I work as a clinician-scientist with a focus on airway surgery and conditions that affect voice, breathing, and swallowing in children. My research training and experience are in both basic and clinical scientific research and am currently focused on developing novel, quantitative approaches for assessing airway obstruction for use in clinical decision making. I am also a double board certified Complex Pediatric Otolaryngologist; my clinical knowledge and busy practice provide me with insight regarding the challenges associated with diagnosing and managing children with airway obstruction. My current research focus is on the integration of computer vision, computational fluid dynamics, 3-dimensional printing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to develop novel, quantitative approaches to diagnose and risk stratify children with airway obstruction. I lead a collaborative research team including clinicians (Pediatrics, Otolaryngology, Plastic Surgery, Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics), health physicists, computer scientists, biostatisticians, and mechanical engineers.

My team is focused on advancing the treatment of infants and children with complex airway conditions via interdisciplinary collaboration and the application of engineering and computer science technology to clinical problems. We collaborate with a diverse network of colleagues to develop novel diagnostic and risk stratification tools for children with complex airway conditions via integrating advanced computational methods such as computer vision, computational fluid dynamics, 3-dimensional printing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence with currently available diagnostic modalities and clinical practices.

We are also studying the molecular mechanisms underlying airway development. We are currently studying clinical populations as well as mouse models of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FRFR) related syndromes (Pfeiffer, Crouzon, Apert, Beare-Stevenson) to elucidate the role of the FGFR signaling pathway in tracheal patterning and development. We view this work as foundational to the development of topical and systemic targeted therapies for the treatment of airway stenosis. We are also focused on clinical studies aimed at improving the care and treatment outcomes for patients with complex airway disorders related to FGFR associated syndromes.

A last area of interest for our group is the medical and surgical management of congenital and malignant masses of the head and neck in children. We have developed a robust clinical and basic scientific research team focusing on molecular characterization, targeted therapies, and surgical outcomes for patients with vascular anomalies, thyroid carcinoma, and rare tumors of the head and neck.