I am an associate professor and the Matilda R. Wilson Endowed Research Chair of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, and I am the director of the Gastrointestinal Stress Biology Laboratory at Michigan State University. Centered and the intersection of human and animal health, my research focuses on the pathophysiology of stress-induced gastrointestinal disorders. My current areas of research focus include:
1) Early life trauma/stress on GI neuroimmune development and disease risk across the lifespan
2) Mechanisms of sex differences in mast cells and mast cell-associated disease
3) Impacts of stress and peripheral innate immune activation in brain-gut axis dysfunction
I received funding from the NIH and USDA. I am passionate about training the next generation of scientists, and my past trainees have received numerous research recognition awards themselves.