My primary research interest is on the host genetic susceptibility to infectious disease. Infectious diseases epitomize a complex disease because both genetic and environmental factors must play a role in susceptibility and progression of disease. The exposure to an environmental pathogen is critical to risk, but genes in the host can influence innate and adaptive immunity and thus the risk of disease and its severity. My goal is to identify the underlying mechanisms of infectious disease by identifying host genetic variants that alter or influence our immune response