Dedicated to the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge.
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- University of California at San Diego, BA, Biology
- University of Hawaii at Manoa, MPH, Epidemiology
- University of Washington, PhD, Epidemiology
Affiliations
- Applied Chest Imaging Laboratory, Harvard University. George Washko, MD & Raul San Jose Estapar, PhD, Co-directors
- Center for Omics Discovery and Epidemiology (CODE), ResearchTriangle Institute (RTI). Dana Hancock, PhD, Director
- GWAS & Sequencing Consortium of Alcohol and Nicotine(GSCAN). Scott Vriese, PhD
- International COPD Genetics Network (ICGN). Michael Cho, MD, MPH
- dbGAP - database of Genotypes and Phenotypes. NIH
- TOPMed - Trans-omics for Precision Medicine Program. NHLBI
Research
- Director of the COPDGene Epidemiology Core http://www.copdgene.org/
- Director of the Laboratory for Analyical & Computational Epidemiology (LACE)
The conceptual framework for our research is the pleiotropic effect of genetic variation on common complex diseases. We study the genetic susceptibility and biologic cascade of events that influence multiple physiologic and pathological trajectories leading to greater disease risks and distinct prognoses. To address the challenges of genomic and high dimensional data, we develop novel statistical genetics methods to model clinically relevant processes.
We provide a meaningful interpretation of disease etiology and prognosis by modeling the natural history of the disease that attempts to incorporate all measurable aspects of the disease process into a single paradigm. These models are essential in identifying specific therapeutic targets to interrupt the pathological consequences of abnormal physiology and will ultimately lead to personalize medical therapies and preventive strategies.
Though this strategy is applicable to a variety of diseases our current work focuses on the overlapping physiologic processes and disease heterogeneity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, and nicotine dependence and smoking related disorders.
