Education and Training

• BA, BS, Chadron State College, Chadron, NE
• MS, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
• MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha
• PhD, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis
• Postgraduate Training, Medical Genetics, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis

Areas of Interest

• Genetics of obesity and autism; brain imaging
• Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS)
• Genotyping, microarray gene expression and copy number variation; behavioral genetics
• Genotype-phenotype correlations in rare disorders
• Dysmorphology and clinical delineation
• Cytogenetics and molecular genetics

Projects

• Genetics of obesity and eating disorders (e.g., PWS)
• Natural history and genotype-phenotype correlations in rare disorders
• Genomic imprinting, DNA methylation and nutrient-gene interaction
• Genetics of autism in females
• Chromosome 15q11-q13 gene expression patterns: cognition and behavior
• Noncoding RNA patterns in obesity, autism, alcoholism and neurodevelopment
• Integration of genetic and clinical outcome databases
• Development of stem cells in rare disorders

Opportunities for Collaboration

• The role of genetics (gene expression and copy number variation) in obesity and weight reduction in eating disorders (e.g., PWS); nutrient-gene interaction and brain imaging.
• The role of genetics in autism, candidate gene approach in females with autism using X inactivation skewness, cDNA and splicing variants, noncoding RNA and DNA methylation patterns and next generation sequencing
• Epigenetics and environmental factors on noncoding RNA patterns, obesity, autism, cognition, behavior and self-injury.
• The role of neuroendocrine peptides and other hormones in regulating eating, maladaptive behaviors and nutrient-gene interaction.
• Gene structure and function integration with phenotypic and clinical outcomes.