I currently hold a position as a first year Research Fellow within the Veterans Affairs (VA) Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Centers division (GRECC) in Denver, Colorado. My research focuses on the role of white blood cells in the immune response to central nervous system injury and disease, and disruption and recovery of motor function. I have a broad technical background in biological sciences with expertise in molecular biology, histology techniques, and gait analysis after injury. I have studied various models of injury and disease including humans, hibernating ground squirrels, rats, mice, pigs, cats, dogs, and African pygmy hedgehogs. I also have a clinical background working at neurorehabilitation physical therapy facilities, experience which has guided my abilities as a translational researcher. My primary mentor within the GRECC at the VA is Dr. Joshua Yarrow who studies pharmacological and activity-based therapies to enhance musculoskeletal integrity in aging patients and those and after spinal cord injuries.