Mark Atkinson (born March 27, 1961) is a medical researcher best known for his contributions to research seeking to predict, prevent, and cure type 1 diabetes. He is the author of over 600 publications and is one of the world's most cited diabetes researchers. Atkinson currently conducts research at the University of Florida College of Medicine, where he is Director for the Diabetes Institute at UF Health. He also is the Executive Director of the Network for Pancreatic Organ donors with Diabetes (nPOD) program. Atkinson has also been widely cited for his humanitarian contributions, particularly his efforts to improve diabetes care, management, and access to medications and supplies in developing nations. Background and education Mark Atkinson was born and raised in southeastern Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan – Dearborn where he received a bachelor of Science in microbiology in 1983. Atkinson next received a Ph.D. from the Department of Pathology at the University of Florida in 1987. While at the University of Florida, Atkinson studied under diabetes researcher Dr. Noel Maclaren, who became his mentor and fostered Atkinson's interest in type 1 diabetes research. His work with Maclaren led Atkinson to develop his three goals of determining what causes type 1 diabetes, identifying a means to predict T1D, and developing a way to prevent and cure the disease. Academic career Atkinson has been teaching and conducting research in the Departments of Pathology and Pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine since 1988. He is currently the American Diabetes Association Eminent Scholar for Diabetes Research and the Jeffrey Keene Family Professor at the University of Florida, as well as the Director for the Diabetes Institute at that institution. Type 1 diabetes research Atkinson's research activities have a broad scope, but most fall under the umbrella of preventing and curing type 1 diabetes. Specific areas of focus include disease prediction, the role of environment in the initiation of type 1 diabetes, stem cells and beta cell regeneration, pancreatic pathology, clinical trials seeking to prevent or reverse type 1 diabetes, the identification of markers of immunological tolerance, and devising ways to instill proper immunoregulation. Atkinson has been the recipient of funding awards from entities such as the National Institutes of Health, JDRF, the American Diabetes Association, and the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Research approaches Atkinson has conducted numerous studies that take different approaches to predicting,