Practice Contact Information
University of North Carolina
170 Manning Drive
CB 7070
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
27514
United States
Phone:
Email: [email protected]
Web Site:
Areas of surgical specialization in Head and Neck Surgery
Head and Neck Research, Head and Neck Surgeon
Biography/Statement
I am a scientist and clinician working at the forefront of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery research. My work has helped to shed light on how human papillomavirus (HPV) blocks the immune system to cause cancer and how doctors can use tumor-specific therapies to improve treatment HPV-related cancers. I also developed one of the first human sinus mucosa-based infection models for SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID19. I completed my PhD in Microbiology & Immunology through the National Institutes of Health and Georgetown University. I currently work with a multidisciplinary research team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the lab, while performing clinical duties in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery. When not in the hospital or lab, I enjoy cycling, rock climbing and reading historical non-fiction.
Clinical Trials
Bibliography
Schrank TP, Landess L, Stepp WH et al. Comprehensive Viral Genotyping Reveals Prognostic Viral Phylogenetic Groups in HPV16-Associated Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx. Mol Cancer Res 2022.
Stepp WH*, Lopez EM, Ebert CS, Jr. et al. Site-specific detection and differential levels of immune mediators in the sinonasal mucosa. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2022.
*co-first authorship
Stepp WH*, Mahung C*, Long C et al. Early expression of IL-10, IL-12, ARG1 and NOS2 genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells synergistically correlate with patient outcome after burn injury. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2022.
*co-first authorship
Waters CM, Stepp WH, Conduff J et al. Anatomic Optical Coherence Tomography (aOCT) for Evaluation of the Internal Nasal Valve. Laryngoscope 2021.
Sheth, S., Farquhar, D. R., Schrank, T. P., Stepp, WH, Mazul, A., Hayward, M., Hayes, D. N. (2021). Correlation of alterations in the KEAP1/CUL3/NFE2L2 pathway with radiation failure in larynx squamous cell carcinoma. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol, 6(4), 699-707. doi:10.1002/lio2.588; PMID: 34401494
Stepp WH, Farzal Z, Kimple AJ, Ebert CS Jr, Senior BA, Zanation AM, Thorp BD. HPV in the malignant transformation of sinonasal inverted papillomas: A meta-analysis. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2021 May 6;. doi: 10.1002/alr.22810. PubMed PMID: 33956402; NIHMSID:NIHMS1715321.
Stepp WH. High-Throughput NanoString Analysis of Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus and Tumor Microenvironment Transcription in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Curr Protoc. 2021 May;1(5):e146. doi: 10.1002/cpz1.146. PubMed PMID: 34033698; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8204382.
Malfitano MJ, Santarelli GD, Gelpi M, Brown WC, Stepp WH, Hernandez S, et al. A Comparison of Sphenoid Sinus Osteoneogenesis in Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2020:1945892420941732. Epub 2020/07/15. doi: 10.1177/1945892420941732. PubMed PMID: 32660262.
Stepp WH*, Brandon BM, Basu S, Kimbell JS, Senior BA, Shockley WW, et al. Nasal Airflow Changes With Bioabsorbable Implant, Butterfly, and Spreader Grafts. Laryngoscope. 2020. Epub 2020/05/05. doi: 10.1002/lary.28691. PubMed PMID: 32364619.
*shared first-authorship
Balakrishnan S, Bu R, Waters C, Brandon B, Kimbell J, Stepp WH, et al. Utility of endoscopic anatomical optical coherence tomography in functional rhinoplasty. J Biomed Opt. 2020;25(1):1-11. Epub 2020/01/09. doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.25.1.016001. PubMed PMID: 31912688; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC7008596.
Zhang Y, Grant MS, Stepp WH, Clark LH. Clinical characteristics of CNS metastases from primary gynecologic cancers. Gynecol Oncol Rep. 2019;30:100518. Epub 2019/12/24. doi: 10.1016/j.gore.2019.100518. PubMed PMID: 31867433; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC6906733.
Malfitano MJ, Norris MN, Stepp WH, Santarelli GD, Samulski TD, Senior BA, et al. Nasopharyngeal Hyalinizing Clear Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Allergy Rhinol (Providence). 2019;10:2152656719889030. Epub 2019/12/11. doi: 10.1177/2152656719889030. PubMed PMID: 31819807; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC6883668.
Stepp WH, Farquhar D, Sheth S, Mazul A, Mamdani M, Hackman TG, et al. RNA Oncoimmune Phenotyping of HPV-Positive p16-Positive Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinomas by Nodal Status. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2018;144(11):967-75. Epub 2018/05/02. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2018.0602. PubMed PMID: 29710215; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC6193859.
Dunn JLM, Kartchner LB, Stepp WH, Glenn LI, Malfitano MM, Jones SW, et al. Blocking CXCL1-dependent neutrophil recruitment prevents immune damage and reduces pulmonary bacterial infection after inhalation injury. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2018;314(5):L822-L34. Epub 2018/01/26. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00272.2017. PubMed PMID: 29368547; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC6008131.
Stepp WH, Stamos JD, Khurana S, Warburton A, McBride AA. Sp100 colocalizes with HPV replication foci and restricts the productive stage of the infectious cycle. PLoS Pathog. 2017;13(10):e1006660. Epub 2017/10/03. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006660. PubMed PMID: 28968443; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC5638619.
Porter SS, Stepp WH, Stamos JD, McBride AA. Host cell restriction factors that limit transcription and replication of human papillomavirus. Virus Res. 2017;231:10-20. Epub 2016/11/20. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2016.11.014. PubMed PMID: 27863967; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC5325803.
Eitas TK, Stepp WH, Sjeklocha L, Long CV, Riley C, Callahan J, et al. Differential regulation of innate immune cytokine production through pharmacological activation of Nuclear Factor-Erythroid-2-Related Factor 2 (NRF2) in burn patient immune cells and monocytes. PLoS One. 2017;12(9):e0184164. Epub 2017/09/09. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184164. PubMed PMID: 28886135; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC5590883.
Van Doorslaer K, Porter S, McKinney C, Stepp WH, McBride AA. Novel recombinant papillomavirus genomes expressing selectable genes. Sci Rep. 2016;6:37782. Epub 2016/11/29. doi: 10.1038/srep37782. PubMed PMID: 27892937; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC5125267.
Stepp WH, Meyers JM, McBride AA. Sp100 provides intrinsic immunity against human papillomavirus infection. mBio. 2013;4(6):e00845-13. Epub 2013/11/07. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00845-13. PubMed PMID: 24194542; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC3892783.
McBride AA, Sakakibara N, Stepp WH, Jang MK. Hitchhiking on host chromatin: how papillomaviruses persist. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012;1819(7):820-5. Epub 2012/02/07. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2012.01.011. PubMed PMID: 22306660