Dr Sheila Reith, insulin pen pioneer, wins Pride of Britain award

The Pride of Britain awards celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of unsung heroes who’ve made a big difference to society.  

Sheila has been recognised for her visionary work, supported by Diabetes UK, to develop the world’s first insulin pen. Her career as a diabetes doctor and innovator has been marked by collaboration, bringing together experts to advance care for people living with diabetes.

We're honoured to be attending the star-studded Pride of Britain Awards ceremony with Sheila’s family to celebrate her legacy and the transformative impact of Diabetes UK’s research. It will air on ITV1 at 8pm on Thursday 24th October. 

Since its launch in 1983, the insulin pen has revolutionised diabetes care, improving the lives of millions of people with diabetes all over the world.

Pete Davies was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1956, when he was two years old. He said:

“Sixty years ago, we were using glass syringes with big, long needles until they were blunt and painful. The insulin pen was one of the best changes for me, it meant no more boiling up needles to sterilise them after more than 30 years!”

For Sheila, inspiration struck after personal experience of the practical difficulties of injecting insulin in the 1970s. She said:

“I remember finding myself in the toilets at Euston station trying to give my daughter her insulin injection from a glass bottle and steel syringe. It was such a palaver. I said to myself, this is absurd! We must make this easier for people.”

Determined to find a solution, she teamed up with Dr John Ireland and Dr John Paton to design a new device that would transform how people inject insulin. With vital funding from Diabetes UK, the first trial of the invention in 1981 showed that it worked, was accurate and easy to use. Shortly after, ‘Penject’ – the world’s first insulin pen – was launched.

It went on to inspire the development of new and improved insulin pens that continued to further improve diabetes care.

The insulin pen is just one highlight in Sheila’s impactful and collaborative career. In the 1980s, she led the development of the first computerised database of everyone living with diabetes in central Scotland, working with every GP in the area. It helped people with diabetes receive timely, regular health checks, and facilitated important research.

Sheila was also a driving force in promoting multi-disciplinary care for people with diabetes and structured education at a time when these weren’t widespread, developing a diabetes education centre at Stirling Royal Infirmary in the 1980s. The centre had a dedicated diabetes nurse specialist alongside dieticians, chiropodists and a clinical psychologist.

Despite all these endeavours, Sheila remains humble about her achievements. For her patients, Dr Reith was most importantly a much-liked, kind and understanding physician.

She was awarded a CBE in 2023 for the life-changing impact her work has had for people living with diabetes.