--Coordinated multidisciplinary efforts for the discovery of novel antimicrobial agents. Directed research towards target identification, target validation, expression and purification of protein targets, development of assays for high-throughput screening (HTS), hit confirmation, mechanism of action, selectivity and specificity. Provided biology support for HTS, hit validation and hit-to-lead chemistry efforts. Facilitated the development of novel small animal disease models for in vivo testing of selected compounds.--Utilized Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) for metagenomic analysis of human clinical specimens as part of an IRB-approved clinical study to identify novel disease biomarkers. Utilized computational tools (R, QIIME. etc.) for the evaluation of metagenomic data. --Utilized archived data to carry out epidemiological research evaluating the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in relation to patient age and geographical location

--Coordinated a drug discovery effort for small molecule inhibitors of Clostridium difficile toxins for the treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Developed novel biochemical and cellular assays for the evaluation of small molecules. Provided biology support for HTS, hit validation, hit-to-lead chemistry and lead optimization. Developed several small animal disease animals to demonstrate proof-of-concept and validate therapeutic approach. --Developed and validated a novel quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) approach for the identification of microbiome alterations associated with disease. Utilized computational tools to develop a highly accurate statistical model for disease diagnosis. Identified risk factors for recurrent infections based upon microbiological and molecular evaluation of patient specimens. --Evaluated pathogen population structure and its association with antimicrobial resistance and treatment failure using in vitro (Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing) and clinical criteria. Implemented anaerobic microbiology capacities in the research laboratories.--Utilized Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to perform whole-genome sequencing of pathogens to identify novel biomarkers for antimicrobial resistance

--Identified biomarkers of antimicrobial resistance in the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis and developed a patented assay to identify resistance in clinical specimens. Validated this assay in collaboration with the Parasitology branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Implemented this assay in a CLIA-certified laboratory setting.--Used quantitative real-time PCR to comparatively evaluate the impact of anatomical collection site on detection of pathogens in human clinical specimens

--Investigated the role of innate immune suppression in urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli. Evaluated clinical isolates using in vitro infection assays, small animal models and human clinical specimens. --Implemented urinary tract infection testing in a CLIA laboratory setting.--Used PCR and serotyping to comparatively evaluate the virulence and antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli isolates collected from different body sites.