Dr. Diana Farmer

Pediatric Surgery

Chair of the UC Davis Department of Surgery

United States of America

Biography

Dr. Diana L. Farmer, an internationally renowned fetal and neonatal surgeon, Distinguished Professor, Pearl Stamps Stewart Endowed Chair, and Chairperson of the Department of Surgery, University of California, Davis. She is also Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Shriner's Hospitals - Northern California, and Founder and Co-director of the Center for Surgical Bioengineering. As a recognized leader in pediatric and fetal surgery, Farmer is known for her skilled surgical treatment of congenital anomalies and for her expertise in cancer, airway, and intestinal surgeries in newborns, and for her investigations on the safety and effectiveness of providing spina bifida treatments before birth. Dr. Farmer's lab focuses on regenerative medicine, specifically in utero cell therapy for myelomeningocele (MMC), the most severe form of spina bifida. In 2000, Dr. Farmer's team made the seminal discovery that hindbrain herniation could be ameliorated by prenatal surgical repair in fetal sheep. This breakthrough led to the $22 million-dollar, multi-center Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS), a randomized human clinical trial of MMC closure before and after birth. The trial showed conclusively that fetal surgery resulted in better outcomes. Dr. Farmer is now developing an allogeneic placental mesenchymal stem cell product to further treat in utero spina bifida. Her lab received Investigational New Drug (IND) approval with the Food and Drug Administration in 2020. Patient enrollment in the CuRe (Cellular Therapy for in Utero Repair of MMC) clinical trial is currently underway. Dr. Farmer has been honored with numerous awards throughout her career, including being a Luce Scholar, a recipient of Wellesley College's Alumnae Achievement Award, a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, past President of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, and past Chair of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Farmer has long been a leader in global surgery and in 2016 she founded the Global Initiative for Children's Surgery, subsequently receiving the 2020 Universitas 21 Award for Contribution to Internationalization in Surgical Education. She is a Regent of the American College of Surgeons and the 2022 President of the American Surgical Association.

Publications

Selected publications from PubMed

Exploring the Evolving Landscape of Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy: A Quantitative Analysis and Clinical Survey.

Moneme C, Farmer DL, Duron V, Chisholm C, Kabagambe S

Fetal Diagn Ther. 2026;53(2):200-207 doi: 10.1159/000550034.

NIH funding for the pediatric surgeon-scientist: An analysis of current trends.

Wayne CD, Dumbauld Z, Mills E, Farmer DL, Besner GE

Surg Open Sci. 2025 Jan;23:42-49 doi: 10.1016/j.sopen.2024.12.005.

Gender Disparity in Pediatric Surgery: An Evaluation of Pediatric Surgery Conference Participation.

Lee SY, Mor S, Lazar SV, Hassan AS, Farmer DL, Brown EG

J Pediatr Surg. 2023 Jun;58(6):1139-1144 doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.02.033.

Fetal Repair of Neural Tube Defects.

Lee SY, Papanna R, Farmer D, Tsao K

Clin Perinatol. 2022 Dec;49(4):835-848 doi: 10.1016/j.clp.2022.06.004.

Spina Bifida: A Review of the Genetics, Pathophysiology and Emerging Cellular Therapies.

Hassan AS, Du YL, Lee SY, Wang A, Farmer DL

J Dev Biol. 2022 Jun 6;10(2) doi: 10.3390/jdb10020022.

Featured in

Lessons from Leaders in DE&I: Creating and Perpetuating Opportunities

PROGRAM Creating a DE&I culture in a health care enterprise – Dr. Conor Delaney (USA)Prioritizing DE&I at the American College of Surgeons – Dr. Timothy Eberlein (USA)Conquering unconscious bias – Dr. Doug Wood (USA)Developing women leaders – Dr. Diana Farmer (USA)Disparities in cancer care – Dr. William Cance (USA)Diversity in Clinical Trials – Ms. Cassandra Smith (USA)Discussion –All faculty moderated by Dr. Steven Wexner (USA) and Dr. Patricia Turner (USA) FACULTY Dr William Cance (USA) – Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society Dr Conor Delaney (USA) – CEO of Cleveland Clinic Florida, USA Dr Timothy Eberlein (USA) – Director, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor; and Bixby Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, USA Dr Diana Farmer (USA) – Chair of Surgery at the University of California Davis Health System; American College of Surgeons Board of Regents Ms. Cassandra Smith - Director, Diversity & Inclusion in Clinical Trials at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson Dr Patricia Turner (USA) – Director, Division of Membership Services, American College of Surgeons past Chair, AMA Council on Medical Education; past Chair, Surgical Section, National Medical Association; past President, Society of Black Academic Surgeons; and Member, Board of Directors, Council on Medical Specialty Societies Dr Steven Wexner (USA) – Director, Digestive Disease Institute, Chair, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Past President American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Past President American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Past President Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, Editor-in-Chief Surgery, Vice-Chair, Board of Regents, American College of Surgeons Dr Doug Wood (USA) – The Henry N. Harkins Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, University of Washington; American College of Surgeons Board of Regents; Past President of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons; Past Director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery; Past President Cardiothoracic Surgery Network (CTSNet)

Published

Jul 2021

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