Current Research Interests

The broad focus of my research is the molecular/genetic epidemiology of gastrointestinal and gynecologic malignancies. My primary area of interest is the role of inherited genetics in the etiology and biology of esophageal adenocarcinoma – a lethal cancer with rising incidence in Western populations – and its precursor lesion, Barrett’s esophagus. I lead an interdisciplinary team that combines genetic discovery scans with advanced informatics pipelines and laboratory-based functional assays to define and elucidate complex polygenic determinants of cancer susceptibility. These studies seek to link statistical risk associations (typically arising from the noncoding genome) to biological mechanisms via identification of functional/causal variants, target genes, and disease pathways. Our work has recently expanded to include collaborations on the genetics of triple-negative and contralateral breast cancer. In parallel, we have applied multiple omics profiling technologies to advance the development of new classes of biomarkers for ovarian and esophageal cancers. The long-term translational goal is to discover novel molecular targets for precision prevention, early detection, and disease interception. My research is supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Sabin Family Foundation.