As a statistical geneticist, Lisa J. Martin makes sense of the large volumes of genetic data being produced. Her primary focus is the genetic contributions to variation in phenotypes (characteristics of people). She focuses on many phenotypes, including inappropriate heart development, allergic conditions (including asthma and eosinophilic esophagitis), and how people respond to medications. Her research focuses on identifying combinations of factors that best explain phenotypes. This is important because we often find that a single genetic variant does not explain outcomes. Rather, the context in which a gene variant occurs (other genetic variants, environmental factors) is important.