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Charles H. Best Medal for Distinguished Service in the Cause of Diabetes
Karen D. Talmadge, PhD
Karen D. Talmadge, PhD, from Los Altos Hills, California received the American Diabetes Association’s prestigious 2010 Charles H. Best Medal for Distinguished Service in the Cause of Diabetes in Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Talmadge is an entrepreneur and executive in the biomedical industry. She has volunteered for the American Diabetes Association since 1994, including serving as Mid-Peninsula Chapter President, Western Region President, Silicon Valley Community Leadership Board chair, National Board member, National Leadership Council member, Audit Committee member, Income Development Committee member, and Research Foundation board member. Dr. Talmadge also chairs the Audit Committee, and is the vice chair of the Association’s Research Foundation.
Dr. Talmadge continues to serve on the Silicon Valley Community Leadership Board and helped create the Silicon Valley Leaders Forum, which has raised $2 million for the American Diabetes Association. Her daughter, Nicola Talmadge Fiddes, age 19, has had type 1 diabetes for 17 years.
Dr. Talmadge co-founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Kyphon, a company that specializes in minimally invasive spine therapies. She is currently vice president, chief science officer of Kyphon Products and Bakken Fellow at the Kyphon Products Division of Medtronic Spinal and Biologics in Sunnyvale, California. She is also Chair of the Board of Directors of Gynesonics and serves on the Boards of Directors of Cartilix, Venous Health Systems, and Veralight.
Dr. Talmadge holds more than 80 patents worldwide, has published numerous articles, and speaks at field-related conferences. She is also an angel investor and mentor for health care industry entrepreneurs.










































