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Robert D. Burk, M.D.

Robert D. Burk, M.D.

Professor, Department of Pediatrics (Pediatric Genetic Medicine)

Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology

Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health (Gynecological Oncology)

Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Population Health (Epidemiology)

Vice Chair for Translational Research Department of Pediatrics

Area of Research: Papillomavirus evolution, pathogenesis and genomic changes causing cervix cancer; HPV methylation and risk of cervix cancer; Integration of molecular epidemiology, Next-Gen sequencing and bioinformatics. Epidemiology of the Human microbiome - gut, oral,

Contact Information

718.430.3720718.430.8975

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Ullmann Building, Room 515
Bronx, NY 10461

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Professional Interests

The main focus of the Burk laboratory is to understanding how evolution of human papillomaviruses (HPV) has resulted in the emergence of HPV types that are highly pathogenic and cause multiple cancers in humans (e.g., cervix, head & neck, skin). These investigations extend our collaboration on clinical studies performed by the NCI and others, where we obtain clinical samples to investigate the HPV genome type, variant and methylation status and epidemiological relationship to neoplasia. The papillomaviruses are 8.0 kb double stranded DNA viruses readily amenable to Next-Gen sequencing (NGS), making this system ideal as a model for DNA virus evolution and identification of pathogenic genetic signatures. Over 150 HPV types exist and further characterization of HPVs infecting the population (i.e., from our large sample repository) have allowed us to explore the virus as a species, characterization of the frequency and heterogeneity of HPV types and variants in the population, and the role of viral evolution in pathogenicity. The lab uses phylogenic methods and other analytic strategies to test hypotheses about the relationship and characteristics of HPV genomes and disease. Exploration of natural selection of papillomaviruses has led us to the conclusion that the viruses are evolving through complex means yet to be discovered. The evolutionary studies are also driving experimental studies. We are interested in identifying the activity associated with cancer vs. evolutionary developed phenotypes. Our major collaboration with investigators at the National Cancer Institute, NIH has provided an ideal translational team of world-class epidemiologists, biostatisticians and clinical investigators. In combination with evolutionary biologists at the American Museum of Natural History, our integrative group provides a unique prospective for intellectual growth of students that want to “think outside the box”. More recently, we have studied epigenetic changes to the HPV genome and have startling results on the association of these changes with neoplastic progression. The identification of HPV in specific biological niches has challenged us to explore the microbiome through barcoding and parallel sequencing using NGS methods.

Most recently, we have started asking questions about the complex ecological community of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other organisms and how that might interact for disease outcomes. These studies are built on understanding the application of laboratory tests to population-based studies. They employ NGS and state of the art bioinformatics. Other interests of the lab include the genetics of complex human disease (prostate cancer, excessive sweating) using large case-control clinical collections of genomic DNAs with candidate gene sequencing; and, the cell biology of VHL and its role in primary cilia formation and activity and its disruption in renal cancer.

The lab is dedicated to creating a warm environment based on collaborative science and teamwork. Our mission is to facilitate each individual reaching his or her potential through learning, experimentation and sharing in the pursuit of knowledge to promote human health and development.

Selected Publications

1. Clarke, M.A.*, Gradissimo, A.*, Schiffman, M., Lam, J., Sollecito, C.C., Fetterman, B., Lorey, T., Poitras, N.E., Raine-Bennett, T., Castle, P.E., Wentzensen, N. and Burk, R.D.Human Papillomavirus DNA methylation as a biomarker for cervical precancer: Consistency across 12 genotypes and potential impact on management of HPV-positive women. Clin. Cancer Res. 2018 Feb 2. pii: clincanres.3251.2017. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-3251. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 29420222; PMC5932258.

2. Mirabello, L., Clarke, M.A., Nelson, C.W., Dean, M., Wentzensen, N., Yeager, M., Cullen, M., Boland, J.F.; NCI HPV Workshop, Schiffman, M., Burk, R.D.The Intersection of HPV Epidemiology, Genomics and Mechanistic Studies of HPV-Mediated Carcinogenesis. Viruses. 2018 Feb 13;10(2). pii: E80. doi: 10.3390/v10020080. PMID: 2943832; PMC29438321.

3. Wang, Z., Zolnik, C.P., Qiu, Y., Usyk, M., Wang, T., Strickler, H.D., Isasi, C.R., Kaplan, R.C., Kurland, I.J., Qi, Q. and Burk, R.D. Comparison of Fecal Collection Methods for Microbiome and Metabolomics Studies. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 2018 Aug 28;8:301. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00301. eCollection 2018. PMID: 30234027; PMC6127643.

