Alka Kanaya

Alka Kanaya, MD, is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. Her research focuses on type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and health disparities in South Asian populations. She leads the MASALA study, a longitudinal cohort examining metabolic and cardiovascular risks in South Asian adults. Dr. Kanaya holds an MD from UCSF (1995) and has completed residency training there. She has received awards including NIH R01 and K23 grants for her work.

Education:

• MD, University of California, San Francisco (1995)
• Residency in Medicine, UCSF School of Medicine
• 2019 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training

Research Interests: Dr. Kanaya’s three-pronged research program includes studying adipocytokines as diabetes biomarkers, establishing the MASALA cohort to address South Asian health disparities, and testing behavioral interventions like yoga for metabolic syndrome. Her work bridges epidemiology, cultural factors, and clinical outcomes.

Grants & Funding:

• NIH R01MD016071 (2021–2026): Health disparities in South Asian immigrants
• NIH R01HL149809 (2021–2026): Metabolic effects in South Asians
• NIH R01HL093009 (2010–2020): MASALA study

Labs/Teams: Principal Investigator of the MASALA study and collaborator in the C4R (COVID-19) and VIP (Vietnamese Aging) cohorts. She mentors faculty in research and career development.