Research Summary

Dr. Kober's training is in systems biology, molecular evolutionary biology, and bioinformatics. His  program of research uses rich demographic, clinical and molecular data to improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying common symptoms (e.g., fatigue) or neurotoxic side effects (e.g., peripheral neuropathy) experienced by patients with cancer. His work develops and improves prediction models to assist clinicians to identify high risk patients and provide recommendations for activity modifying interventions. Finally, he develops new methods, tools, and resources for new research space and strives to make them freely available to the research community. Dr. Kober has a well established track-record of successful collaborations and mentorships with transdisciplinary research teams. He believes this transdisciplinary approach is needed to develop future symptom scientists who work with genomics and big data.

Research Funding

  • July 3, 2019 - June 30, 2024 - An Investigation of the Molecular Mechanisms for and Prediction of the Severity of Cancer Chemotherapy-Related Fatigue Using a Multi-staged Integrated Omics Approach , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R37CA233774

Education

University of California, Los Angeles, BS Biochemistry, 06/1996
University of California, Santa Cruz, MA Molecular Evolutionary Biology, 06/2009
University of California, Santa Cruz, PhD Molecular Evolutionary Biology, 06/2012
University of California, Irvine, Center for Complex Biological Systems, Systems Biology: Foundations for Interdisciplinary Careers Short Course, 01/2019

Honors & Awards

  • 2006
    Regents' Fellowship, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
  • 2007
    STEPS Institute Graduate Research Grant Award, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
  • 2007
    Student Research and Education Award Friends of Long Marine Lab, Santa Cruz, CA
  • 2011
    Graduate Student Support Award, CSHL Meeting on The Biology of Genomes
  • 2011
    Research Award, Dr. Earl H. Myers and Ethel M. Myers Oceanographic and Marine Biology Trust
  • 2013
    Annual Meeting Best Poster Nominee, American Pain Society
  • 2014
    New Investigator Abstract Award (Fatigue Study Group) Annual Meeting, Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
  • 2016
    Junior Investigator Abstract Award (Fatigue Study Group) Annual Meeting, Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
  • 2020
    Cancer Nursing 2020 Research Award, Cancer Nursing - Official Journal of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care

