Michael Busch MD, PhD

Dr. Busch is the Director of Vitalant Research Institute, Senior Vice President for Research & Scientific Programs of Vitalant, and Professor of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the UCSB, and his MS, MD and PhD degrees from the USC and completed his residency at UCSF. He has played a leadership role in a number of national multi-center research studies funded by NIH and CDC contracts and has directed numerous NIH and CDC grant-funded studies based at the Research Institute and conducted in collaboration with UCSF, UCB and other national and international institutions. Dr. Busch has published nearly 500 peer-reviewed original scientific articles, and over 150 review articles, editorials and book chapters.

My major research interests include the epidemiology, natural history, pathogenesis, and laboratory evaluation of transfusion-associated infections, blood safety implications of new and emerging viruses, and immunological consequences of transfusion. I have focused on a wide spectrum of transfusion-transmitted infectious diseases and immunological complications to enhance blood safety and to capitalize on the unique opportunities for natural history and pathogenesis research derived from identification of research subjects as a result of large-scale blood and plasma donor screening.