Mark D. DeBoer, MD, MSc, MCR

As a pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. Mark D. DeBoer is passionate about improving the health of children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes—which includes the development and testing of new diabetes technology.

He has been working with the Center for Diabetes for almost 10 years and has been able to help with assessments of artificial pancreas systems in challenging pediatric situations, including exercise, missed carbohydrate announcement and long-term home use.

Dr. DeBoer current interests are in how insulin resistance contributes to worsening T1D control in adolescents (and whether this can be overcome with artificial pancreas use) and in how well artificial pancreas systems assist in control for very young children.  Finally, he is also interested in additional research areas, including long-term risks of obesity and the metabolic syndrome, as well as risks of inflammation and chronic disease on growth and hormone regulation.

Professional Education:

• MD, University of Arizona, 2000
• MSc. (Biochemistry) University of Arizona 1998
• MCR (Clinical Research) Oregon Health & Science Univ. 2007
• Pediatrics Residency, University of Virginia 2003
• Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship, Oregon Health & Science Univ. 2007

1 R01 DK124886-01   DeBoer, Breton (co-PI’s)                                                                 4/1/20-3/31/25

NIH/NIDDK

Artificial Pancreas – Adolescent Physiology and Psychology Longitudinal Evaluation (A.P. APPLE)

Goals of Project:

• Assess efficacy of the Control-IQ artificial pancreas system in adolescents over a 2-year period starting at age 11-13 years, when the natural history is a steep rise in HbA1c.
• Determine longitudinal changes in insulin resistance (overall, hepatic, peripheral) using triple-label glucose tracer studies in adolescents & determine effects of AP use on insulin resistance over time.
• Assess changes in psychosocial features in adolescents and whether these relate to AP use.

Role: contact PI

1 U01 DK127551-01   Breton (DeBoer, Buckingham, Lum, Wadwa co-PI’s)              9/17/20-6/30/23

NIH/NIDDK

A Translation of the UVA Advanced Automated Insulin Delivery Systems to Clinical Care in Young Children: Glycemic Control, Regulatory Acceptance and Optimization of Day to Day Use

Goals of Project:

• Assess efficacy of the Control-IQ artificial pancreas system in young children age 2-6 years.
• Assess parental use and psychosocial changes associated with AP use.

Role: co-PI

1 R01 LM012090-01  DeBoer (contact PI), Valdez (co-PI’s)                  6/1/16-5/31/21  (no-cost extension)

NIH/NLM

CloudConnect: Consumer Health IT for Enhanced Treatment of Chronic Illness

Goals of Project:

• Assess adolescent/parent dyad needs and preferences for diabetes-related remote monitoring system
• Examine effects of remote monitoring on family disease-specific communication and treatment efficacy

Role: co-PI

LaunchPad       DeBoer, Breton co-PI’s                                                                               11/1/19-8/31/21

• Major goals of the project:  1) Develop a Meal Control Module in an artificial pancreas system to provide automated insulin delivery in response to meals sensed by a Meal Probability Detector; 2) Test this system in a randomized cross-over study in adolescents.

Role: co-PI

1 R01 HL120960-01A   DeBoer, Gurka (co-PI’s)                                                                8/15/14-4/30/20

An Ethnicity-Specific MetS Severity Score to Assess Risk: The Jackson Heart Study

Goals of Project:

• Characterize the epidemiology of MetS in African-Americans with respect to lifestyle and other disease factors and evaluate how these contribute to longitudinal changes in MetS severity.
• Examine the association between MetS severity and the future development of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and T2DM in African-Americans.
• Examine the association between MetS severity and the future development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in African-Americans.

Role: PI

LaunchPad       DeBoer, Chernavvsky co-PI’s                                                                   10/1/15-7/31/16

Design & Testing of a Closed-Loop System for Control of Type 1 Diabetes in Young Children 5-8 years old

•  Major goals of the project: Evaluate the needs and preferences of parents and physicians regarding which features of an artificial pancreas system (APS) would be required for young children in the absence of their parents and which features should be accessible to parents only; 2) Test an adapted APS in a randomized cross-over study in young children.

Role: co-PI

JDRF R21 17-2013-498      Francis (PI)                                                                                  5/1/13-10/31/14

Closed-Loop Control in Adolescents Using Heart Rate as Exercise Indicator

• Major goal of the project:  Evaluate for added benefit in preventing exercise-induced hypoglycemia of announcement of exercise via increased heart rate.

Role: site co-PI

LaunchPad       DeBoer, Chernavvsky co-PI’s                                                                   6/1/13-5/31/14

Feasibility of a Closed-Loop System to Counter Insufficient Insulin Bolusing in Adolescents

• Major goal of the project:  Evaluate performance of an artificial pancreas system (APS) in adolescents after missed insulin for snacks and assess preferences of adolescents and their parents regarding APS design features toward development of an adolescent-specific APS.

