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Photo of Michael P. Busch, M.D., Ph.D.

Michael P. Busch, M.D., Ph.D.

Director Emeritus / Vice President for Research and Scientific Programs

Dr. Michael Busch earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at University of Southern California followed by residency training in pathology, laboratory medicine and transfusion medicine at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is currently director emeritus of Vitalant Research Institute and vice president for research and scientific affairs at Vitalant, a national network of blood centers and donor testing laboratories. He is also a professor of laboratory medicine at UCSF.

 

Dr. Busch is the past president of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), and, among other recognition/awards, he has received the highest-level awards for research contributions during his career from ISBT, the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) and America’s Blood Centers (ABC).

Current Positions

Director Emeritus, Vitalant Research Institute

Vice President for Research and Scientific Programs, Vitalant

Professor of Laboratory Medicine, UCSF

President, ISBT

Education & Training

B.A., Pharmacology, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), cum laude (1977) 

M.S., Experimental Pathology, University of Southern California, (USC) Los Angeles (1982) 

M.D., USC, magna cum laude (1982) 

Ph.D., Experimental Pathology, USC (1985) 

Internship/Residency, Anatomic Pathology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) (1982-1984) 

Residency, Laboratory Medicine, UCSF (1984-1985) 

Fellowship, Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine, UCSF (1985-1986) 

Research Interest 

1) Detection, epidemiology, pathogenesis and laboratory evaluation of transfusion-transmitted infections (HIV, HBV, HCV, HTLVs), and blood safety implications of new and emerging potential transfusion-transmissible infectious diseases (e.g., West Nile virus, dengue and Zika viruses, chikungunya virus, T. cruzi, babesia, SARS-CoV-2).  

2) Mechanisms and prevention of immunological consequences of transfusions, including transfusion-induced immune modulation, viral reactivation, microchimerism, graft-vs-host disease, transfusion-related acute lung injury and alloimmunization.  

3) Mechanisms of HIV persistence and development, validation and application of assays to quantify HIV reservoirs in HIV-suppressed subjects in the context of cure research interventions.  

4) Blood donor demographic, genetic and red blood cell (RBC)- and platelet-component metabolic characteristics that impact blood cell integrity and function following processing and storage and the associated efficacy of RBC and platelet transfusions in different recipient populations.  

5) Use of blood donors to monitor infectious and non-infectious diseases relevant to public health (e.g., serosurveillance for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses).