I am an Assistant Professor at Immunology Center of Georgia, Augusta University. My lab investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving the development of human vascular diseases, with a primary focus on atherosclerosis and aneurysm. Using a combination of genomics, genetics, cellular and molecular biology, advanced mouse genetics and disease models and bioinformatics, our current research focuses on the following areas: (1) The role of novel long non-coding RNAs in vascular cells and their involvement in vascular diseases; (2) Cellular crosstalk between vascular smooth muscle cells and immune cells in disease progression; (3) How GWAS-identified genomic risk loci influence cellular function and vascular disease development.