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John J. Kopchick, MS, PhD (he/him/his)

Professor
Ohio University
Athens, OH, United States

John J. Kopchick, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in the growth hormone field and has been the Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar and Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology in The Institute of Molecular Medicine and Aging at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Dr. Kopchick attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology/Chemistry. His Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences was awarded in 1980 by the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He then performed postdoctoral studies in molecular virology at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley, N.J. Following that, he was a group leader in molecular medicine at Merck & Co., Rahway, N.J. Dr. Kopchick was the first to discover and characterize GH receptor antagonists, an accomplishment for which he and Ohio University were awarded several US and European patents. He was instrumental in founding a company, Sensus, which applied his research to develop an FDA approved drug called Somavert (Pegvisomant for injection) which is marketed for patients with acromegaly. Royalties from the sales of Somavert to Ohio University has led to a Translational Medicine Doctoral Program. Dr. Kopchick has published more than 470 scientific articles and serves or has served on the Editorial Boards of Endocrinology, Molecular Endocrinology, GH & IGF-1 Research, Pituitary, eLife and the Journal of Biological Chemistry. He is Past-President of the Growth Hormone Research Society and currently an ad hoc member of their Counsel. He has received many awards including the British Endocrine Society Transatlantic Award, the Endocrine Society Laureate Award for Outstanding Innovations, and the title of Ohio University Distinguished Professor. He has advised 31 Ph.D., 14 M.S., 45 post-doctoral fellows, several visiting professors, and over 300 undergraduate students in molecular aspects of growth, diabetes, cancer and aging.

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