Contact Information

Office: 372 CNB
Phone: 319-335-7061
Faculty Profile 

Brief Description of Current Research:

A positive family history for a complex disease such as T2DM reflects inherited genetic susceptibility as well as shared environmental, cultural, and behavioral factors that increase risk for developing it. Hence, family history (familial risk) is used as a means to assess risk in complex diseases. Accurate assessment and effective communication of familial risk enhances risk stratification allowing providers to reassure those at background population risk, and to discuss treatment options or behavior changes for those with increased risk. Family history is also routinely used to determine who might benefit from genetic testing and in the interpretation of genetic test results. My current study involves both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the personalizing process of familial-based risk in T2DM. The main objective of the study is to better understand how people at increased for T2DM, due the positive family history come to understand and manage behaviors to reduce their risk for disease.

3 most influential diabetes/obesity/metabolism publications:

• I am new to the topic of diabetes, and I am looking forward to publishing our current findings!

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Ultimately we hope to devise patient-centered strategies to communicate complex risk information to assist individuals, families, and clinicians in the use of genetic/genomic information to affect positive health behavior changes.