Michelle Adair Ozbun (born February 16, 1965) is an American molecular virologist who is the Maralyn S. Budke Endowed Professor in Viral Oncology at the

University of New Mexico School of Medicine The University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM School of Medicine) is a division of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNM HSC) located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The UNM School of Medicine is home to a variety of degree-g ...

. Her research considers cancer biology and how

human papillomavirus Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the ''Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and res ...

infections cause pathology including their contributions to cancers.

Early life and education

Ozbun received an associate of science degree at Mesa College (now

Colorado Mesa University Colorado Mesa University is a public university in Grand Junction, Colorado. The university's other locations include Bishop Campus, which houses Western Colorado Community College in northwestern Grand Junction, and a regional campus in Mont ...

), where she was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2009. She was an undergraduate student in

microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

and chemistry at

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...

. She completed her PhD in molecular virology under the supervision of Janet S. Butel at the

Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a medical school and research center in Houston, Texas, within the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center. BCM is composed of four academic components: the School of Medicine, the Graduate Sc ...

. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at

Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine (PSCOM), known simply as Penn State College of Medicine is the medical school of Pennsylvania State University, a public university system in Pennsylvania. It is located in Hershey near the Penn ...

in the laboratory of Dr. Craig Meyers.

Research and career

In 1998, Ozbun was appointed to the faculty at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

, where she holds an endowed chair in viral oncology. Her research considers

papillomaviruses ''Papillomaviridae'' is a family of non- enveloped DNA viruses whose members are known as papillomaviruses. Several hundred species of papillomaviruses, traditionally referred to as "types", have been identified infecting all carefully inspected ...

, which are etiologic agents of tumors of the skin. These tumors can be benign (e.g.

genital wart Genital warts are a sexually transmitted infection caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). They are generally pink in color and project out from the surface of the skin. Usually they cause few symptoms, but can occasionally be pai ...

plantar wart A plantar wart, or verruca vulgaris, is a wart occurring on the sole (foot), bottom of the foot or toes. Its color is typically similar to that of the skin. Small black dots often occur on the surface. One or more may occur in an area. They may r ...

s) and malignant (e.g.

anogenital The perineum in humans is the space between the anus and scrotum in the male, or between the anus and the vulva in the female. The perineum is the region of the body between the pubic symphysis (pubic arch) and the coccyx (tail bone), includin ...

cancers and cervical carcinomas). Her research looks to understand the replicative cycles of papillomaviruses and their differentiation-dependent replicative cycles through the use of organotypic cell culture. Disruptions to these replicative cycles can result in malignancies. She studies the relationships between

human papillomavirus infection Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the ''Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and res ...

and cancer, studying the molecular mechanisms that underpin viral infection, the stages of infection that permit or deny how viral persistence is established. Ozbun developed a strategy to measure how many infectious human papillomavirus particles are left on a surface following disinfection.

Selected publications

* * *

Honors & Awards

* Elected as a Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology

Personal life

Ozbun is lesbian. She is a member of 500 Queer Scientists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozbun, Michelle Living people Colorado State University alumni Baylor College of Medicine alumni 1965 births American virologists American women scientists 20th-century American scientists 21st-century American scientists