Karin Berg, MD, MS

BOARD-CERTIFIED ANATOMIC PATHOLOGIST

FELLOWSHIP-TRAINED GI & MOLECULAR PATHOLOGIST

Dr. Karin Berg, a board-certified Anatomic Pathologist and Diplomate of the American Board of Pathology, is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of expertise. Her journey began at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, where she earned her medical degree and completed an anatomic pathology residency with Fletcher Allen Healthcare/University of Vermont. Following residency, Dr. Berg further honed her diagnostic skills by completing gastrointestinal and molecular pathology fellowships at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, and as an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Oncology at Hopkins.

As a fellowship-trained GI pathologist, Dr. Berg’s extensive experience includes research, teaching, consulting, mentoring, and numerous peer-reviewed publications. Her dedication to education, mentorship, and research is reflected in her faculty appointments, medical honors, leadership roles, and consultative activities.

Dr. Karin Berg’s commitment to advancing medicine and providing optimal patient care makes her a respected professional in the medical community.

Education

Fellowship Training

GI Pathology
John Hopkins University School of Medicine | Department of Pathology
Baltimore, MD

Molecular Pathology
John Hopkins University School of Medicine | Department of Pathology
Baltimore, MD

Residency Training

Anatomic Pathology
University of Vermont College of Medicine |Fletcher Allen Healthcare
Burlington, VT

Medical School

University of Vermont College of Medicine
Burlington, VT

Undergraduate

California State University
Northridge, CA

Board Certifications

Anatomic Pathology

Diplomate- American Board of Pathology

Memberships

Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP)
College of American Pathologists (CAP)
American Society of Investigative Pathologists (ASIP)
United States and Canadian Association of Pathologists (USCAP)
American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP)

Research & Publications

Patents

Reports of Invention Filed:

