Anna Kahkoska

Anna Kahkoska, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Nutrition. She also holds an adjunct role in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the UNC School of Medicine. Her research focuses on improving diabetes care for older adults, particularly leveraging nutrition and technology to enhance self-management. She leads the Kahkoska Research Group and the UNC PHAIR Lab, which develop interventions like OA-TECH (technology training for older adults) and DELI (nutrition strategies for type 1 diabetes in aging populations). Dr. Kahkoska’s work is funded by the NIH, ADA, AHA, and others. She completed her MD and PhD at UNC and a BS in Biochemistry at Syracuse University.

Education:

• BS, Biochemistry, Syracuse University, 2013
• PhD, Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2019
• MD, Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2021

Research Interests: Dr. Kahkoska’s work bridges aging, diabetes, and health equity. Key projects address dietary practices in older adults with type 1 diabetes, integrating continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) into care, and reducing diabetes distress. She emphasizes stakeholder-engaged methods and precision health analytics.

Key Awards:

• 2024 K01 Award (NIA)
• 2023 ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes Grant
• 2022 National Academy of Medicine Catalyst Award

Grants and Funding: Her research is supported by NIH, ADA, AHA, and institutional grants like the NC Diabetes Research Center. Notable programs include the ChargeUp intervention (ADA-funded) and the ALIGN study (AHA-funded).

Labs/Teams: She directs the Kahkoska Research Group and collaborates with the UNC PHAIR Lab, focusing on precision health and systems-aligned interventions for aging populations with diabetes.