My path has journeyed through the study of the human infectious disease, Melioidosis, which has taken me from Northern Arizona to the Hawaiian Islands. Researching genetic virulence dependent proteins to identify an early diagnostic test for Melioidosis, caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. This brought me to travel to Thailand and see where the disease can be endemic, and infect rice farmers. I discovered my love for the world and everything natural in it. My interest in Protein Research brought me back to the Sonoran Desert, my birthplace, to the Collaborative Center for Translational Mass Spectrometry at the Translational Genomics Research Institute. We utilize mass spectrometry coupled with novel enzymatic digestive techniques to discover and validate potential disease markers in biological samples. Diseases of interest include, Ventilator Associated Pneumonia, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Pancreatic Cancer, and many more.

In the future, I would like to integrate more into fields such as Microbiome, Metabolism function and dysfunction, Holistic Medicine, Plant Science, and Environmental Health. The small amount of world travel that I have done has broadened but deepened my interest and dedication to overall health and happiness for myself, my planet, and for my fellow habitants of this planet.