Norma Sue Kenyon, Ph.D. is The Martin Kleiman Professor of Surgery, Microbiology & Immunology, Biomedical Engineering and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami. Dr. Kenyon and her research team have focused on ways to transplant insulin producing cells, in both clinically relevant islet transplant models and in clinical studies, without the need for life-long anti-rejection drugs. Key accomplishments include development and sharing of methods for islet and islet/bone marrow transplantation, demonstration of the impact of costimulatory blockade on insulin independence and long-term islet survival and incorporation of stem cells to enhance islet engraftment and survival. Kenyon has received research funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation and several industry collaborators. She has served as a member of both the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Disease Council and the NIH Council of Councils and chairs the Opportunities Pool for the NIAID Nonhuman Primate Cooperative Study Group. Kenyon has served as a scientific advisor to the Food and Drug Administration and has participated in several FDA panels involving islet transplantation and stem cells.
Dr. Kenyon is the Vice Provost for Innovation at the University of Miami and Chief Innovation Officer of the Miller School of Medicine. Under her leadership, the U Innovation team, including the Office of Technology Transfer and the Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research, has successfully increased the number of licensing agreements and startups emanating from faculty innovations across the university's 11 schools and colleges. The Launch Pad provides support to students, alumni and faculty entrepreneurs interested in establishing a startup. Under her leadership, the university recently launched the ‘Cane Angel Network, aimed at bringing together entrepreneurs and investors from the University of Miami community to provide early-stage funding and a network of advisors. Together with external partners, Kenyon is working to grow the Converge Miami innovation district (previously known as the UM Life Science and Technology Park) and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council.
Kenyon earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University, followed by post-doctoral positions at UCLA and the University of Miami. Subsequent to post-doctoral training, Kenyon was a Senior Scientist and Lab Head at Coulter Corporation, holding positions in both research and product development.
