Robbie Burk

Robbie

Washington DC

Graduation was a long time ago, 50 years ago long. The most important events of my college life happened during the summer of seventy. I convinced Al Killeri to go cross country. We drove a woman's car to San Diego (SD), met up with a bunch of Yippies in SD, tried to find jobs (which we never did) and began living on the road. Al bailed and flew to Hawaii to visit his sister. I met some people, got a proper backpack and hitched from SF to Vancouver and across the Trans-Canadian Highway. I saw the country beyond the Mississippi and beyond our northern border. Met hosts of kind people and had a transformative experience. I'm working on writing this up as a book, since I kept a diary during the summer. Thereafter, transferred to McGill University and was fortunate to be accepted to GWU medical school as a college drop out.

I always planned on being a scientist and during medical school began working at NIH in Marshall Nierenberg's laboratory shortly after he won the Nobel Prize. I thought I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and was accepted to a program at UCSF. However, after my surgical internship I realized I wanted to focus on science and took a year off to travel, contemplate life and explore how I wanted to live. Most of the year was spent in Israel including working as a District Physician with the beduins in Southern Sinai. I returned to the states, completed a residency at UCSF and fellowship in Medical Genetics at Johns Hopkins that all provided the foundations for my research career. I have been at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine for 35y and have made important contributions to the studies of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervix cancer. A study I published changed treatment of young women with abnormal Pap tests. My research has evolved to now include a major program on studying the role of the human microbiome on human diseases, such as, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, neurocognitive decline, etc. I have been NIH-funded for most of my career.
I married Etty (a PhD in Industrial Psychology) nearly 35 years ago and we have 2 children and live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Shepherd (in Washington DC)

Paul Jr. High (DC), Pyle (9th grade)

married

robert.burk@einsteinmed.org

Still love music, with eclectic tastes. From Gregorian Chants, Bach and other Baroque music to Blues and R&B.
Favorite group in HS and thereabouts - Jethro Tull (Ian Anderson inspired me to play the flute), Japan, Sade, Doors, BST, etc.
Currently, like Sia, Everything but the girl, Dua Lipa, Maroon5, Shawn Mendes, London Grammar.
Frequent the Sugarbar in my neighborhood (Ashford and Simpson's place) on West 72nd St.

My mother grew up in Boston, first generation.
My father was born in Bialystok, White Russia. He went to Palestine 1933-1938. Most of his family was murdered by the Nazi's.
Both parents are deceased.

George Washington University, School of Medicine, MD 1976.

Published the first paper (NEJM, 1998) showing that most HPV infections in young women naturally disappear. This study changed medical practice by demonstrating that low grade cervical disease did not need to be treated but would spontaneously regress, since it was caused by HPV.
Created the field of HPV genomics, characterizing isolates of the oncogenic HPV types. Provided evidence that the most common HPV16 variant in Caucasian women was acquired through archaic humans having sex with Neanderthals.

Didn't graduate college. Didn't realize I had a learning disability.

Unfulfilled, curious

All the wonderful things Martha Kiefer introduced me to - skating on the C&O canal, the wonders of nature, and a bicycle trip to Harpers Ferry. Martha was an unlikely friend and we have kept in touch through the years.

Mr. Benedik in math

In 10th grade Geometry we had a very hard problem to solve and only Jeff MacGillivray and I were able to solve it. It took me 5 minutes and Jeff much longer. After I showed my solution on the blackboard I heard Jeff muttering, "very good Burk" . . .

The camaraderie amongst the student body. The academic level.

When I was on the Jr. Varsity Football Team, someone stole and vandalized my bike. I felt vulnerable and bullied.

none

Hiking, Backpacking, exploring, photography, music, tennis, forest bathing.

Catcher in the Rye

Jason Robards. On a flight from Montreal to DC, I sat next to Jason Robards. We start up a conversation and I mention that my favorite line in the movie A Thousand Clowns was, "you gotta know what day it is". He immediately whips out his wallet and shows me this quote engraved on the leather. We became fast friends, he invited me to his home in DC (he was performing at the Kennedy Center) and we kept in touch for years.

hiking, tennis, walking

No

It can always be worse

Mike Bodich Maine game warden series by Paul Doiron