Diane M. Harper | |
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| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS 1980; MS 1982); University of Kansas School of Medicine (MD 1986; MPH 1995) |
| Known for | Investigations in HPV vaccine trials; contributions to screening and policy; self-sampling to replace the speculum exam for cervical cancer screening |
| Awards | EuroGin Distinguished Service Award for Cancer Prevention (2006) Prix Monte-Carlo Femme de l’Année (2013) Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Excellence in Education Award (2013) Contents
Curtis G. Hames Lifetime Award for Research (2015) Notre Dame de Sion Outstanding Alumna (2015) Association of American Physicians (elected 2023) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Women's health care; cervical cancer prevention continuum; virology; vaccine development; cancer prevention |
| Institutions | Dartmouth Medical School (1996–2009); University of Missouri–Kansas City (2009–2013); University of Louisville (2013–2017); University of Michigan (2018–present) |
Diane M. Harper is an American physician-scientist and tenured professor of Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bioengineering, and Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan, recognized for full-spectrum translational research in human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer prevention continuum, and evidence-based, cost-effective, and medical decision-making science. She served as a global lead study designer and site investigator in pivotal prophylactic HPV vaccine trials. Her work progressed to advance research about therapeutic or pharmaceutical HPV vaccines, self-sampling for screening, and vaginal microbiome interventions. Her academic appointments include Dartmouth Medical School (clerkship director, residency director, LCME team, Director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Clinics), the University of Missouri–Kansas City (research director, and LCME team), the University of Louisville (as department chair, and LCME team), and the University of Michigan (LCME team and senior associate director of Michigan Institute for Clinical and Healthcare Research). She has served as a US Preventive Services Task Force member and as physician director for Community Outreach, Engagement and Health Disparities at the Rogel Cancer Center. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
Harper graduated Valedictorian from Notre Dame de Sion High School, a French Institute, in Kansas City, Mo. She earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT in 1980 and an M.S. in 1982, then completed the M.D. (1986) and M.P.H. in Biostatistics & Epidemiology (1995) at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She received MIT's Betsy Schumacker Woman Athlete of the Year award (1979) for US national team/Olympic qualifying crew as an undergraduate. [2] [11] [12] [13]
Dartmouth Medical School (1996–2009); University of Missouri–Kansas City (2009–2013); University of Louisville, chair of Family & Geriatric Medicine (2013–2017); University of Michigan (2018–present). She was appointed to the US Preventive Services Task Force in 2016 and joined U-M's Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation and the Rogel Cancer Center in 2018. [2] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Harper served as a member of the HPV vaccine epidemiologic study design team for both Cervarix (bivalent L1 virus‑like particle HPV vaccine (types 16/18)) and Gardasil4 (quadrivalent L1 viurs like particle HPV vaccine (types 6/11/16/18)). She led all randomized clinical trials in the upper Northeast United States for both vaccines trialed in young and mid-adult women. Her Lancet 2004 trial was the first to demonstrate efficacy against persistent HPV-16/18 infection; a 2006 Lancet follow‑up reported sustained efficacy through 4.5 years. [14] [15] Her work in the 2007 New England Journal of Medicine article and the Bulletin of the World Health Organization highlighted the quadrivalent results [16] [17] . The 2007 Lancet article presented its efficacay against vulvar and vaginal HPV-associated lesions [18] .
Beyond prophylaxis, Harper co-authored a randomized, controlled phase II trial of the therapeutic HPV vaccine tipapkinogen sovacivec for CIN2/3, with 2.5‑year follow‑up showing efficacy and safety. [19] She continues active clinical trials with new compounds.
Recent US studies led/senior-authored by Harper and colleagues showed that self-collected vaginal samples are equivalent to clinician‑collected, speculum‑based samples for HPV detection and genotyping, supporting primary HPV screening using self‑sampling devices. Findings appeared in Preventive Medicine Reports (2025) and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (2025); concurrent news coverage emphasized that self-swabs can match speculum exams for oncogenic HPV detection. [20] [21] [22] [23] These are FDA-approved and USPSTF-recommended for cervical cancer screening. Since 2025, there has been widespread adoption of self-sampling in many primary care offices. Her work shows that family medicine and general internal medicine provide over 70% of all cervical cancer screenings in the US [JABFM in press].
A 2025 JAMA Network Open study with Harper as senior author documented that women with physical disabilities face significant barriers with speculum‑based screening, and that at‑home self‑sampling improves comfort and may reduce disparities. [24] [25]
Harper co-authored a randomized, placebo‑controlled trial in NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes (2025) testing a multi‑strain Lactobacillus crispatus–based synbiotic to modulate the vaginal microbiome. [26]
Her Gynecologic Oncology review (2017) summarized the first decade of HPV vaccines. It was a reference article for the ACOG Board Recertification Process. [3] [7] [27] Her policy‑facing interviews and institutional profiles reflect contributions to screening guidelines and global health initiatives. Standard recommendations from CDC/ACIP and WHO position papers provide the international context in which her work operates. [28] [29] [30]
Harper has advocated for vaccination within a balanced, patient‑centered framing, emphasizing continued screening. Media pieces and interviews (The Guardian, Medscape, NPR, MD News, and the Katie Couric Show) have covered her nuanced positions on benefits, duration of protection, and the ongoing need for screening even after vaccination. [31] [32] [33] [34] Context around her appearance at an NVIC‑hosted event and in the film The Greater Good has been documented in external analyses and media. [33] [35] [36]
New Hampshire Family Physician of the Year (2006) [37]
EuroGin Distinguished Service Award for Cancer Prevention (2006)
Prix Monte‑Carlo Femme de l’Année (2013) [5] [32] [33]
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Excellence in Education Award (2013) [34]
Curtis G. Hames Lifetime Award for Research (2015)
Notre Dame de Sion Outstanding Alumna (2015) [13]
Association of American Physicians (elected 2023; noted as first Family Medicine physician‑researcher on U-M profile) [7] [38]
Harper DM, Franco EL, Wheeler CM, et al. Efficacy of a bivalent L1 VLP HPV‑16/18 vaccine in young women. Lancet. 2004;364(9447):1757–1765. [14]
Harper DM, Franco EL, Wheeler CM, et al. Sustained efficacy up to 4.5 years of a bivalent L1 HPV‑16/18 vaccine. Lancet. 2006;367(9518):1247–1255. [15]
Harper DM, Nieminen P, Donders G, et al. Tipapkinogen sovacivec therapeutic HPV vaccine for CIN2/3: randomized controlled phase II. Gynecol Oncol. 2019;153(3):521–529. [19]
Young AP, Olorunfemi M, Morrison L, … Harper DM. Impact of collection technique on HPV detection & genotyping. Prev Med Rep. 2025;50:102971. [20]
Harper DM, Young AP, O'Dwyer MC, … Walline HM. HPV genotyping agreement for two self‑collection devices. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2025;34(7):1103–1110. [21]
Ravel J, Simmons S, Jaswa EG, … Harper DM. L. crispatus synbiotic trial in vaginal microbiome. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2025;11(1):158. [26]
Harper DM, DeMars LR. HPV vaccines: review of the first decade. Gynecol Oncol. 2017;146(1):196–204. [27]
University of Michigan faculty profile
Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation (IHPI) – interview/profile, 2018
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center news release, 2018
Diane M. Harper publications indexed by Google Scholar
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