On Wednesday, pop heartthrob Nick Jonas — clad in white oxford shirt and a matching blazer –testified before a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing on federal funding for diabetes research. (He did a great job!) The star of the Disney-backed trio The Jonas Brothers publicly revealed that he has Type 1 diabetes while performing at a Diabetes Research Institute fundraiser in 2007.

“I know some people can become star-struck and lose sight of what they’re here for, but if Nick Jonas makes juvenile diabetes a cause that people are more aware of, it’s worth it,” said Ashley Woolos, an American University student and intern in the office of Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass. “A younger face might bring younger fans and the fact that juvenile diabetes is not just an older persons’ disease.”

Other witnesses at yesterday’s hearing included boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and actress Mary Tyler Moore.