Education

• PhD, Microbiology/Immunology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, 1975
• BS, Microbiology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, 1972

Research Interests

Antimicrobial agents/inhibitors, biofilm, caries organisms, cell biology, host-microbial interactions, infection, inflammation, mucosal diseases, periodontal organisms, saliva, mucosal immunity, secretory immunity, ecology, innate immunity

Research Summary

Our interests include host-pathogen interactions at mucosal surfaces including the oral cavity and the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. Our studies examine both innate and acquired soluble host defense factors that are delivered to mucosal surfaces by exocrine secretions. We are also interested in the strategies of both pathogens and indigenous (normal flora) microbes for evading these host defense factors. As professional phagocytic cells such as the polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes employ similar antimicrobial agents to that found in secretions, we are interested in how these function in the cell.

Availability to Mentor

Undergraduate/college student, graduate student, undergraduate DDS or DH student, and junior faculty member