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My current research focuses on examining the sensory neuron-tumor axis during head and neck cancer. Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a growing malignancy worldwide and despite modern advancements, the disease has only a 50% five-year survival rate. While much is known about this cancer’s microenvironment and tumorigenesis, one area that remains under-studied is the contribution of the peripheral nervous system. Despite many reports implicating the peripheral nervous system in this disease’s progression, the specific role of sensory neurons in oral tumorigenesis is markedly unknown. Understanding the involvement of sensory neurons in respect to this cancer’s progression is not the only front in which this disease needs to be battled on – Pain is often the presenting and top ranked symptom for patients with head and neck cancer. Subsequently, many patients require opiates, kindling the national epidemic. Therefore, we are not only looking at how the sensory nervous system regulated tumorigenesis but also how oral tumors regulate sensory neurons at the primary site of tumor development.  This field of research is significant because of the potential for developing a multi-hit therapy that treats both head and neck cancer progression and pain.

Hobbies and Interests:
Hiking, Card Games, Boston Red Sox, Manchester United