Education
Post-doctoral Fellowship, 2017-Present
University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, Department of Reproductive Medicine, La Jolla, CA
Post-doctoral Fellowship, 2017-Present
Boston University and Boston University Medical Center, School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Boston, MA
Ph.D., 2009-2015
Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, Department of Basic Sciences, Division of Biochemistry (GPA 3.9)
B.S., 2006-2009
Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN
Major: Chemistry, Biochemistry emphasis
Magna Cum Laude distinction
Southern Scholars interdisciplinary honors program
GPA 3.9
Research Experience
Post-Doctoral Fellowship Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA
Advisors: Dr. Barbara Nickolajczyk, Department of Microbiology and Dr. Gerald Denis, Cancer Research Center, Pharmacology and Medicine
• Determining metabolism and function relationships of human immune cells from people with type 2 diabetes.
• Investigating the predictive power of inflammatory cytokine profiles from human PBMCs to determine the metabolic status of people with type 2 diabetes, with pre-diabetes, and without diabetes
• Evaluating the effect of metformin on inflammatory cytokine profiles of patients with pre-diabetes
• Determining how BET proteins regulate breast cancer cell metabolism
Graduate Dissertation Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA
Advisors: Dr. William Langridge, Department of Biochemistry and Dr. Marino De Leon, Department of Physiology, Chair of the Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine
Dissertation Title: Palmitic Acid Activation of Dendritic Cells (DCs): Implications for Type 2 Diabetes
• Determined that palmitic acid is a likely TLR4 ligand
• Determined that DCs have a robust IL-1β response to palmitic acid
• Characterized the role of H2O2 role in regulation of palmitic acid-induced TLR4 signaling in DCs
• Characterized Epigenetic Changes in dendritic cells upon their differentiation from monocytes
• Identified anti-palmitic acid antibodies in the serum of patients with unmanaged type 2 diabetes
Graduate Research Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA
Advisor: Dr. Kimberly Payne, Department of Anatomy
Research Focus: The role of Ikaros in B cell leukemia
• Investigated differences in leukemic B cell lines Ramos and Raji stably transfected with GFP-Ikaros
• Determined there is no link between adherent and non-adherent cell expression of Ikaros
Undergraduate Thesis Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN
Advisor: Dr. Mitch Menzmer, Department of Chemistry
Research Focus: Dehydration of cyclic alcohols in concentrated acid
• Identified an allylic carbocation intermediate in the dehydration of 4-methylcyclohexanol in concentrated sulfuric acid
• Determined the activation energy of said allylic carbocation
Technical Skills and Expertise
Wet Lab
Flow Cytometry Lenti-Viral Transfection/Transduction
Isothermal Titration Calorimetry qRT-PCR
Cell culture (primary/cells lines) EMSA
Western Blot/Dot Blot Protein Isolation
Fluorescence Microscopy ELISA/ELISPOT
Seahorse extracellular flux analysis Multiplex bead assay
Human Tissue Processing Lipid Assays
Analysis Software Experience
Flow Jo Graph Pad Prism Ingenuity Pathway FCAP Array
Excel Image J R Nano Drop Power Point
Microsoft Office Spot Advanced Wave/Seahorse Explorer (ShoRE)