I am a graduate student in Dr. Rabin Tirouvanziam's laboratory at Emory University. Our laboratory's primary research is anchored in the study of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway disease, and in particular, I have initiated our lab's exploration into the role of monocytes within this disease context. My focus has been to evaluate and compare the phenotype, function, and transcriptional profile of this cell type between healthy and CF individuals at baseline (peripheral blood) and after the act of transmigration. This post-transmigration assessment is possible with the utilization of our laboratory's in vitro transmigration model, which has reputably replicated the reprogramming of peripheral neutrophils after transmigrating through the system into a CF airway-like environment (Forrest et al., 2018). By repurposing this transmigration model, I can compare the physiological characteristics of monocytes from healthy and CF donors alike after their isolation from blood, and after their transmigration through the in vitro system toward their respective airway-like environments.