Halis Akturk

Dr. Akturk is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado. His research is focused on improving glycemic control with advanced diabetes technologies and therapeutics in people with type 1 diabetes. He has been the PI in many clinical trials assessing diabetes technologies and therapeutics such as hybrid closed loop pumps and continuous glucose monitors. He has been a part of the main clinical studies of Medtronic 780G HCL, Dexcom G7 CGM, Eversense E3 CGM, insulin lispro-aabc, inhaled insulin and adjunctive therapies in development such as glucagon receptor antagonists.

He is the recipient of American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) 2024 Rising Star Award. He is currently serving as the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Annual Scientific Meetings Planning Committee Chair for Diabetes Technology for 2024-2026. He served as the Communications Director of the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Technology Interest Group between 2020-2024 and represents Barbara Davis Center Adult Clinic in the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Initiative and serves as the Publication Committee Chair. He is the founder and director of Diabetes Dialog, an annual hands-on diabetes technology workshop for nationwide endocrinology fellows. He published over 100 peer reviewed articles and has been a reviewer in many reputable diabetes and diabetes technology journals. He has been an invited speaker for type 1 diabetes and diabetes technologies in many national and international conferences.

His other research interests include immune checkpoint inhibitor (cancer immunotherapy) induced type 1 diabetes and investigating the effects of cannabis use in type 1 diabetes.

Awards and Recognitions

1. AACE Rising Start Award 2024

2. ADA Scientific Meetings Planning Committee Chair for Diabetes Technology 2024-2026

3. ADA Diabetes Technology Professional Interest Group Communications Director 2020-2024

4. T1D Exchange Publication Committee Chair 2024-2026

5. Diabetes Dialog, Founder and Program Director 2018-Present

Main Research Interests:

1. Advanced Diabetes Technologies and Therapeutics: Dr. Akturk was involved as a PI and sub-PI in several artificial pancreas, hybrid-closed loop, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) studies, and faster insulins. To highlight some of his recent contributions last year; he was the PI for PROMISE, STAT, PRONTO, REMD, INHALE-3 studies investigated 6-month implantable CGM, inhaled insulin, faster bolus insulin, and adjunctive therapies in type 1 diabetes, respectively. He described a new method to easily locate implanted glucose sensors using near-infrared light technology to facilitate removal.

2. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Induced Type 1 Diabetes: Cancer immunotherapies are revolutionary treatments, but they have autoimmune adverse effects. Dr. Akturk identified the similarities and differences between cancer immunotherapy induced and childhood-onset type 1 diabetes and one of the leading researchers in this field.

 

3. Cannabis use in type 1 diabetes: Dr. Akturk described a new syndrome, Hyperglycemic Ketosis due to Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome in cannabis users with type 1 diabetes that mimic diabetic ketoacidosis and presents with recurrent emergency department visits due to nausea and vomiting.

4. Use of GLP1, GLP/GIP analogs in type 1 diabetes: Dr. Akturk’s team has published first and largest cohort of  GLP1, GLP/GIP analog use in type 1 diabetes.