Claudins 3, 4 and 7 in intestinal metaplasia and therapy of premalignant lesions.
FLT3 mutation detection by multiplex PCR and capillary electrophoresis.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Berg, K.D. Gangliosides in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus blastula cell adhesion. Master’s Thesis, CSUN Master’s in Cell Biology, 1990.
Berg, K.D., Glaser, C.L., Hamilton, S.R., Griffin, C.A., Eshleman, J.R. Detection of Microsatellite Instability by Fluorescent Multiplex PCR. J Mol Diagn 2000, 2:20-28.
Hai Yan, Nickolas Papadopoulos, Giancarlo Marra, Claudia Perrera, Josef Jirieny, C. Richard Boland, Henry T. Lynch, Robert B. Chadwick, Albert de la Chapelle, Karin Berg, James R. Eshleman, Weishi Yuan, Sanford Markowitz, Steven J. Laken, Christoph Lengauer, Kenneth W. Kinzler, Bert Vogelstein. Conversion of Diploidy to Haploidy. Nature 2000 Feb 16.
Lee, S-C, Berg, K.D., Racke, F.R., Griffin, C.G., Eshleman, J.R. ‘Psuedo-spikes’ are common in histologically benign lymphoid tissues. J Mol Diagn, March 2000. Vol:2(3): 145-152.
Lee, S.C., Berg, K.D., Sherman, M.E., Griffin, C.A., Eshleman, J.R. Microsatellite Instability is Infrequent in Medullary Breast Cancer. American Journal of Clinical Pathology 2001;115:823-827.
Berg, K.D., Brinster, N.K., Huhn, K.M., Goggins, M.G., Jones, R.J., Makary, A., Griffin, C.A., Rosenblum-Vos, L.S., Borowitz, M.J., Nousari, H.C., Eshleman, J.E. Transmission of a T-cell Lymphoma during Bone-Marrow Transplantation. New England Journal of Medicine Volume 345, Issue 20: November 15, 2001.
Icaobuzio-Donahue CA, Maitra A, Shen-Ong GL, van Heek T, Ashfaq R, Meyer R, Walter K, Berg KD, Hollingsworth MA, Cameron JL, Yeo CJ, Kern SE, Goggins M, Hruban RH. Discovery of Novel Tumor Markers of Pancreatic Cancer Using Global Gene Expression Technology. American Journal of Pathology, Vol.160, No. 4, April 2002.
Oliai, BR, Murphy, KM, Berg KD, Borowitz MJ. Plasma Cell Leukemia Transformation of CLL. Case Studies in Clinical Flow Cytometry. Volume 2. Number 1. (E Journal), 2002.
K Volmer, K Berg and F Racke. Case: CML with Mixed T cell and Myeloid Blast Crisis. Case Studies in Clinical Flow Cytometry. Volume 2. Number 2. (E Journal), 2002.
KM Murphy, MJ Hafez, J Philips, K Yarnell, KR Gutshall, and KD Berg. Evaluation of Temperature Gradient Capillary Electrophoresis for detection of the Factor V Leiden mutation: Coincident identification of a novel polymorphism in Factor V. Mol Diagn, 2003 Mar;7(1):35-40
Kimmo J. Hatanpaa, Peter C. Burger, James R. Eshleman, Kathleen M. Murphy, and Karin D. Berg. Molecular Diagnosis of Oligodendroglioma in Paraffin Sections. Lab Invest 2003;83: 419.
Murphy KM, Smith BD, Levis M, Small D and Berg KD. A Clinical PCR/Capillary Electrophoresis Assay for the Detection of Internal Tandem Duplication and Point Mutation of the Flt3 Gene. J Mol Diagn 2003, 5:96-102.
Murphy KM, Geiger T, Hafez MJ, Griffin C, and Berg KD. A Single Nucleotide Primer Extension Assay to Detect the APC I1307K Gene Variant. J Mol Diagn. 2003 Nov;5(4): 222-6
Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Ashfaq R, Maitra A, Adsay NV, Shen-Ong GL, Berg K, Hollingsworth MA, Cameron JL, Yeo CJ, Kern SE, Goggins M, Hruban RH. Highly expressed genes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas: a comprehensive characterization and comparison of the transcription profiles obtained from three major technologies. Cancer Res 2003 Dec 15;63(24):8614-22.