Role: co-PI

2011-present                    NxGen Curriculum, Endocrinology Block (MS2)
(yearly)                            Physiologic Regulation of Growth—Team Based Learning

2011-present                     NxGen Curriculum, Endocrinology Block (MS2)
(yearly)                            Normal and Abnormal Puberty

2011-present                     NxGen Curriculum, Cell Signaling       (MS1)
(yearly)                            Intercellular Communication & Intracellular Signaling

2011-present                     Graduate Nursing 5700
(yearly)                            Pediatric Diabetes Diagnosis and Treatment

2013-present                     Dietetic Internship Program
(yearly)                            Vitamin D: Health Benefits, Rumors and Speculation

2016-present                     Graduate Nursing Seminar 6110
(yearly)                            Pubertal Timing and Progression: A Window into General Health

Key Publications:

• Schoelwer MJ, DeBoer MD.  “Artificial Pancreas Technology Offers Hope for Childhood Diabetes.” Curr Nutr Rep (e-pub ahead of print, 2021).
• Kanapka LG, Wadwa RP, Breton MD …  DeBoer MD, Buckingham BA, Oliveri M, Kollman CC, Dokken BB, Cherñavvsky D and Beck RW. “Extended Use of the Control-IQ Closed Loop Control System in Children with Type 1 Diabetes.” Diabetes Care 44:473-478 (2021).
• Bisio A, Brown SA, McFadden R, Pajewski M, Yu PL, DeBoer MD, Schoelwer MJ, Bonner HG, Wakeman CA, Cherñavvsky DR and Gonder-Frederick L. “Sleep and Diabetes-Specific Psycho-Behavioral Outcomes of a New Automated Insulin Delivery System in Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes and Their Parents..” Pediatric Diabetes (e-pub ahead of print, 2020).
• Ekhlaspour L, Schoelwer MJ, Forlenza GP, DeBoer MD, Norlander L, Hsu L, Kingman R, Boranian, Emory E, Buckingham BA, Breton MD, Wadwa RP. “Safety and Performance of the Tandem t:slim X2 with Control-IQ Automated Insulin Delivery System in Toddlers and Preschoolers.” Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (e-pub ahead of print, 2020).
• Breton MD, Kanapka LG, Beck RW, …  DeBoer MD, Buckingham BA, Cherñavvsky D, Wadwa RP. “A Randomized Trial of Closed-Loop Control in Children with Type 1 Diabetes.”  New England Journal of Medicine 383:836-845 (2020). Available from https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056
• DeBoer MD, Filipp SL, Gurka MJ. Use of a Metabolic Syndrome Severity Z-Score to Track Risk During Treatment of Prediabetes: An Analysis of the Diabetes Prevention Program. Diabetes Care 41: 2421-2430 (2018). PMCID: PMC6196828
• Breton MD, Cherñavvsky DR, Forlenza GP, DeBoer MD, Robic J, Wadwa RP, Messer L, Kovatchev BP, Maahs DM.  Closed-loop control during intensive prolonged outdoor exercise in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: The Artificial Pancreas Ski Study. Diabetes Care 40:1644-1650 (2017). PMCID: PMC2219314
• DeBoer MD, Breton MB, Wakeman C, Schertz EM, Emory EG, Robic JL, Kollar LL, Kovatchev BP, Francis GL, Cherñavvsky DR. Performance of an artificial pancreas system for young children with T1D.  Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics 19: 293-298 (2017). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2016.0424
• DeBoer MD, Cherñavvsky DR, Topchyan  K, Kovatchev BP, Francis GL, Breton MB.  Heart rate informed artificial pancreas system enhances glycemic control during exercise in adolescents with T1D.  Pediatric Diabetes 18: 540-546 (2017). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/pedi.12454
• Ly TT, Buckingham BA, DeSalvo DJ, Shanmugham S, Satin-Smith M, DeBoer MD, Oliveri MC, Schertz E, Breton MD, Cherñavvsky DR.  “Day and Night Closed-Loop Control Using the Unified Safety System in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes at Camp.”  Diabetes Care 39:e106-107 (2016).
• Cherñavvsky DR, DeBoer MD, Keith-Hynes P, Mize B, McElwee M, Demartini S, Dunsmore SF, Wakeman C, Kovatchev BP, Breton MB.  “Use of an Artificial Pancreas among Adolescents for a Missed Snack Bolus and an Underestimated Meal Bolus.”  Pediatric Diabetes 17:28-35 (2016).

Other publications can be found here.