Education:
Throughout my academic career, I have been involved in graduate education, and this has become my primary focus at OUHSC. In 2000, I became the Director of the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (GPiBS; https://graduate.ouhsc.edu/Graduate-Programs/PhD-Programs/Graduate-Program-in-Biomedical-Sciences). I have served as the GPiBS Director since that time, and was appointed Assistant Dean for Biomedical Doctoral Programs in the OUHSC Graduate College in 2006 when GPiBS become a part of that College. GPiBS is currently training its 25th class, with almost 500 students having gone through the program, and represents the primary portal for most biomedical doctoral students at OUHSC. Recently, I worked with the GPiBS team to develop the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP; https://graduate.ouhsc.edu/Programs/PREP), which is currently funded by an R25 grant from NIH and support from OUHSC. PREP’s goal is to provide coursework and lab experience to prepare promising students for graduate education. To date, I have served on the doctoral advisory committees of over 100 students, and have hosted numerous summer undergraduate, graduate rotation, and high school students in my lab. I mentored and graduated three doctoral students, one MD/PhD student, and one master’s student in my lab.
Clinical/Research Interests:
My laboratory focuses on the regulation of fibroblast and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic switching, and the roles these cells play in tissue remodeling. We have found that both cell types acquire what is essentially a sentinel-like phenotype that enables them to detect and respond to danger signals via their expression of innate immune mediators. This switch occurs concomitant with their transition from a contractile to a migratory phenotype, and appears to involve mechanisms that respond to mechanical cues. During tissue repair and remodeling, this ability may be important for detecting microbial invasion. This is also important for tumor biology, in that, in contrast to contractile cancer-associated fibroblasts that promote tumor progression and immune system avoidance, sentinel fibroblasts may promote tumor immune detection and elimination. Our goal is to determine what regulates this process.
Select Publications:
Complete list of publications:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1X9T-JTa2PNQ-/bibliography/public/