Min Wang, Kathleen M. Murphy, Piotr Kulesza, Kimmo J Hatanpaa, Yener Erozan, Alessandro Olivi, Anthony Tufaro, William H Westra, Peter C Burger, Karin D Berg. Molecular Diagnosis of Metastasizing Oligodendroglioma. J Mol Diagn. 2004 Feb;6(1): 52-7.
Smith, B.D., Levis, M., Beran, M., Giles, F., Kantarjian, H., Brown, P., Russell, L., Hellriegel, E., Berg, K., Murphy, K.M., Dauses, T., Allebach, J., Small, D. Single Agent CEP-701, a novel inhibitor, shows biologic and clinical activity in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. Blood. 2004 May 15;103(10):3669-76.
Karin Blakemore, Catherine Hattenburg, Gail Stetten, Karin Berg, Sarah South, Kathleen Murphy, Richard Jones. In Utero Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Using Haploidentical Donor Adult Bone Marrow in a Canine Model. Am J OB GYN 2004. 190,960-73.
Van Heek NT, Maitra A, Koopmann J, Fedarko N, Jain A, Rahman A, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Adsay V, Ashfaq R, Yeo CJ, Cameron JL, Offerhaus JA, Hruban RH, Berg KD, Goggins M. Gene Expression Profiling identifies Markers of Ampullary Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Biol Ther. 2004 Jul 9
Hansel DE, Rahman A, House M, Ashfaq R, Berg K, Yeo CJ, Maitra A. Met proto-oncogene and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 over expression correlates with metastatic ability in well differentiated pancreatic endocrine neoplasms. Clinical Cancer Research 2004 Sept 15;10(18Pt1):6152-8.
MA Ansari-Lari, Chen, R Aljundi, L Cooper, R Allen, MJ Borowitz, KD Berg, KM Murphy. FLT3 Mutations in Myeloid Sarcoma. British Journal of Hematology 2004. 126,785-791.
Murphy KM, Berg, KD and Eshleman JR. Sequencing of genomic DNA by combined amplification and cycle sequencing reaction. Clin Chem. 2005 Jan;51(1):35-9.
Murphy KM*, Berg KD*, Geiger T, Hafez M, Flickinger KA, Cooper L, Pearson P, Eshleman JR. Capillary Electrophoresis Artifact Due to Eosin: Implications for the Interpretation of Molecular Diagnostic Assays. J Mol Diagn. 2005 Feb;7(1):143-148.
Cao D, Hafez M, Berg K, Murphy K, Epstein JI. Little or No Residual Prostate Cancer at Radical Prostatectomy: Vanishing Cancer or Switched Specimen? A Microsatellite Analysis of Specimen Identity. Am J Surg Pathol. 2005 Apr;29(4):467-473.
Mamelak AJ, Kowalski J, Murphy K, Yadava N, Zahurak M, Kouba DJ, Howell BG, Tzu J, Cummins DL, Liegeois NJ, Berg KD, Sauder DN. Down regulation of NDUFA1 and other oxidative phosphorylation-related genes is a consistent feature of basal cell carcinoma. Exp Dermatol. 2005 May;14(5):336-48.
Swierczynski SL, Hafez MJ, Philips J, Higman MA, Berg KD, Murphy KM. Bone marrow engraftment analysis after granulocyte transfusion. J Mol Diagn. 2005 Aug;7(3):422-6.
Elizabeth Montgomery, Adam J. Mamelak, Michael Gibson, Anirban Maitra, Salwa Sheikh, Samir Amr, Steven Yang, Malcolm Brock, Kathleen Murphy, Arlene Forastiere, Shengle Zhang and Karin D. Berg. Claudin Gene Over expression in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma and Its Precursors. Applied Immunohistochemistry and Molecular Medicine. 2006 Mar;14(1):24-30
Murphy KM, Zhang S, Geiger T, Hafez MJ, Bacher J, Berg KD and Eshleman JR. Comparison of the microsatellite instability analysis system and the Bethesda panel for the determination of microsatellite instability in colorectal cancers. J Mol Diagn. 2006 Jul; 8(3):306 -311.

