Timesulin co-founder selected as Sweden’s best young medical innovator

John Sjölund, co-founder and CEO of Patients Pending LTD, has been selected as one of Sweden’s Ten Outstanding Young People (TOYP) of 2012 for his contributions in creating the innovative new diabetes product Timesulin, a smart replacement cap for insulin pens that helps ease the daily anxiety and frustration that people with diabetes feel when trying to remember whether or not they’ve taken their insulin injection. Sponsored by the Junior Chamber International (JCI), TOYP serves to formally recognize people between the ages of 18 to 40 who excel in their chosen fields and exemplify the best attributes of the world's young people to create positive change, raising the status of socially responsible leaders in the world. Sjölund addressed the committee and accepted his award at an event in Stockholm, Sweden, on Friday evening, 4 May 2012. 

Since 1983, JCI has honored over 300 individuals from 47 nations with the international TOYP awards. Past recipients of international TOYP awards include US Presidents Clinton, Ford and Kennedy and in Sweden, Skype-founder Niklas Zennström. All honorees selected have represented the heights of progress in numerous human endeavors. 

“The TOYP honorees motivate their peers to seek excellence and serve others. John’s story of discovery, determination and ingenuity while living with diabetes – and using these to help millions of people around the world – serves as an inspiration to other young people to be better leaders and create better societies,” says Fredrik Söderlund, Program Officer of TOYP Sweden.

Young men and women may be nominated in one of ten categories and an esteemed panel of Swedish judges, including a representative from the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, selected the Swedish honorees. If selected by the international committee to form part of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the world, Sjölund will be honored at the JCI’s global Conference TOYP award ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan, in November 2012.

Anna Tenstam Lundvall, Chairman of Patients Pending LTD - says: “Working with John has given me a daily insight into an intensely motivated and passionate man with a mission to make life for all people living with diabetes a little bit easier. John is living proof that anyone with diabetes can do whatever they put their mind to and he shares his experiences generously – through his work as a Faculty Member of the International Diabetes Federation’s Young Leaders in Diabetes program, in his fundraising and also through his continuing campaigning for diabetes awareness and his mission to make Timesulin accessible to everyone with the condition.”

The ten categories for the TOYP awards are:

• Business, economic, and/or entrepreneurial accomplishment
• Political, legal, and/or governmental affairs
• Medical innovation
• Academic leadership and/or accomplishment
• Cultural achievement
• Moral and/or environmental leadership
• Contribution to children, world peace, and/or human rights
• Humanitarian and/or voluntary leadership
• Scientific and/or technological development
• Personal improvement and/or accomplishment