Kanakadurga Singer, M.A., M.D.

Kanakadurga Singer, M.A., M.D., was appointed assistant dean for tenure track faculty, in the Medical School, effective Nov. 1, 2022. She also is the Valerie Castle Opipari, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, and an associate professor of pediatrics and molecular and integrative physiology.

In addition to her faculty appointments, she also serves as a faculty advisor in the Office of Faculty Development, and associate director and faculty ally of the Graduate Program in Immunology. She is active in the Office of Faculty Development and with diversity, equity and inclusion activities, and she currently serves as vice-chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs

After earning a B.A./M.A degree from Johns Hopkins University, she completed her M.D. degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. She also completed her pediatrics residency and her pediatric endocrinology fellowship at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. She joined the U-M faculty in 2012 and has been supported by grants from the American Heart Association, the Taubman Emerging Scholars Program, the Janette Ferrantino Junior Investigator Award, and grants from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Her research focuses on understanding the cellular and endocrine dynamics leading from energy intake to an increase in adipose tissue mass and adipose tissue inflammation. Her lab has been investigating how high fat diet alters hematopoietic stem cells and myeloid precursors contributing to systemic obesity-induced meta-inflammation and metabolic disease, with a focus on understanding sex-differences in metabolic and cardiovascular disease.