Dear Members of the HMS and HSDM Communities:

It is with deep sadness that I am forwarding the message below, sent to the Mass General Brigham community yesterday, which shares the news of the passing of HMS Professor of Medicine Joel Habener.

A titan in the field of endocrinology and a humble servant of the scientific enterprise, Joel was an exemplary researcher, a genial colleague, and a dedicated mentor to so many in the HMS community and beyond. Joel’s findings, alongside those of his colleagues, informed the subsequent design of therapies that mimic the hormone GLP-1’s effects in the body.

Indeed, as a consequence of Joel’s early scientific work, the FDA approved the first GLP-1 medicine for type 2 diabetes in 2005. Last Monday (Dec. 22) — 20 years later — it cleared the first once‑daily Wegovy pill, an oral GLP‑1 for weight loss. That two-decade progression cleanly captures how Joel’s career has sent ripples through health care.

Joel’s receipt (along with his co-awardees) of the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences and the 2024 Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award has made him a likely contender for the Nobel Prize. Although he did not live to see that recognition, the value of Joel’s discoveries will continue to accrue with time, as millions of lives are improved and saved. That extraordinary impact is its own enduring honor.

Please join me in extending heartfelt sympathy to Joel’s family and friends — and all others who valued his inquisitive mind — during this challenging time.

Sincerely,

George Q. Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Harvard University

The following message was sent to the Mass General Brigham research community on Dec. 30, 2025.

To: Department of Medicine & Research Community
Subject: Remembering Dr. Joel Habener

Dear colleagues,

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Joel Habener, MD, an extraordinary physician-scientist, mentor, and beloved member of our Mass General Brigham community whose discoveries transformed the field of endocrinology and the care of millions of patients worldwide.

Dr. Habener served for decades as director of the Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology at Mass General, where he led pioneering work that uncovered the biology of the glucagon gene and its peptide products. His seminal studies throughout the 1970s and 1980s, together with Svetlana Mojsov and Daniel Drucker (then at MGH), identified and characterized glucagon-like peptides (GLP1 and GLP2) — a breakthrough that reshaped our understanding of the metabolic regulation of insulin secretion, appetite, nutrient metabolism, gastric emptying, and gastrointestinal physiology.

Building on these discoveries, Dr. Habener and colleagues demonstrated that GLP‑1 augmentation could be used to treat type 2 diabetes, laying the scientific foundation for the GLP‑1–based therapies now widely used to improve glycemic control, promote weight loss, and reduce cardiovascular events. These therapies, rooted in fundamental insights from his laboratory, continue to impact the lives of countless patients with diabetes and obesity across the globe.

Dr. Habener’s remarkable scientific achievements were recognized internationally, including his receipt of the 2019 Harold Hamm award, the 2021 Gairdner award, the 2024 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, shared with colleagues for their collective contributions to GLP1–based therapeutics. At the same time, he remained a generous and devoted mentor whose trainees went on to shape the fields of endocrinology, metabolism, and molecular medicine.

Our ongoing work is grounded in a deep commitment to science in all its forms – especially basic science, which drives clinical advances and innovation. Discoveries like incretins began at the lab bench, made possible by dedicated investigators and sustained support for fundamental research. We continue to champion collaboration between scientists and clinicians, always keeping patients at the center. Dr. Habener’s work truly reflects our mission at Mass General Brigham: advancing discovery to improve human health.

We also recognize that meaningful progress takes time. The path from GLP1’s discovery in 1987 to major clinical milestones spanned decades, underscoring the need for patience and ongoing investment. Dr. Habener’s mentorship brought exceptional talent to our institution, and his generosity has helped support future generations. His philanthropy served to create an additional slot in the MGH Endocrine Fellowship and the John T. Potts Jr. Pilot Award program in the Endocrine Division. Even as challenges to funding and support persist, it is a powerful reminder of why we must continue to prioritize our shared academic mission.

We share our heartfelt condolences with Dr. Habener’s family, friends, colleagues, and the many trainees whose lives and careers he shaped. His scientific vision, mentorship, and enduring influence will remain an integral part of our community. For more about his life and legacy, please see Dr. Habener’s obituary in The Wall Street Journal.

Sincerely,

Jose C. Florez, MD, PhD
Chair, Department of Medicine

Anand Vaidya, MD, MMSc
Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Paul Anderson, MD, PhD
Chief Academic Officer

Editor’s note: Please feel free to send messages of condolence or memories of Dr. Habener to us via email. We would love to hear your stories as we celebrate the life of this remarkable physician and researcher.