I am a pulmonary and critical care physician with clinical and research interest in lung biology and lung cancer. I have been pursuing this interest since my fellowship training. As a pulmonary physician at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, I am a member of the multi-disciplinary lung cancer program. I routinely employ my training in advanced diagnostic bronchoscopy techniques, such as endobronchial ultrasound and electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy, which are state of the art tools for diagnosing and staging lung cancer.
Research Information
Research Interests
My research focus as a fellow and junior faculty member was on studying transcriptional mechanisms involved in pulmonary biology. Specifically, my colleagues and I identified a role for the endothelial transcription factor KLF4 in protecting from pulmonary hypertension in a mouse model. Since a large part of my clinical practice has been dedicated to caring for patients with known or suspected lung cancer, my interest in this subject has increased over time. Therefore, I transitioned my primary research focus to the field of lung cancer, where I plan to pursue my long-term independent career. I am currently focusing on studying potential targeted therapies for small cell lung cancer. In collaboration with Dr. Richard Lee and Dr. Goutham Narla, I recently received funding notification from the Department of Defense Lung Cancer Research Program Concept Award to study targeting Myc oncoproteins in small cell lung cancer with mistletoe lectin.