My primary research interests are in medical/nutritional ethnobotany, ethnoecology, ethnoepidemiology, and the ecology and evolution of human disease.
Studies of the pattern of molecular evolution of human disease-related genes will provide insight into the origin, maintenance and mechanism of disease [ 19].
To the extent that changing environments, positive selection, antagonistic pleiotropy, and other forms of selection mediate risk of human disease, as well as generate and maintain genetic variation in risk, the evolution of human disease risk becomes inextricably linked with the evolution of modern humans.
Accurate and comprehensive characterization of intra-host viruses would not only improve our understanding of host-pathogen interactions, molecular mechanisms of human diseases, and genome evolution, but also facilitate the development of successful antiviral treatments.
Although mutations or deficiencies in repair can have catastrophic consequences, causing a range of human diseases, mutations are nonetheless fundamental to life and evolution.
The evolution of epidemiologic methods and concepts has been driven by the search of causes of human diseases.
Resolving the genetic complexity of heritable phenotypic variation is fundamental to understanding the mechanisms of evolution and the etiology of human disease.
My research on local/indigenous ethnoepidemiological perceptions of the ecology and evolution of causes and deterrents of human disease includes assessment of the interrelationships between ecosystem ecology and human medical ecology.
Academic focus: Computational methods and analyses of large scale genetic data to enable and learn about human genetic history, evolution and the genetic basis of human disease.
Studying the evolution of the hereditary basis of human disease can shed light onto the origins of human disorders and the factors that cause disease-causing mutations to be retained in human populations.
