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Karen Smith-McCune, MD, PhD

Professor Emerita
Board Certified Gynecologist

Contact Information

Mailing Address:

2340 Sutter St., Rm S-229
San Francisco, CA 94143-0128


Academic:
Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Dept of Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences
490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, Box 0132
San Francisco, CA 94143 

Academic Phone: 415-476-7882
Admin Phone: 415-885-7561 /415-885-7204

Research/Clinical Interests

Dr. Karen K. Smith-McCune is Professor Emerita in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and works in the Dysplasia Clinic at the UCSF Mount Zion. Her clinical expertise and research interests are focused on optimal methods for managing women with abnormal cervical cancer screening results and for treatment of vulvar and vaginal pre cancers. Her research interests have also focused on the role of the cervical mucosal immune system in susceptibility to HIV and HPV infections, and the impact of contraceptives and on these parameters.

Education/Training

Year Institution & Location Degree Field of Study
1975 McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada BSc Biochemistry
1976 University of Cambridge, London, UK Diploma History & Philosophy of Science
1982 Rockefeller University, New York PhD Biological Chemistry
1986 Stanford University, Stanford, CA MD Medicine
1990 University of California, San Francisco Internship & Residency Obstetrics & Gynecology

Achievements & Recognition

Year Major Honors
1987 Julius R. Krevans Award for Clinical Excellence, UCSF
1998 ASCCP Colposcopy Recognition Award
1998 John Kerner Endowed Chair of Gynecologic Oncology
2006 Award of Merit, American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology

Selected Recent Publications

  1. Seidman D, Cavrois M, Hilton JF, Roan NR, Averbach S, Takeda M, Chang E, Raman N, Greenblatt R, Shacklett BL, Smith-McCune K. Reproductive tract immune cells from pregnant women or those using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate show no excess susceptibility to HIV-1: Results of an ex vivo fusion assay. Contraception. 2021 Jan;103(1):44-47. PMID: 33007299; PMCID: PMC7736211.

  2. Silverberg MJ, Leyden WA, Lam JO, Chao CR, Gregorich SE, Huchko MJ, Kulasingam S, Kuppermann M, Smith-McCune KK, Sawaya GF. Effectiveness of 'Catch-Up' Human Papillomavirus Vaccination to Prevent Cervical Neoplasia in Immunosuppressed and Non-Immunosuppressed Women. Vaccine. 2020 Jun 15;38(29):4520-4523. PMID: 32446836

  3. K Smith-McCune, R Thomas, S Averbach, D Seidman, M Takeda, S Houshdaran, LC Giudice. Differential Effects of the Hormonal and Copper Intrauterine Device on the Endometrial Transcriptome. Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 23;10(1):6888. doi: 10.1038/s41598-02063798-8.PMID: 32327684

  4. Cavrois M, Hilton JF, Roan NR, Takeda M, Seidman D, Averbach S, Chang E, Raman N, Greenblatt R, Shacklett BL, Smith-McCune K. Effects of the levonorgestrel-containing intrauterine device, copper intrauterine device, and levonorgestrel-containing oral contraceptive on susceptibility of immune cells from cervix, endometrium and blood to HIV-1 fusion measured ex vivo. PLoS One. 2019 Aug 22;14(8):e0221181. PMID:31437197

  5. Sawaya GF, Smith-McCune K, Kuppermann M. Cervical Cancer Screening: More Choices in 2019. JAMA. 2019 May 28;321(20):2018-2019. PMID: 31135834

  6. Sawaya GF, Sanstead E, Alarid-Escudero F, Smith-McCune K, Gregorich SE, Silverberg MJ, Leyden W, Huchko MJ, Kuppermann M, Kulasingam S. Estimated Quality of Life and Economic Outcomes Associated With 12 Cervical Cancer Screening Strategies: A Costeffectiveness Analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2019 Jul 1;179(7):867-878. PMID: 31081851

  7. Reynoso-Prieto M, Takeda M, Prakobphol A, Seidman D, Averbach S, Fisher S, SmithMcCune K. Menstrual cycle-dependent alterations in glycosylation: a roadmap for defining biomarkers of favorable and unfavorable mucus. 2019. J Assist Reprod Genet. May;36(5):847-855. PMID: 31073726

  8. Averbach S, Silverberg MJ, Leyden W, Smith-McCune K, Raine-Bennett T, Sawaya GF. 2018. Recent intrauterine device use and the risk of precancerous cervical lesions and cervical cancer. Contraception. 2018 Apr 17. 144-6. PMID: 29673740

  9. Silverberg MJ, Leyden WA, Lam JO, Gregorich SE, Huchko MJ, Kulasingam S, Kuppermann M, Smith-McCune KK, Sawaya GF. Effectiveness of catch-up human papillomavirus vaccination on incident cervical neoplasia in a US health-care setting: a population-based case-control study. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2018 Aug 13;34(2):211224. PMID: 30078747

  10. Silverberg MJ, Leyden WA, Chi A, Gregorich S, Huchko MJ, Kulasingam S, Kuppermann M, Seto A, Smith-McCune KK, Sawaya GF. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)- and Non-HIV-Associated Immunosuppression and Risk of Cervical Neoplasia. Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Jan;131(1):47-55. PMID: 29215531

  11. Averbach S, Ma Y, Smith-McCune K, Shiboski S, Moscicki AB. The Effect of Intrauterine Devices on Acquisition and Clearance of Human Papillomavirus. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2017 Apr;216(4):386.e1-386.e5. PMID: 27986460

  12. Smith-McCune KK , Hilton JF, Shanmugasundaram U, Critchfield JW, Greenblatt RM, Seidman D, Averbach S, Giudice L, Shacklett BL. Effects of depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate on the immune microenvironment of the human cervix and endometrium: Implications for HIV susceptibility Mucosal Immunol. 2017 Sep;10(5):1270-1278. PMID:28051087

  13. Ho D, Drake TK, Smith-McCune KK, Darragh TM, Hwang LY, Wax A. Feasibility of clinical detection of cervical dysplasia using angle-resolved low coherence interferometry measurements of depth-resolved nuclear morphology. Int J Cancer. 2016 Nov 24. doi: 10.1002/ijc.30539. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 27883177