Dr. Kaufman is a Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern and Head of the Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Kaufman is chair of the NIH-funded STOPP-T2 trials, which investigates strategies to prevent and treat (The TODAY trial) type 2 diabetes in children and youth. She was also a principle investigator in TrailNet- the NIH study to try to prevent Type 1 diabetes and preserve beta cell function. She has authored more than 150 scientific and peer-reviewed articles, 38 book chapters and holds numerous patents on the use of uncooked cornstarch in glycemic control (Extendbar).

Dr. Kaufman was president of the American Diabetes Association in 2002-2003. She is a member of the American Academy Task Force on Obesity, the Endocrine Society Writing Group on Childhood Overweight, the National Diabetes Education Program's Section on Children and Gestational Diabetes (Chair) and is Chair of the International Diabetes Federation Youth Consultative Section.

Dr. Kaufman was elected to the AOA Honorary Medical Society. In 2005, she was elected to the Institute of Medicine. She chaired the 2002 LA County Task force on the Fitness and Health. She was honored by the California State Senate for her work with the LA Unified School District in banning the sale of sodas in school. She has been a director of Camp Chinnook, a camp for children with diabetes, for over two decades. She is the author of Diabesity — The Obesity — Diabetes Epidemic that Threatens America and What We Must Do To Stop It (Bantam).