معرفی
Karen Curtin, PhD, MStat is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine and an adjunct Associate Professor in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the John A. Moran Eye Center. She serves as Interim Director of the Utah Population Database (UPDB) at Huntsman Cancer Institute and is affiliated with the Pedigree and Population Resource. Dr. Curtin is a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator in the Cancer Control and Population Sciences program and a Co-Investigator with the Steele Center for Translational Medicine at the Moran Eye Center.
Dr. Curtin received her PhD in biomedical informatics with an emphasis in genetic epidemiology from the University of Utah, where she was awarded the John D. Morgan Fellowship Award in Biomedical Informatics. She completed post-doctoral training in molecular and risk factor epidemiology at Utah and holds an MStat degree. Before her academic career, she worked as a Master's level biostatistician on large population-based cancer studies.
Her research focuses on genetic epidemiology and population-based science, with specific interests in gene-environment interactions, cancer epidemiology (particularly colorectal cancer), environmental pollution, epigenetics in cancer, and age-related macular degeneration with co-segregating diseases. She has developed expertise in using the Utah Population Database for population-based research on gastrointestinal cancers, breast density in relation to interval breast cancer, and genetic underpinnings of myeloid disorders. Her work often involves cross-disciplinary collaborations across University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Huntsman Cancer Institute, and Intermountain Healthcare.
Dr. Curtin's recent publications show a strong focus on exfoliation syndrome and its systemic associations, colorectal cancer epidemiology, and genetic susceptibility to various cancers. Her research demonstrates consistent integration of population-based approaches with translational applications, particularly in ophthalmology and cancer prevention.
Among her notable honors are the John D. Morgan Fellowship Award in Biomedical Informatics, an invitation to speak at the prestigious Lindberg Society Symposium at the 2018 World Ophthalmology Congress, and an award from the BrightFocus(R) Foundation's National Glaucoma Research Program to study prognostic factors in exfoliation glaucoma.
As Interim Director of the Utah Population Database, Dr. Curtin oversees a resource supporting over 290 active research projects. She collaborates extensively with investigators across multiple disciplines, particularly in cancer epidemiology, ophthalmology, and population health. Her research infrastructure expertise has led to productive collaborations with translational and clinical investigators in age-related macular degeneration, exfoliation syndrome/glaucoma, and gastrointestinal cancers.
Dr. Curtin maintains active laboratory research through the Curtin Group, which utilizes the Utah Population Database linked to University of Utah and Intermountain Healthcare records, including complex radiology and pharmacy data, to study cancer epigenetics and epidemiology across multiple disease domains.