4. Gradíssimo, A., Lam, J., Attonito, J.D., Palefsky, J., Massad, L.S., Xie, X., Eltoum, I.E., Rahangdale, L., Fischl, M.A., Anastos, K., Minkoff, H., Xue, X., D'Souza, G., Flowers, L.C., Colie, C., Shrestha, S., Hessol, N.A., Strickler, H.D. and Burk, R.D.Methylation of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Genomes are Associated with Cervical Precancer in HIV-positive Women. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2018 Sep 20. pii: cebp.1051.2017. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-17-1051. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30237251.

5. Rosenbaum, J.*, Usyk, M.*, Chen, Z., Zolnik, C.P., Jones, H.E., Waldron, L., Dowd, J.B., Thorpe, L.E., Burk, R.D.Evaluation of Oral Cavity DNA Extraction Methods on Bacterial and Fungal Microbiota. Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 6;9(1):1531. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-38049-6. PubMed PMID: 30728424; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6365504.

6. Amaro-Filho, S.M.*, Gradissimo, A.*, Usyk, M., Moreira, F.C.B., de Almeida, L.M., Moreira, M.A.M. and Burk, R.D.HPV73 a non-vaccine type causes cervical cancer.
Int. J. Cancer. 2019 Apr 9. doi: 10.1002/ijc.32315. PubMed PMID: 30963559.

7. Schlecht, N.F., Masika, M., Diaz, A., Nucci-Sack, A., Salandy, A., Pickering, S., Strickler, H.D., Shankar, V., Burk, R.D.Risk of Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection Among Sexually Active Female Adolescents Receiving the Quadrivalent Vaccine.
JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Oct 2;2(10):e1914031. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14031. PubMed PMID: 31651968.

8. Castle, P.E., Burk, R.D., Massad, L.S., Eltoum, I.E., Hall, C.B., Hessol, N.A., Anastos, K., Xie, X., Minkoff, H., Xue, X., D'Souza, G., Flowers, L., Colie, C., Rahangdale, L., Fischl, M.A., Palefsky, J.M., Strickler, H.D. Epidemiological evidence that common HPV types may be common because of their ability to evade immune surveillance: Results from the Women's Interagency HIV study. Int J Cancer. 2019 Oct 2. doi: 10.1002/ijc.32693. PubMed PMID: 31577842.

9. Kaplan, R.C., Wang, Z., Usyk, M., Sotres-Alvarez, D., Daviglus, M.L., Schneiderman, N., Talavera, G.A., Gellman, M.D., Thyagarajan, B., Moon, J-Y, Vasquez-Baeza, Y., McDonald, D., Williams-Nguyen, J.S., Wu, M.C., North, K.E. Shaffer, J., Sollecito, C.C., Qi, Q., Isasi, C.R., Wang, T., Knight, R. and Burk, R.D. Gut microbiome composition in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos is shaped by geographic relocation, environmental factors and obesity. Genome Biol. 2019, 20(1):219. PMID:31672155; PMC6824043.

10. Usyk, M., Zolnik, C.P., Castle, P.E., Porras, C., Herrero, R., Gradissimo, A., Gonzalez, P., Safaeian, M., Schiffman, M., Burk, R.D.; Costa Rica HPV Vaccine Trial (CVT) Group. Cervicovaginal microbiome and natural history of HPV in a longitudinal study. PLoS Pathog. 2020 Mar 26;16(3):e1008376. PMID: 32214382; PMC7098574.

In the News

More Media Coverage

Scientists Trace Evolution of HPV to Sex with Neanderthals

Discover - November 8, 2018

Robert Burk, M.D., discusses his study on the evolution of human papillomavirus, the leading cause of cervical cancer. Dr. Burk is vice chair of translational research (pediatrics) and professor of pediatrics, of microbiology & immunology, of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health, and of epidemiology & population health at Einstein, and an attending physician at Montefiore.
Monday, January 25, 2016

Newsweek interviews Ilir Agalliu, Ph.D., about his research with Robert Burk, M.D., that found HPV significantly increases the risk of head and neck cancer. In a study of nearly 100,000 people, the researchers found that when HPV-16 is found in the mouth, people are 22 times more likely to develop cancer than those without it. Dr. Agalliu is assistant professor of epidemiology and population health and Dr. Burk is professor of pediatrics, of microbiology & immunology, of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health and of epidemiology & population health at Einstein and attending physician, pediatrics at Montefiore Health System. Drs. Agalliu and Burk are also members of the NCI-designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center’s Cancer Epidemiology program.

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Faculty Profile

Robert D. Burk, M.D.

Contact Information

Professional Interests

Selected Publications

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