Meet the Experts: Steven Kahn, MD

Steven Kahn, MD
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
Professor of Medicine, University of Washington

Steven E. Kahn, MB, ChB is a professor of medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Nutrition at the University of Washington and Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle. Additionally, he is Associate Director of the Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center at the University of Washington.

An endocrinologist, Dr. Kahn’s research interests include islet β-cell function in normal subjects and the basis for the development of elevated glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.  He has also done extensive work on the role of islet amyloid deposits in the loss of insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes.  Dr. Kahn does clinical trials and has led the Seattle effort in two large National Institutes of Health studies.  The first, the Diabetes Prevention Program demonstrated that it is possible to reduce the development of diabetes in high-risk individuals using either lifestyle changes or the medication metformin.  The second, Look AHEAD is ongoing and is examining whether a lifestyle intervention can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Among his awards are the Novartis Award in Diabetes, the American Diabetes Association Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award, and the R.H. Williams–Rachmiel Levine Award, the latter for his research and training of future diabetes researchers.  Dr. Kahn has served as President of the Western Section of the American Federation of Medical Research and President of the Western Society for Clinical Investigation. He has been a member of the National Council of the American Federation of Medical Research and the Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association. He currently serves as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and on the editorial boards of Diabetes and Clinical and Translational Science.

Dr. Kahn is featured in Art of Aging Episode 3 in the diabetes section.

Diabetes Links:

American Diabetes Association

National Diabetes Education Program