Invited Articles and Reviews

Gabrielson E, Berg K, Anbazhagan R. Functional genomics, gene arrays, and the future of pathology. Modern Pathology. 2001 Dec;14(12):1294-9.
Berg, K.D. and Murphy, K.M. “Floaters” in Surgical Pathology Tissues: Genetic Identity Testing Potential and Pitfalls. Pathology Case Reviews, 2003; 8(3):103-110
Murphy KM and Berg KD. Temperature Gradient Capillary Electrophoresis in Mutation Detection. Expert Reviews of Molecular Diagnostics, 3(6), 811-818 (2003)

Book Chapters

Berg, K.D., Griffin, C.A., Eshleman, J.R. Microsatellite Instability Detection. For: Molecular Pathology Protocols in Methods in Molecular Medicine, Humana Press, 2000.

Abstracts

Berg, K.D., Glaser, C.L., Rosenblum-Vos, L., Eshleman, J.R., Griffin, C.A. Multiplex PCR detection of the BCR-ABL gene fusion in RNA. American Journal of Pathology, Nov. 1998, 153; 5, Abstract H14, 1654.
Berg, K.D., Glaser, C.L., Rosenblum-Vos, L.S., Eshleman, J.R., and Griffin, C.A. PCR Detection of Post Bone Marrow Transplant Mixed Chimera State: Comparison of southern RFLP and ABI Profiler Analysis. American Journal of Pathology, November 1998, 153; 5, Abstract H25, 1665.
Saria, E.A., Berg, K.D., Griffin, C.A., Eshleman, J.R. Sizing of multiplex PCR fragments using automated fluorescent detection and capillary electrophoresis – performance characteristics. American Journal of Pathology, Nov, 1998, 153; 5, 1664, Abstract GT6.
Berg, K.D., Henneberry, J.M., Eshleman, J.R., Griffin, C.A. Diagnosis of cutaneous Tcell neoplasms by PCR: Capillary Electrophonetic (CE) fluorescence detection and characterization of a T-cell infiltrate. Platform presentation, 1999 USCAP.
Berg, K.D., Glaser, C.L., Hamilton, S.R., Griffin, C.A., and Eshleman, J.R. Flourescent Multiplex PCR Assessment of Microsatellite Instability in Colorectal Cancer. American Journal of Pathology Nov 1999. 154, Abstract ST32.
Glaser, C.L., Berg, K.D., Griffin, C.A., and Eshleman, J.R. Assessment of Allelic Loss of Chromosomes 18q by Flourescent Multiplex PCR. American Journal of Pathology, Nov 1999. 154, Abstract ST30.
Lee, S-C, Berg, K.D., Racke, F.K., Griffin, C.A., and Eshleman, J.R. Evidence of Clonal TCR-gamma Rearrangement in Histologically Benign Lymphoid Tissues. American Journal of Pathology, November 1999. 154, Abstract H06.
Lee, S-C., Berg, K.D., Glaser, C.L., Griffin, C.A., and Eshleman, J.R. Microsatellite Instability is Rare in Medullary Carcinoma of the Breast. American Journal of Pathology, Nov 1999. 154, Abstract ST33.
Parsons J, Follin DR, Barbara DD, Griffin CA, Eshleman JR, Valsamakis A, Berg KD. Construction of the Johns Hopkins Molecular Pathology Website: From Paper to the Web. The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. Nov 2000. 2; 4, Abstract O1, 237.
Berg, KD, Glaser, C.L., Brinster, N.S., Huhn, K., Rosenblum-Vos, L., Griffin, C.A., Nousari, H.C., Eshleman, J.R. Transmission of a T-cell Lymphoma during Bone-Marrow Transplantation. The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, Nov 2000. 2; 4, Abstract H6, 225.
Glaser, G.L., Griffin, C.A., Eshleman, J.R., Berg, KD. Microsatellite PCR verses Southern blotting in BMT analysis. The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, Nov 2000. 2; 4, Abstract H21, 237.
Murphy, K.M., Eshleman, J.R., Griffin, C.A., Berg, KD. TCR-gamma rearrangements in HCV-infected patients. The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, Nov 2000. 2; 4, Abstract H5, 225.
Leonard, C.P., Hua, L., Francis, R.O., Oliver, D.H., Berg, K.D., Eshleman, J.R. Mutator Phenotypes are common among Microsatellite Stable Colon Cancer Cell Lines. AACR 92nd annual meeting abstracts, March 2001.
Glaser CL, Eshleman JR, Griffin CA, Murphy KM and Berg KD. Evaluation of RNA Integrity Using the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer. The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, Vol. 3, No. 4 Nov 2001. Abstract O6, Page 213.
