I am a Research Assistant Professor in Pharmacology working at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. My scientific training and current research are in the area of UV-induced skin carcinogenesis with a focus on molecular signaling pathways as targets for chemoprevention. Through this training, I have gained extensive experience with mouse models of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), cell/molecular biology techniques and translational studies. As a faculty member of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, I am currently the Co-PI of Project 1 of the Chemoprevention of Skin Cancer Program Project Grant (PPG).  Through this grant we are investigating the roles of MAP Kinases, PI3-Kinase, and mTOR/Akt signaling in the development of UV-induced NMSC. We are focused on exploring the use of specific inhibitors of these pathways as chemopreventive agents. We are currently investigating the activities of Rapamycin (an mTOR inhibitor), PHT-427 (a PDK1/Akt inhibitor) and the natural product sulforaphane (SFN, a Nrf2 inducer) in skin cancer prevention, the latter as an extension of my K07 Career Development award.  In fact, the PPG recently conducted a pilot clinical trial using topical SFN to examine its effects on epidermal signaling in the context of solar-simulated light.  In addition, we are interested in examining the use of other natural products alone or in combination to boost our efficiency at topically preventing NMSC in the general population and in high-risk patients such as those subject to immunosuppression. We are also expanding our reserach into the role of inflammatory signaling in skin cancer development by exploring the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in UV-induced cell signaling in keratinocytes.