Since early childhood, I dreamed of becoming a pianist and making people happy by giving joy through music. However, as I volunteered at hospitals and rehabilitation facilities during high school years, a desire to provide a more practical help for sick people drew me to the field of medicine. Our immune system is fascinating in that you need to have the right balance to stay healthy, and it can affect virtually all organ systems in your body. An over-excited immune system can give you allergies or autoimmune disease, whereas if you don't have enough immunity, it will leave you vulnerable to serious infections. It is rewarding to see a miserable child suffering from allergies, asthma or eczema become happy and smiley after a little bit of help from me. I am incredibly grateful when I am able to identify serious immune deficient states such as SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency), and have the opportunity to save the child's life through early diagnosis and management. Outside of work, I spend most of my time with my family. My husband and I love to travel and we try to plan at least one family trip a year with our two little boys.
I am investigating the role of the infrequently studied immune cells monocytes and macrophages, and how their activation drives immunologic conditions and impact our organs such as brain and heart.