As a member of the Center for Tobacco Research and the Cancer Control Program at the OSUCCC – James, I focus my research on important questions related to tobacco control, obesity, respiratory physiology and fitness. My training in medicine, respiratory physiology, and exercise science has provided a strong foundation and technical expertise in the evaluation and interpretation of respiratory health outcomes. My research is focused on comprehensively and systematically assessing respiratory health outcomes for individuals who use tobacco products and to study the role of product characteristics, behavior, and addiction in modulating these health outcomes. My research also involves testing novel interventions that can reduce respiratory symptoms and improve fitness and exercise tolerance in patients with obesity and respiratory diseases.

One of my current research projects, which is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, studies the effects of inspiratory muscle training on inspiratory muscle dysfunction and small airway dysfunction among children with obesity and asthma. Other funded research projects are focused on studying: 1) the effects of obesity on vaping behaviors, 2) the effects of inspiratory muscle training on exercise tolerance among breast cancer survivors with obesity, and 3) the acute effects of reducing nicotine content in filtered little cigars among smokers of filtered little cigars. My work has been published in a number of peer-reviewed scienti?c journals, including Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology, International Journal of Obesity and Journal of Applied Physiology.

In addition to my research, I serve as an assistant professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University. I am also a member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Physiological Society and the American Thoracic Society.