Dr Michael Busch

Dr Michael Busch
USA

Michael P. Busch, M.D., Ph.D., is one of the world’s leading transfusion medicine scientists. He publishes prolifically, and is well-known for his innovative and productive research. Dr. Busch is an acknowledged national leader in laboratory issues as they apply to transfusion-transmitted diseases. He has advanced the general knowledge of viral dynamics and virus-host interactions, and has been instrumental in bringing nucleic acid technology (NAT) to practical application.

A pioneer in tracking the transmission of HIV infection in the nation’s blood supply, Dr. Busch was on the front lines during this national health crisis. His research in the mid-1980s led to an accurate calculation of the window period for HIV infection and the first accurate estimates of the risk of HIV transmission by transfusion in the United States. His efforts were central to the formation of national policy and have been applied to other emerging pathogens including HCV, HBV and West Nile virus (WNV).

WNV has spread rapidly throughout the United States since its detection in New York City in 1999. Dr. Busch was a pivotal figure in documenting the risk of transfusion of WNV, developing and implementing new technology for the detection of the virus in the nation’s blood supply, and creating public guidelines for blood centers.

In addition to his leadership and design of many key studies in transfusion medicine, Dr. Busch is a member of the Transfusion Transmitted Disease Committees of the American Association of Blood Banks and American’s Blood Centers; and the Research and Development Advisory Committee of the Canadian Blood Services. He serves ad hoc for several European government and international task forces, and also sits on several World Health Organization panels. He is an associate editor of the medical journal “Transfusion” and serves on the editorial board of “Transfusion Medicine” and advises on the editorial board of the “Journal of Human Virology.”