Kristen Jane Nadeau, MD, MS
Photo: Kristen J. Nadeau

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Elected 2021

Kristen Nadeau, MD, MS, is Research Director for UC-Anschutz’s Pediatric Endocrinology and Bariatric Surgery Programs, Pediatric Chair of UC-Anschutz’s CTSI’s Scientific Advisory Review Council and Co-Chair of UC-Anschutz’s NIH Diabetes Research Center’s Clinical Research Core. Her research focus is on understanding mechanisms of youth-onset diabetes and obesity complications, including insulin resistance (IR) and pancreatic β-cell, cardiovascular, hepatic and renal disease, to prevent long-term diabetes complications. Her lab innovatively uses gold-standard but minimally invasive methods to study insulin sensitivity and secretion (clamp methods paired with isotope tracers), and comprehensive cardiometabolic phenotyping (cardiac, vascular and exercise function, sleep, circadian rhythm, and MRI/MRS-based ectopic fat) in youth. As Pediatric Chair of the NIDDK multi-center longitudinal RISE U01 study of β-cell preservation in youth and adults with prediabetes or early type 2 diabetes (T2D), and Cardiorenal Outcomes Chair of the NIDDK multi-center longitudinal U01 TODAY trial of youth-onset T2D since its inception in 2002, her work clearly demonstrated that youth-onset T2D is alarmingly more aggressive and treatment-resistant than in adults. To address this critical problem, she is now MPI of a multi-site R01 study evaluating mechanisms and outcomes of bariatric surgery as a new approach to youth-onset T2D, and Co-I of an NIH multi-center gestational diabetes prevention study in American Indian girls. She also demonstrated that the novel addition of metformin or bromocriptine to insulin in type 1 diabetes can improve IR and cardiovascular health. Through her NHLBI K24 mentoring grant, she mentors trainees at multiple levels across multiple departments, who focus on IR and cardiorenal complications of diabetes, PCOS, poor sleep, circadian misalignment, depression, and hormone treatment in transgender youth. She Directs UC-Anschutz’s Longitudinal Medical Student Research Course, and recently received two mentoring awards, University of Wisconsin Medical School’s Distinguished Alumni Award and the upcoming 2021 American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Outstanding Investigator Award.