Kalman Kovacs

MD, PhD

Emeritus Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute

Biography

Dr. Kalman Thomas Kovacs is an Emeritus Professor of the Division of Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Dr. Kovacs was born in Hungary. He received his MD from the University of Szeged, Hungary and his PhD from the University of Liverpool, England. He joined the Division of Pathology in 1971. At that time, apart from his duties as a diagnostic pathologist, his role was to develop research within the department, teach students, organize the electron microscopy laboratory, introduce immunohistochemistry methodology and be involved in the study of endocrine diseases-primarily diseases of the pituitary.

Dr. Kovacs has published several hundred peer-reviewed research papers, received several local and international awards, was invited to give lectures in many countries, and has supervised and mentored many students, residents and fellows. He has led various research projects and collaborated with research scientists at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA and Clinica Medellin, Colombia, as well as many other well recognized research centers in Brazil, Japan, Italy, and India.

Dr. Kovacs published and edited several books, wrote chapters, reviews and is active in teaching and research. He participated in several committees including the World Health Organization (WHO) classifying pituitary diseases. His research and contribution to pituitary disease and pathology has been recognized internationally. He is extensively involved in pituitary research and continues to be part of the Pathology and Neurosurgery team investigating pituitary diseases.

Dr. Kovacs’ research involved describing new pituitary tumor types, developing novel pituitary tumor classification and introducing new biomarkers which permit and simplify assessment of tumor cell proliferation, treatment options and therapeutic responsiveness.

Recent Publications

  1. Omar, AT 2nd, Munoz, DG, Goguen, J, Lee, JM, Rotondo, F, Kovacs, K et al.. Resection of the medial wall of the cavernous sinus in functioning pituitary adenomas: Technical note and outcomes in a matched-cohort study. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2020; :106306. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2020.106306. PubMed PMID:34756392 .
  2. Algahtany, M, Sharma, S, Fahoum, K, Jing, R, Zhang, S, Kovacs, K et al.. The Role of Growth Hormone in Depression: A Human Model. Front Neurosci. 2021;15 :661819. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.661819. PubMed PMID:34248479 PubMed Central PMC8266193.
  3. Davidson, B, Narvacan, K, Munoz, DG, Rotondo, F, Kovacs, K, Zhang, S et al.. The Crucial Role of Eosinophils in the Life Cycle, Radiographical Architecture, and Risk of Recurrence of Chronic Subdural Hematomas. Neurotrauma Rep. 2021;2 (1):76-83. doi: 10.1089/neur.2020.0036. PubMed PMID:34223547 PubMed Central PMC8240825.
  4. Cusimano, MD, Huang, TQ, Marchie, A, Smyth, HS, Kovacs, K. Development and validation of the disease-specific QOL-CD quality of life questionnaire for patients with Cushing's disease. Neurosurg Focus. 2020;48 (6):E4. doi: 10.3171/2020.3.FOCUS2044. PubMed PMID:32480368 .
  5. Lombardero, M, Quintanar-Stephano, A, Rotondo, F, Horvath, E, Kovacs, K. Effect of thyroxin on cell morphology and hormone secretion of pituitary grafts in rats. Ann Anat. 2020;230 :151486. doi: 10.1016/j.aanat.2020.151486. PubMed PMID:32145383 .
  6. Altamira-Camacho, M, Medina-Aguiñaga, D, Cruz, Y, Calderón-Vallejo, D, Kovacs, K, Rotondo, F et al.. Leuprolide Acetate, a GnRH Agonist, Improves the Neurogenic Bowel in Ovariectomized Rats with Spinal Cord Injury. Dig Dis Sci. 2020;65 (2):423-430. doi: 10.1007/s10620-019-05783-4. PubMed PMID:31471861 .
  7. Rotondo, F, Kovacs, K. Effect of ASA on pituitary adenomas: is it a matter of survivin?. Oncotarget. 2019;10 (44):4507-4508. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.27054. PubMed PMID:31360297 PubMed Central PMC6642043.
  8. Nakhjavani, M, Amirbaigloo, A, Rabizadeh, S, Rotondo, F, Kovacs, K, Ghazi, AA et al.. Ectopic cushing's syndrome due to corticotropin releasing hormone. Pituitary. 2019;22 (5):561-568. doi: 10.1007/s11102-019-00965-9. PubMed PMID:31041631 .
  9. Sav, A, Rotondo, F, Syro, LV, Serna, CA, Kovacs, K. Pituitary pathology in traumatic brain injury: a review. Pituitary. 2019;22 (3):201-211. doi: 10.1007/s11102-019-00958-8. PubMed PMID:30927184 .
  10. Qaddoura, A, Shalung, TN, Meier, MP, Goguen, J, Jing, R, Zhang, S et al.. Recovery Room Cortisol Predicts Long-Term Glucocorticoid Need After Transsphenoidal Surgery for Pituitary Tumors. Neurosurgery. 2019;84 (3):616-623. doi: 10.1093/neuros/nyy070. PubMed PMID:30767017 PubMed Central PMC6375723.
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Professor, Division of Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Toronto