Researcher Spotlight: Maya Fayfman

What is your professional background?
I completed medical school at Boston University and residency in internal medicine at Tufts before coming to Emory for an endocrinology fellowship. I stayed on and joined the Grady endocrine team as faculty. Most recently, I started the MSCR training program through the Georgia CTSA.

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor?
I work in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipids, and Guillermo Umpierrez, MD, has been my mentor since fellowship.

Briefly describe your research. Why is it important?
My primary research project is a clinical trial assessing the continuation of oral antihyperglycemic medications versus insulin therapy for the hospital management of diabetes. Although oral agents are frequently used in the hospital setting for treatment of mild to moderate hyperglycemia, there is little data assessing the safety and efficacy of this approach. This is a real world study designed to address this question. I am also involved in several studies looking at the barriers to care in diabetic foot disease.

What do you like most about Emory?
I love the collaborative nature of my group and the Emory community in general. I frequently meet people across divisions and schools who are excited to develop new research projects together.

What is your favorite movie or TV show?
I admittedly binge watched the new ‘Sherlock Holmes’ series on Netflix during the course of two weeks. It’s amazing!

What do you like to do in your spare time?
There’s little spare time to go around these days. When I’m not binge watching ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ I try to spend time with my kids and husband as much as possible (maybe reverse that).

What is a fun fact about you?
I love mushroom picking and continue to do it despite the warnings of concerned friends and colleagues. Though I am extremely cautious about the very few that I do eat.