I received a PhD degree in Viral Immunology and a PhD in epidemiology. I developed and studied mouse models of human diseases at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and Columbia University. We used mouse models to better understand the high prevalence of allergic diseases among inner-city birth cohorts. My current research is focused on understanding the biological determinants of breast cancer health disparities. I completed my PhD in epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago using data and specimens from the Breast Cancer Care in Chicago (BCCC) study which was a project of the NCI-funded, UIC Center for Population Health and Health Disparities. Using the BCCC multi-ethnic cohort of breast cancer patients, I examined the correlation between genetic ancestry markers (AIMs) and genetic variations of the stress mediator (glucocorticoids receptor) with breast cancer characteristics and race/ethnicity.