Personalized and Predictive Medicine

Melinda Butsch Kovacic, MPH, PhD

Appointment

Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Email

but4no@cchmc.org

Phone

513-803-0130

Fax

513-636-1657

Bio

Melinda Butsch Kovacic, MPH, PhD has a long-term goal to make an important contribution towards improving health of children and families in the United States using molecular epidemiologic approaches and innovative laboratory and clinical research methods. Her current funded research seeks to identify genetic and environmental biomarkers of asthma and allergic disease with the goal of developing more personalized prevention strategies and tailored treatment options. In addition, Dr. Butsch Kovacic is exploring the prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in children and adults with Fanconi Anemia compared to healthy related and unrelated controls in collaboration with members of Hematology / Oncology.

Credentials

MPH: Quantitative Methods. Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 2003
PhD: Biochemistry, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 2002
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Epidemiology/Public Health, Cancer Prevention Fellowship, Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch, Division of of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, 2002-2006

Awards and Honors

Awarded the American Association for Cancer Research Scholar-in-Training/Molecular Epidemiology Working Group Travel Award, 2006
Awarded a Certificate of Appreciation in Recognition of Meritorious Service to the National Postdoctoral Association, 2006
Attendee of the Hypersensitivity & Allergic Diseases School, Clinical Immunology Society, Estes Park, Colorado, 2007
Attendee of the Intensive Grant Writing Workshop, Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops, LLC, Cincinnati, OH, 2007
Recipient of a Clinical Research Feasibility Funds Award, $20,000, Cincinnati Children’s General Clinical Research Center, 2007
Recipient of a KL2 Research Scholar Award, a 2-3 yr award funding 75% of effort plus 25K for research, offered through the Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA), Cincinnati, OH, beginning 07/01/2009

Research

Personalized medicine; genetic and environmental biomarkers of asthma and allergic disease; human papillomavirus infection and cancer; Fanconi anemia

Research Grants and Contracts

NIH/NIEHS R21
07/01/2009-06/30/2011
ES016830-01A1
Role: PI
Title: Exposure-Induced Systemic Oxidative Stress in Children with Asthma
The goal of this application is to evaluate the association between exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) and products of systemic oxidative stress among children with asthma. Identifying fluorescent plasma oxidation products as biomarkers which can predict asthma severity is highly innovative and significant, as these findings could suggest preventive interventions to reduce asthma morbidity and mortality.

The Fanconi Anemia Research Foundation
(PI: Susan Wells, PhD)
03/01/2009-02/28/2011
Role: Co-PI
Title: HPV Replication and Transformation in FA Squamous Cell Carcinomas
The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in Fanconi anemia patients compared to family members and unrelated healthy controls.

Translational Research Initiative
07/01/2009 - 06/30/2011
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation
Role: Co-I
Title: HPV Replication and Transformation in FA Squamous Cell Carcinomas
The purpose of this study is to better understand the role of human papillomavirus infection in Fanconi anemia patients.

Publications, Most Recent

Butsch Kovacic, M., Castle, P.E., Herrero, R., Schiffman, M., Sherman, M.E., Wacholder, S., Rodriguez, A.C., Hutchinson, M.L., Concepción Bratti, M., Hildesheim, A., Morales, J., Alfaro, M., Burk, R.D. 2006. Relationships of Human Papillomavirus Type, Qualitative Viral Load & Age to Cytologic Abnormality.Cancer Research, 66 (20) 10114-9.

Bolinger, C., Roberts Hartman, T., Yilmaz, A., Butsch Kovacic, M., Fernandez, S., Ye, J., Forget, M., Green, P., Boris-Lawrie, K. 2007. RNA helicase A interacts with divergent lymphotropic retroviruses and is necessary for human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 replication. Nucleic Acids Research, 35(8):2629-42.

Gravitt, P., Butsch Kovacic, M. (co-first authors), Castle, P.E., Herrero, R., Schiffman, M., Concepción Bratti, M., Hildesheim, A., Morales, J., Alfaro, M., Sherman, M.E., Wacholder, Rodriguez, A.C., Burk, R.D. 2007. Viral Load of Human Papillomavirus Type 16 is Uniquely Associated with Cervical Disease. Inter. Journal of Cancer. 121(12):2787-93.

Butsch Kovacic, M., Katki, H., Kreimer, A., Sherman, M.E. 2008. Epidemiologic Analysis of Histologic Cervical Inflammation: Relationship to Human Papillomavirus Infections. Human Pathology. 39: 1088-1095.

Morreale, R.J., Kahn, J. A., Butsch Kovacic, M., Hegde, RS., Aronow BJ and S.I. Wells. 2009. Insights from the transcriptional profiling of human papillomavirus infection and associated carcinogenesis.Molecular Biology of Tumor Virus Gene Products.

Presentations, Most Recent

Pharmacogenetics: Personalizing Medicine Here and Now, Biostatistics & Epidemiology Program Seminar, 2007, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Effects of Diesel Exhaust Exposure & Glutathione S-Transferase Polymorphisms on Allergic Disease, Hypersensitivity & Allergic Diseases School, 2007, Clinical Immunology Society, Estes Park, Colorado

Effects of Diesel Exhaust Particle Exposure & Glutathione S-Transferase Polymorphisms on Atopy & Allergic Disease, Personalized & Predictive Medicine Conference Series, 2007, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

Success by Reinvention, Children’s Hospital Medical Center Postdoctoral Fellow Series, 2008, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

A Novel Approach to Identify Genetic Biomarkers of Childhood Asthma, Biostatistics & Epidemiology Program Seminar, 2009, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Professional Organization Memberships

American Association for Cancer Research
Society for Epidemiologic Research
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Clinical Immunology Society

Abstracts

Butsch Kovacic, M., Castle, PE., Herrero, R., Schiffman, M. M. Bratti, C., Hildesheim, A., Morales, J., Alfaro, M., Sherman, ME., Wacholder, S., Rodriguez, A.C., R. D. Burk. 2006. Relationships of HPV Type, Viral Load & Age to Cytologic Abnormality. American Society of Preventive Oncology Annual Meeting, Bethesda, Maryland.

Butsch Kovacic, M., Kreimer, A., Schiffman, M., M.E. Sherman. Immune Cells and the Natural History of Cervical HPV Infections. 2006. American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting, Washington DC.