.
Dr. Mojsov is one of nine extraordinary, female, biomedical researchers to be awarded the Helen Dean King Award since 2017. The day culminates in a public talk delivered to early-career and established scientists at Wistar and surrounding institutes.
At lunch, Dr. Mojsov shared research anecdotes & experiences and encouragement with 12 Wistar trainees, and the group talked about the issues faced by scientists today—the differences in science here in the U.S. and abroad, fear of a lack of funding, success in the lab, rejection, and pressures to publish. Then they all delved deep into the science of the GLP-1 protein and peppered her with questions on where her science is going now.
As the lunch ended, she said she felt like she was back in grad school.
“This brings me back to grad school—the bonds are still very strong, and I can see you all are the same. Stay with the science and don’t get discouraged. You will find your place as you journey forward in your career.”