Betsy Hirsch, PhD
Contact Dr. Hirsch: hirsc003@umn.edu
Dr. Hirsch is a cytogeneticist, a member of the Division of Molecular Pathology and Genomics, and director of the UMMC Cytogenetics Laboratory and director of the Cancer Center’s Cytogenomics Laboratory, which provides investigators with a variety of cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic services. Hirsch oversees the development and utilization of cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic techniques to analyze and elucidate chromosome abnormalities in inherited disorders and cancer utilizing. She is Director of the ABMG Laboratory Genetics and Genomics Fellowship, and is active in the development and writing of national guidelines for laboratory’s performing cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic studies such as microarrays, particularly as applied to cancer.
Education
Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Director, Cancer Genomics Shared Resource, Masonic Cancer Center (MCC)
Pathologist
PhD, University of Minnesota (Behavioral Genetics), 1982
Jackson College of Tufts University (Psychology), 1976
ABMG, University of Minnesota (Clinical Cytogenetics), 1987
Research
Research Summary/Interests
Dr. Hirsch has two major areas of research focus: chromosome instability and the cytogenomic landscape of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms. The University of Minnesota has a comprehensive Fanconi anemia center, and her laboratory has been involved in the development of methods and algorithms for diagnosis of FA, for differentiating subtypes of FA, and for monitoring for emergence of clinically significant clones that may herald the development of myelodyspalstic syndrome, leukemia., and/or solid tumors. As a member of the Children’s Oncology Group cytogenetic and myeloid disease committees, she reviewsall cytogenetic analyses performed on patients enrolled on myeloid studies, in addition to developing biology studies aimed at improving risk stratification for pediatric AML, and elucidating factors involved in disease progression.Additionally, as the Director of a research Cytogenomics Core resource of a Cancer Genomics Center, herlaboratory has facilitated the research of investigators at the University of Minnesota’sMasonic Cancer Center and other Cancer Centers that require seamless integration of techniques to pursue studies of tumorgenesis.