I earned a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in the Nutrition and Health Sciences Program at Emory University. My dissertation research was related to Maple Syrup Urine Disease, an inborn error of branched-chain amino acid metabolism, in the laboratory of Dean Danner. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the VA Medical Center, I took several years off to raise my children. I returned to research at Emory in the Clinical Biomarkers Laboratory to perform metabolomics research.
Which division do you work in, and who is your mentor?
I am part of the Clinical Biomarkers Laboratory in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine in the School of Medicine. My mentors are Dean Jones, PhD, and Jeffrey Collins, MD, MPH.
Briefly describe your research. Why is it important?
I am involved in several research projects utilizing high-resolution metabolomics (HRM). HRM combines liquid or gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to detect thousands of metabolomic features in biological samples. Through advanced data extraction, processing, and bioinformatics techniques, we can annotate and identify many of these metabolites and assess how they vary with disease or dietary or environmental exposures. Understanding this metabolic variation allows us to determine the impact of diseases or exposures on metabolic pathways and apply this knowledge to improve health through better diagnosis and treatments. One of my current projects is to use HRM to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers of pediatric tuberculosis in both the blood and urine of children from five countries located in Africa, Asia, and South America.
What do you like most about Emory?
I like the collaborative environment at Emory and the opportunity to meet and work with people of all different backgrounds.
What is your favorite movie or TV show?
“Ted Lasso”
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love playing tennis, doing yoga, cooking, and watching my kids play their sports.
What is a fun fact about you?
When I was in college, I spent my summers working as a cook on a ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
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