My research focuses on fundamental questions in the tracking and early identification of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) to better target and evaluate control interventions. I have specialized training in clinical research methods, statistical prediction, repeated measures, and causal inference through doctoral work in the Division of Epidemiology, UC Berkeley. I have served as a consultant to the WHO, USAID, and PAHO for the development of regional and national TB management guidelines. Because of my commitment to work with critically underserved populations, I have been attracted to global health projects with strong programmatic relevance throughout my career. I have experience conducting prospective studies in challenging environments, including a one-year field assignment in eastern D.R. Congo, and in Zimbabwe, where we oversaw treatment of the first cohort of drug-resistant TB patients (2011), undertook the first modern characterization of DR-TB in the country (2014), carried out a pragmatic diagnostic RCT of GeneXpert MTB/RIF (2014), and consulted on national TB (2014) and DR-TB (2016) prevalence surveys.

Within the NIH Division of AIDS Clinical Trials Group, I lead an ACTG phase IIc trial (protocol A5362) examining the sterilizing activity of the repurposed agent clofazimine and the new rifamycin rifapentine; this trial will enroll TB patients at nine sites in seven countries. I am Industry Contact and Protocol Design Lead for molecular drug susceptibility testing for the Rapid Research for Diagnostics Development in TB Network (R2D2 TB Network). My work also focuses on determining mechanisms of M. tuberculosis clonal evolution under treatment, the longitudinal clinical significance of micro-heteroresistance, and on developing assays for non-invasive therapeutic drug monitoring. Collectively, these experiences provide distinct perspectives on keystone problems with high clinical impact, bench-to-bedside translation barriers, and scientific conduct in a variety of international settings.