Intro

My interests are to help improve critical care patient outcomes and responses by understanding infectious lung injury and their risk for secondary bacterial infections that can lead to additional lung injury, systemic responses, and poor patient outcomes. I additionally investigate how glycocalyx, composed of glycosaminoglycans, can influence these host (healthy or injured) pathogen interactions.

Disciplines

Biotechnology Human Biology Molecular Biology

Skills & Expertise

Bioinformatics Lung Biology Pneumonia Sepsis Glycobiology Glycosaminoglycans

No certifications added.

Models & Organisms

Mouse Staphylococcus aureus Influenza virus Human

No instrumentation added.

Experience

Graduate Research Assistant

University of Colorado Denver, AnschutzFull Time

August 2018 - Present

Aurora, CO United States

Studying host pathogen interactions in primary and secondary (superinfection) pneumonias

Hematology Researcher

University of Colorado Denver, AnschutzFull Time

October 2016 - June 2018

Aurora, CO United States

Research focus was on personalized medicine for patients with hematological malignancies. Complementing statistical and bioinformatics approaches with molecular biology lab techniques, I investigated what determines myeloma and lymphoma patient sensitivities to commonly used and investigational agents. In doing so, my goal was to help discover new biomarkers that may guide therapy decisions. Techniques included large data set bioinformatics, statistical programming, CRISPR gene editing, patient sample analyses, flow cytometry.

Undergraduate Researcher

James Madison UniversityPart time

January 2012 - May 2015

Harrisonburg, VA United States

Have worked on isolating and characterizing bacteriophages that are specific to Bacillus thuringiensis one of which has been published, Waukesha92. The phage was sequenced, annotated, compared to other phages on Genbank, and looked at host range infectivity. During fall semester 2012, a group of undergraduates were isolating bacteriophage from water samples in order to find the MecA resistence gene which could determine one mode of genetic transfer in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This work was with collaboration with VCU Starting in the fall of 2013, looked for alternative treatments of fireblight, Erwinia amylovora, that infects pear and apple trees. Have isolated one strain of Erwinia from pear and apple orchards and have isolated potential novel antibiotics.

Education

University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus

PhD

Pharmacology

2018 - 2023

Focus in pulmonary sciences and critical care

University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus

MS

Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology

2016 - 2018

James Madison University

BS

Biotechnology

2011 - 2015

Statistics Minor