Current Positions

• Assistant Professor of Pediatrics - Critical Care

Education

• BA in Biology and Pre-Medicine, summa cum laude, Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois
• MD, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
• Resident in Pediatrics, University of Iowa Children's Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa
• Fellow in Pediatric Critical Care, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Licenses & Certifications

• Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Board Certified
• American Board of Pediatrics, Board Certified
• Iowa Medical License

Research Interests

• Role of inflammation and the innate immune system in the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury
• Role of macrophage/microglia programming in resolution of inflammation

Research Concentration

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an enormous pediatric health problem with an estimated 500,000 children suffering from TBI each year and 7000 annual TBI related deaths. Survivors are often left with persistent neurologic deficits, particularly young children, where 1 in 3 are left with permanent impairment. Unfortunately, there are no effective pharmacologic therapies and treatment is limited to supportive care. Our laboratory studies how neuorinflammation contributes to TBI so that novel targeted therapies may be developed.