Rate My Professor John Kopchick

John Kopchick serves as the Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar and Professor of Molecular Biology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is also Principal Investigator of the Institute for Molecular Medicine and Aging. Kopchick earned a B.S. in 1972 and an M.S. in 1975 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, followed by a Ph.D. in 1980 from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He completed postdoctoral training at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology in 1982 and held positions at Merck & Co. before joining Ohio University in 1987.

Kopchick is an internationally recognized leader in growth hormone research. His laboratory discovered and characterized growth hormone receptor antagonists, which formed the basis for the FDA-approved drug Somavert (pegvisomant) for treating acromegaly. His work has also included studies on transgenic and gene-disrupted mice, growth hormone and longevity, and growth hormone and cancer. He has published more than 430 scientific articles and served on editorial boards including those of Endocrinology, Molecular Endocrinology, GH & IGF-1 Research, Pituitary, eLife, and The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Kopchick is a past president of the Growth Hormone Research Society. He received the title of Ohio University Distinguished Professor in 2012 and the Endocrine Society Laureate Award for Outstanding Innovation in 2019, among other honors. Kopchick has mentored numerous graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduates.