Clinical Activities:

As Director of Renal Pathology, I am responsible for the diagnosis and work-up of kidney biopsies obtained from patients with evidence of medical renal disease using light microscopy, immunofluorescence microscopy, and electron microscopy. I work closely with adult and pediatric nephrologists, rheumatologists, transplant surgeons, and other clinicians to guide management decisions for our patients by playing a critical role in the histopathologic diagnosis of renal parenchymal disease in native and transplant kidneys. Preliminary diagnoses are typically rendered within 6 to 24 hours after biopsy for optimal patient care, including night, weekend, and holiday coverage. I am also an active participant in the weekly Interhospital Renal Rounds held in conjunction with the nephrology faculty of the University and Memorial campuses of the UMass Memorial Medical Center, as well as our cross-town colleagues at St. Vincent’s Hospital / Worcester Medical Center. Click here for more information on diagnostic consultation services for medical renal biopsies.

Teaching Activities:

I have a strong interest in medical student teaching. I am a co-director of the Organ System Diseases course covering pathophysiology, pathology, and pharmacology and spanning the first and second years of medical school. I serve as the co-director for the Renal Block in the Organ System Diseases course, as well as a lecturer in the Cardiovascular, Musculoskeletal / Dermatology, and Reproductive Blocks of the same course. I am also an immunology small group leader in Host Defense and Blood in the first year. I also routinely teach renal pathophysiology and histopathology to pathology trainees and nephrology fellows through classroom seminars and multiheaded microscope sessions, and started the Flexible Clinical Experience in Pathology for rotating third year students.

Research Activities:

My basic science research interests are in varied areas of T cell immunobiology. I study the effects of affinity of the T cell receptor for MHC-peptide on the primary and memory responses of the CD4 T cell repertoire in a murine model of viral infection, as well as the role of modulators of T cell function on affinity-based responses and their applicability to vaccine design. In addition, I am involved in several collaborative projects with investigators at UMass, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, primarily as a diagnostic pathologist, predominantly in murine models of disease. My clinical and translational research interests lie in renal diseases, transplant immunology, autoimmunity, host response to infection, and vascular biology and involve human subjects research and relevant experimental animal models.