Murphy KM, Borowitz MJ, Jones RJ, Flinn IW and Berg KD. Transformation of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) to Plasmacytic Leukemia (PCL). The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, Vol. 3, No. 4 Nov 2001. Abstract H2, Page 198.
Development of a Clinical Assay for FLT3 Mutations. Murphy KM, Berg KD, Eshleman JR, Griffin CA and Small D. The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, Vol. 3, No. 4 Nov 2001. Abstract H12, Page 200.
Hafez, M., Eshleman, J.R., Liu, Z., Gutshall, K.R., Berg, K.D., Murphy, K.M. Comparison of Four Methods for Detection of Factor V Leiden. J Mol Diagn 2002 4: Abstract T23.
Murphy, K.M., Rai, A., Slater, M., Hafez, M., Berg, K..D. Combined TaqMan and Capillary Electrophoresis for Identification of BCR-ABL mRNA. J Mol Diagn 2002 4: Abstract H11.
Berg, K.D., Hattenburg, C., South, S.T., Johnston, E., Murphy, K.M., Stetten, G.,Blakemore. K.J. Analysis of Bone Marrow Engraftment Following In Utero Bone Marrow Transplantation in a Canine Model. J Mol Diagn 2002 4: Abstract G33.
Zhang, S., Murphy, K .M., Borowitz, M., Berg, K. D. IgVH Somatic Mutation Identification in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). J Mol Diagn 2002 4: Abstract H18.
Murphy, K.M., Berg, K.D., Eshleman, J.R. Combined PCR and Cycle Sequencing. J Mol Diagn 2002 4: Abstract T25
Geiger, T., Hafez, M.J., Eshleman, J.R., Berg, K.D., Murphy, K.M. Single Nucleotide Primer Extension Assay to Detect the APC I1307K Gene Variant. J Mol Diagn 2002 4: Abstract G20.
Cooper, L.C., Griffin, C.A., Berg, K.D., Murphy, K. M. Use of a Commercial Microsatellite PCR Assay to Differentiate Microsatellite Instability (MSI) from Chromosomal Instability (CIN) in Colorectal Cancer. J Mol Diagn 2002 4: Abstract S05.
Murphy, K.M., Levis, M., Smith, B.D., Small, D., Berg, K.D. Clinical Flt3 Mutation Detection and Correlation with In Vitro Measurements of Flt3 Inhibitor Sensitivity. J Mol Diagn 2002 4: Abstract H17.
Hafez, M.J., Liu, Z., Philips, J., Yarnell, K., Gutshall, K.R., Murphy, K.M., Berg, K.D. Use of the SpectruMedix Reveal™ System for Factor V Leiden Detection. J Mol Diagn 2002 4: Abstract G07.
CA Iacobuzio-Donahue, A Maitra, K Berg, MA Hollingsworth, SE Kern, MG Goggins, RH Hruban Exploration of Highly Expressed Genes in Pancreatic Duct Adenocarcinomas Using U133 Oligonucleotide Arrays with Comparisons to Other Global Gene Expression. USCAP 2003. Platform, Section H2.
A Maitra, T Van Heek, V Adsay, C Iacobuzio-Donahue, A Rahman, MG Goggins, RE Wilentz, P Argani, RH Hruban, KD Berg. Global Expression Analysis of Pancreatic and Colorectal Cancers Reveals Cancer-Type Specific Tumor Markers. USCAP, 2003. Poster # 60
D Cao, R Ashfaq, K Walter, K Berg, SE Kern, MG Goggins, RH Hruban, CA Iacobuzio-Donahue. Differential Expression of Multiple Genes in Association with DPC4 Inactivation in Pancreatic Cancer. USCAP 2003. Platform, Section H2.
M Torbenson, F Sahin, A Klein, L Arrazola, E Molmenti, M Choti, K Berg. Targeted Use of Gene Chip Microarrays To Identify Potential Oncogenes in Hepatocellular Carcinomas. USCAP 2003. Poster # 165.
Geiger, T., Berg, K.D., Hafez, M.J., Pearson, P.D., Murphy, K.M., Eshleman, J.R., Aberrant Capillary Electrophoresis Peak Caused By Eosin in Tissue Samples: Implications for Interpretation.
Hafez, M.J., Griffin, C.A., Berg, K.D., Murphy, K.M., Real-time Quantitative PCR for the Measurement of the SRY gene in Sex-Mismatched Transplant Specimens.
Berg, K.D., Hafez, M.J., Wang, M., Erozan, Y., Westra, W.H., Burger, P., Murphy, K.M., Molecular Diagnosis of Metastasizing Oligodendroglioma.
Zhang, S., Murphy, K.M., Maitra A., Montgomery, E.A., Berg, K.D., Identification of Claudins 3, 4 and 7 Overexpression in Gastric Adenocarcinoma by Global Gene Expression Analysis and Immunohistochemical Validation.
Aljundi, R.T., Clark, D.P., Berg, K.D., Murphy, K.M., Single Nucleotide Primer Extension Assay to Detect the BRAF V599E Mutation in Papillary Thyroid Cancer.
Mamelak, A.J., Vonderheid, E.C., Tzu, J., Sauder, D.N., Murphy, K.M., Berg, K.D., Expression of Apoptotic Pathway Genes in Mycosis Fungoides.