Dr. David B. Sacks's primary clinical focus is in diabetes mellitus, with an emphasis on the interface between the clinical laboratory and patient care. In this endeavor, he has worked closely with the American Diabetes Association.

The scientific work in his research laboratory is in the general area of intracellular signal transduction, with a focus on calcium and calmodulin signaling. His research was funded for over 20 years by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Diabetes Association, the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the U.S. Army and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.