I am interested in skin repair following tissue damage. We have found that Langerhans cells, a skin-resident immune cell, are capable of clearing axon debris following axon degeneration. I use the zebrafish as a model organism to image somatosensory axons and Langerhans cells in real-time. Particularly, I am interested in the cytoskeletal dynamics underlying Langerhans cell movement and engulfment of debris. 
I graduated with a BS from the University of Maine, where I stayed to complete a MS in the lab of Carol Kim. From here, I pursued a PhD at the University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus, where I studied cell division under Rytis Prekeris. I gained appreciation for cell biology, the cytoskeleton, and immunofluroescent techniques with Rytis, which I am now honing under Jeff. When I'm not in the lab, my wife, daughter, and dog enjoy doing all things outdoors.