Dr. Diane Harper elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2025

Diane M. Harper, MD, MPH, MS, professor in the Department of Family Medicine, is among 15 University of Michigan faculty who have been elected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow in 2025. The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society.

“I am honored to be the first family medicine physician-scientist elected to the AAAS fellowship,” she said. “It allows the discipline of family medicine to be recognized for its maturity in primary care research.

“Just as I was the first family medicine physician-scientist to be elected to the Association for American Physicians (AAP), I hope to nominate and elect other colleagues who have also done amazing primary care research,” she added. 

Harper’s work is focused on the patient-centeredness of cervical cancer prevention, through her first authorship of the sentinel manuscript showing global HPV vaccine efficacy.

Most recently, her research has proven the equivalency of primary HPV testing by self-sampling with the clinician speculum-based exam in US populations.

“The next step after the rigors of scientific proof becomes implementation, which Michigan Medicine has embraced,” she said. “I have been committed to conducting and applying research for the benefit of every woman’s sexual health. Change needs to occur in how we support and sustain their health and the goal of my work is to drive that change.”

The AAAS announced a total of 449 members to the 2025 class. Members were selected based on their efforts to advance science and to apply it in service to society.

In addition to her Family Medicine tenured professorship, Harper is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the medical school. Additionally, she is a professor at the School of Bioengineering at U-M where she mentors undergraduate biomedical engineers in the development of improved HPV self-sampling screening devices.

She also works in the School of Public Health where she mentors graduate students’ theses. 

She continues her clinical work to develop better screening tests that can bring about early detection and cure for HPV infections, as well as work that promises to transform cervical disease detection.

Additional readings: Harper is senior author on the following papers, which are follow-up studies suggesting self-sampling is preferred among many underserved populations:

Within rural populations:

Guetterman, et al. Rural women choose self-sampling over a pelvic exam for cervical cancer screening: a mixed-method study. Cancer Causes Control. 2025 Dec;36(12):2023-2037. doi: 10.1007/s10552-025-02081-5. Epub 2025 Oct 27. PMID: 41144190; PMCID: PMC12630214.  

Among Middle Eastern and North African women – MENA Arab community:

Guetterman, et al. Acceptability of Home-Based Urine Self-Collection for Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women Receiving Care at the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Michigan. Cancer Med. 2025 Feb;14(4):e70714. doi: 10.1002/cam4.70714. PMID: 40007321; PMCID: PMC11862107.

Among women with physical disabilities:

Vinson, et al. Cervical Cancer Screening in Women With Physical Disabilities. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jan 2;8(1):e2457290. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.57290. PMID: 39878976; PMCID: PMC11780472.

Among Urban Black women:

Haro, et al. Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening and Satisfaction with Self-Sampling among Black Women in Michigan: A Mixed Methods Study. Med Res Arch. 2024 Apr;12(4):10.18103/mra.v12i4.5209. doi: 10.18103/mra.v12i4.5209. Epub 2024 Apr 26. PMID: 38818307; PMCID: PMC11138408. 

Within the Primary Care community:

El Khoury et al. Patient-Centered Home Cancer Screening Attitudes During COVID-19 Pandemic. J Patient Cent Res Rev. 2021 Oct 18;8(4):340-346. doi: 10.17294/2330-0698.1835. PMID: 34722803; PMCID: PMC8530243.

Among the Native American population:

Ulmer, et al. Native American Women's Willingness to Screen for Both Cervical and Colorectal Cancer at Home. Cancer Med. 2026 Mar;15(3):e71654. doi: 10.1002/cam4.71654. PMID: 41782308; PMCID: PMC12961161.