Norma Sue Kenyon, Ph.D., is the Martin Kleiman Professor of Surgery in the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, with secondary appointments in Microbiology & Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. She concurrently serves as Vice Provost for Innovation university-wide and Chief Innovation Officer of the Miller School of Medicine, and she is Executive Director of the Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research. Education 1979 – B.S. in Zoology, Duke University 1986 – Ph.D. in Immunology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University 1987 – Post-doctoral Fellowship, University of California, Los Angeles 1990 – Post-doctoral Fellowship, University of Miami School of Medicine Research Interests Dr. Kenyon’s laboratory focuses on strategies to achieve durable insulin independence after islet transplantation for type-1 diabetes, with particular emphasis on eliminating life-long systemic immunosuppression. Her work integrates costimulatory blockade agents, mesenchymal stem-cell co-therapies, and bioengineered implantable niches to promote engraftment, revascularization, and immune tolerance. These investigations span mechanistic studies in rodent and non-human primate models to first-in-human clinical trials. Recent Publication Trends Between 2022 and 2025, Dr. Kenyon’s team published pivotal studies in Transplantation , Advanced Science , Nature Reviews Endocrinology , Science Translational Medicine , and Nature Communications . Collectively, these papers advance a translational pipeline that moves from GLP-1 receptor modulation and immune-devices in large animals to refined stem-cell-enhanced subcutaneous implants, underscoring a trajectory toward clinical application without chronic immunosuppression. Scientific Awards & Honors Virginia Commonwealth University Alumni Star Award Medical College of Virginia Healthcare Hero Award Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Provost's Award for Scholarly Activity Martin Kleiman Chair in Diabetes Research Senior Laboratory Research Award, University of Miami Martin Kleiman Investigator Award, University of Miami Funding & Entrepreneurial Leadership Dr. Kenyon has continuously secured competitive NIH grants from NIAID and NIDDK, as well as support from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF), the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, and multiple industry partners. As Vice Provost for Innovation, she oversees the Office of Technology Transfer and the Coulter Center, catalyzing record numbers of licensing agreements, start-ups, and the new ‘Cane Angel Network’ to fund early-stage ventures across all 11 University of Miami schools and colleges. Laboratory & Teams The Kenyon Laboratory is embedded within the Diabetes Research Institute, a multidisciplinary center housing clinicians, basic scientists, and bioengineers. The team collaborates closely with the Preclinical Cell Transplantation Core and the Clinical Islet Transplant Program, providing seamless translation from bench to bedside.
