Research Interests
Alzheimer's disease, environmental risk factors, air pollution, inflammation, microglia
Current Projects/Studies
My primary research emphasis centers on understanding the molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the impact of neuroinflammation elicited endogenously by disruption of normal immune responses by aging or by exogenous environmental factors, such as chronic exposure to environmental chemicals and toxicants. By using multiple experimental platforms including transgenic mouse models of the disease, primary cultures and established cell culture models, and organotypic slices, my laboratory is investigating key cellular signaling cascades in microglia and astrocytes that are dysregulated in early phase of AD.
Education
Ph.D., Iowa State University, 2003, Toxicology
M.S., University of California, Irvine, 2000, Environmental Toxicology
B.S., California State University, San Bernardino, 1997, Chemistry
Honors and Awards
2019 Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, School of Medicine, UCI
2015 Senate Award for Distinguished Early Career Research, UC Merced
2007 Al Nichols Award, Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, UCI
2003 Research Excellence Award, Iowa State University
