Fran Kaufman, M.D.

The Journey to the Artificial Pancreas and My Role as a Pediatric Endocrinologist

Dr. Francine Kaufman was named Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Global Medical, Clinical and Health Affairs in April 2009. In this role, Dr. Kaufman is the key architect of the company’s global diabetes strategy, as well as a leading voice for multi-disciplinary medical strategy across Medtronic.

Prior to joining Medtronic in 2009, Dr. Kaufman served as Director of the Comprehensive Childhood Diabetes Center, and head of the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Kaufman is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Pediatrics and Communications at the Keck School of Medicine and the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California, and an attending physician at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

Dr. Kaufman was national president of the American Diabetes Association from 2002-2003. She was President of Shaping America’s Health, Chair of the National Diabetes Education Program, and she served as Chair of the Youth Consultative Section of the International Diabetes Federation. In 2007, she was Co-Chair of the Diabetes Work Group for the Department of Health Services of the State of California to recommend diabetes treatment and prevention strategies for the Medicaid population. In 2005, she was elected membership in the Institute of Medicine. In 2009, she was elected to membership in the Advisory Council of the Diabetes Branch of the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Dr. Kaufman graduated from Northwestern University in 1972 and received her medical degree from Chicago Medical School in 1976. She completed her residency in pediatrics and fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.