Recognition
2016: Washington University School of Medicine Alumni Achievement Award
2009: The American Society for Clinical Investigation Elected Member
2007: American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Career Enhancement Award
2004: Harold Frost Young Investigator Award
2001: American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Young Investigator Award
1993: Spencer T. and Ann Olin Award for Excellence in Graduate Research, Washington University

Research Interests
My lab studies mechanisms of pathological bone loss. Most work has focused on the study of osteoclasts, the cells that resorb/remove bone to allow normal bone turnover. These cells are hematopoietic-derived cells of the monocyte lineage that differentiate in the bone microenvironment under the influence of the cytokine RANKL. OCs attach to the bone surface via integrins and form an extracellular compartment, the resorption lacuna, into which they secrete acid and proteases to degrade the organic and mineral components of bone. Activity of these cells is critical for bone homeostasis, but their abnormal activation is responsible for pathological bone loss in many settings, including osteolytic tumor metastases and infection. We use a combination of disease models, genetic mouse models, and in vitro cultures, providing a broad range of potential research projects as well as diverse technical approaches. Our current active projects include investigation of the role of the inflammasome in S. aureus-mediated osteomyelitis, and tumor-bone interactions in HTLV-1/acute T cell leukemia.