Research Interests

• Health Effects - Air pollutant exposures and lung disease, lung development and lung cell biology
• Indoor Air Quality - Environmental Tobacco Smoke health effects, levels.
• Urban and Regional Smog - Health effect standards/levels of PM2.5, PM10, Ozone. Health effects of ultrafine and nano-sized particles.
• Transportation - toxicity of vapor phase PAH generated by combustion and near roadway vehicle exhaust including both gas and particle phases
• Global Climate Change – in relation to increased exposures and health effects of air pollutants

Research Summary

My research is in inhalation toxicology and cell biology of the lung in health and disease. Often the genesis of respiratory diseases lies in early development and so my laboratory also studies the developmental biology of the lung and how disruption of normal pre and/or postnatal development can result in abnormal lung structure and function following exposure to air pollution.  A particular focus is on the role of metabolic activation and detoxification in determining susceptibility following oxidant stress and on lung structural changes during injury and repair. Experimental approaches are employed both in vivo and in vitro to model airway cellular responses to pollutants. Air pollutants of particular interest include ozone, PM, nanoparticles,  tobacco smoke and polycyclic aromatics.

Teaching Summary

I teach at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.  I teach an undergraduate freshman seminar Air Pollution and Lung Health (FRS 003) and I lead lectures and labs in the School of Veterinary Medicine on epithelial and organ biology. I have a long running graduate student focused journal club on Air Pollution and Lung Biology that I teach FWS (APC290/MCP290). I also participate in several team taught graduate courses including General Pharmacology and Toxicology (PTX201), Respiratory Toxicology (VMB254), Toxicant and Drug Metabolism (VMB253) and Integrative Pathobiology (PMI 201).  I also provide research guidance and instruction to undergraduate (APC199) and graduate students (APC 299) on an individual basis.