

Anna Kahkoska, MD, PhD

Anna Kahkoska, MD, PhD
Anna Kahkoska focuses her expertise on precision health approaches for the care and management of diabetes. Her research in this area has identified and evaluated clinically relevant phenotypes of type 1 diabetes in youth and young adulthood using observational cohort and randomized trial data. She has additional expertise in nutrition, obesity, and health disparities in the context of diabetes management and outcomes.
Dr. Kahkoska is currently a scholar in the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute Gene Orringer Junior Faculty Career Development (KL2) Program. As a KL2 scholar, she is studying how to integrate systems science approaches, including tools for mapping and modeling the factors that shape health-related outcomes, with precision health analytics to improve care for older adults with diabetes.
Anna Kahkoska in the Gillings news
- Gillings School honors 8 faculty members for teaching innovation
- Kahkoska named ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes grant recipient
- Mapping the journey to adopt glucose monitoring technology among older adults with Type 1 diabetes
- For people with diabetes, food insecurity is linked with higher odds of missing work, being hospitalized
- Four-year study highlights complexity of diabetes health inequities
Honors and Awards
Pathway to Stop Diabetes® Accelerator Award2023, American Diabetes Association
Healthy Longevity Global Competition Catalyst Award2022, National Academy of Medicine
Gene Orringer Junior Faculty Career Development (TraCS KL2) Program Scholar2021, North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute
Young Investigator of Excellence in Precision Health2020, Precision Medicine Leaders’ Summit
George A. Bray Doctoral Dissertation Award2019, The Obesity Society
Clinical Emerging Leader Award Competition, First Place2018, American Society for Nutrition
Research Activities
- Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
- Aging and Older Adults
- Precision Health Analytics
- Stakeholder-Engaged System Mapping
- Health Equity
- Team-Based Science
Key Publications
“Nothing is linear”: Characterizing the determinants and dynamics of CGM use in older adults with type 1 diabetes. Kahkoska AR, Smith C, Thambuluru S, Weinstein J, Batsis JA, Pratley R, Weinstock RS, Young LA, Lich KH. (2023). Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.
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Systems-Aligned Precision Medicine—Building an Evidence Base for Individuals Within Complex Systems. Kahkoska, Anna R., Nikki LB Freeman, and Kristen Hassmiller Lich. (2022). JAMA Health Forum, 3(7).
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The Impact of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in Diabetes Management on Clinical Outcomes: A Reinforcement Learning Analysis of Health Inequity Among Youth and Young Adults in the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study. Kahkoska AR, Pokaprakarn T, Alexander GR, et al Diabetes Care, 2022(dc210496).
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Validation of distinct type 2 diabetes clusters and their association with diabetes complications in the DEVOTE, LEADER and SUSTAIN-6 cardiovascular outcomes trials. Kahkoska AR, Geybels MS, Klein KR, Kreiner FF, Marx N, Nauck MA, Pratley RE, Wolthers BO, Buse JB (2020). Diabetes Obes Metab, 22(9), 1537-1547.
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Longitudinal Phenotypes of Type 1 Diabetes in Youth Based on Weight and Glycemia and Their Association With Complications. Kahkoska AR, Nguyen CT, Adair LA, Aiello AE, Burger KS, Buse JB, Dabelea D, Dolan LM, Malik FS, Mottl AK, Pihoker C, Reboussin BA, Sauder KA, Kosorok MR, Mayer-Davis EJ (1970). J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 104(12), 6003-6016.
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Identification of clinically relevant dysglycemia phenotypes based on continuous glucose monitoring data from youth with type 1 diabetes and elevated hemoglobin A1c. Kahkoska AR, Adair LA, Aiello AE, Burger KS, Buse JB, Crandell J, Maahs DM, Nguyen CT, Kosorok MR, Mayer-Davis EJ (2019). Pediatr Diabetes, 20(5), 556-566.
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Education
MD, Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2021
PhD, Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2019
BS, Biochemistry, Syracuse University, 2013