Selected Publications

  1. Oppegaard KR, Mayo SJ, Armstrong TS, Kober KM, Anguera J, Wright F, Levine JD, Conley YP, Paul S, Cooper B, Miaskowski C. An Evaluation of the Multifactorial Model of Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment. Nurs Res. 2023 Apr 24.  View on PubMed
  2. Harris CS, Pozzar RA, Conley Y, Eicher M, Hammer MJ, Kober KM, Miaskowski C, Colomer-Lahiguera S. Big Data in Oncology Nursing Research: State of the Science. Semin Oncol Nurs. 2023 Apr 19; 151428.  View on PubMed
  3. Wright F, Cooper BA, Paul SM, Hammer MJ, Conley YP, Levine JD, Miaskowski C, Kober KM. Distinct Profiles of Morning and Evening Fatigue Co-Occurrence in Patients During Chemotherapy. Nurs Res. 2023 Apr 18.  View on PubMed
  4. Kober KM, Roy R, Conley Y, Dhruva A, Hammer MJ, Levine J, Olshen A, Miaskowski C. Prediction of morning fatigue severity in outpatients receiving chemotherapy: less may still be more. Support Care Cancer. 2023 Apr 11; 31(5):253.  View on PubMed
  5. Harris CS, Miaskowski CA, Conley YP, Hammer MJ, Dunn LB, Dhruva AA, Levine JD, Olshen AB, Kober KM. Epigenetic Regulation of Inflammatory Mechanisms and a Psychological Symptom Cluster in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy. Nurs Res. 2023 Mar 17.  View on PubMed
  6. Kober KM, Berger LG, Roy R, Olshen A. Torch-eCpG: A fast and scalable eQTM mapper for thousands of molecular phenotypes with graphical processing units. bioRxiv. 2023 Mar 10.  View on PubMed
  7. Romanovska V, Block A, Paul SM, Cooper BA, Hammer MJ, Conley YP, Levine JD, Kober KM, Miaskowski C. Exploration of the Relationships Between Stress and Distinct Pain and Sleep Disturbance Profiles in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy. Cancer Nurs. 2022 Dec 28.  View on PubMed
  8. Shin J, Oppegaard K, Calvo-Schimmel A, Harris C, Cooper BA, Paul SM, Conley YP, Hammer MJ, Cartwright F, Kober KM, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Distinct Worst Pain Profiles in Oncology Outpatients Undergoing Chemotherapy. Cancer Nurs. 2023 May-Jun 01; 46(3):176-188.  View on PubMed
  9. Lin Y, Bailey DE, Xiao C, Hammer M, Paul SM, Cooper BA, Conley YP, Levine JD, Kober KM, Miaskowski C. Distinct Co-occurring Morning and Evening Fatigue Profiles in Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancers Receiving Chemotherapy. Cancer Nurs. 2022 Dec 01.  View on PubMed
  10. Harris CS, Kober K, Cooper B, Conley YP, Hammer MJ, Dhruva AA, Cartwright F, Paul S, Levine J, Miaskowski C. Symptom clusters in oncology outpatients: stability and consistency across a cycle of chemotherapy. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2022 Nov 29.  View on PubMed
  11. Morse L, Paul SM, Cooper BA, Oppegaard K, Shin J, Calvo-Schimmel A, Harris C, Hammer M, Conley Y, Wright F, Levine JD, Kober KM, Miaskowski C. Higher Stress in Oncology Patients is Associated With Cognitive and Evening Physical Fatigue Severity. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2023 03; 65(3):203-215.  View on PubMed
  12. Shin J, Kober KM, Wong ML, Yates P, Cooper BA, Paul SM, Hammer M, Conley Y, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Distinct Shortness of Breath Profiles in Oncology Outpatients Undergoing Chemotherapy. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2023 03; 65(3):242-255.  View on PubMed
  13. Calvo-Schimmel A, Kober KM, Paul SM, Cooper BA, Harris C, Shin J, Hammer MJ, Conley YP, Dokiparthi V, Olshen A, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Sleep disturbance is associated with perturbations in immune-inflammatory pathways in oncology outpatients undergoing chemotherapy. Sleep Med. 2023 01; 101:305-315.  View on PubMed
  14. Kober KM, Harris C, Conley YP, Dhruva A, Dokiparthi V, Hammer MJ, Levine JD, Oppegaard K, Paul S, Shin J, Sucher A, Wright F, Yuen B, Olshen AB, Miaskowski C. Perturbations in common and distinct inflammatory pathways associated with morning and evening fatigue in outpatients receiving chemotherapy. Cancer Med. 2023 03; 12(6):7369-7380.  View on PubMed
  15. Shin J, Kober K, Wong ML, Yates P, Miaskowski C. Systematic review of the literature on the occurrence and characteristics of dyspnea in oncology patients. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2022 Nov 12; 181:103870.  View on PubMed
  16. Bouvron B, Mackin L, Kober KM, Paul SM, Cooper BA, Conley YP, Hammer MJ, Wright F, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Impact of worst pain severity and morning fatigue profiles on oncology outpatients' symptom burden and quality of life. Support Care Cancer. 2022 Dec; 30(12):9929-9944.  View on PubMed
  17. Sheng Y, Carpenter JS, Smith BJ, Paul SM, Melisko M, Moslehi J, Levine JD, Conley YP, Kober KM, Miaskowski C. A Pilot Study of Associations Between the Occurrence of Palpitations and Cytokine Gene Variations in Women Prior to Breast Cancer Surgery. Biol Res Nurs. 2023 04; 25(2):289-299.  View on PubMed
  18. Kalantari E, Kouchaki S, Miaskowski C, Kober K, Barnaghi P. Network analysis to identify symptoms clusters and temporal interconnections in oncology patients. Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 12; 12(1):17052.  View on PubMed
  19. Oppegaard KR, Armstrong TS, Anguera JA, Kober KM, Kelly DL, Laister RC, Saligan LN, Ayala AP, Kuruvilla J, Alm MW, Byker WH, Miaskowski C, Mayo SJ. Blood-based biomarkers of cancer-related cognitive impairment in non-central nervous system cancer: A scoping review. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2022 Dec; 180:103822.  View on PubMed
  20. Shin J, Kober KM, Harris C, Oppegaard K, Calvo-Schimmel A, Paul SM, Cooper BA, Olshen A, Dokiparthi V, Conley YP, Hammer M, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Perturbations in Neuroinflammatory Pathways Are Associated With a Worst Pain Profile in Oncology Patients Receiving Chemotherapy. J Pain. 2023 01; 24(1):84-97.  View on PubMed

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