LMNA-associated muscular dystrophy (LMNA-MD) is a group of striated muscle diseases caused by mutations in the LMNA gene, affecting approximately 1 in every 100,000 live births. LMNA-MD causes severe progressive muscle wasting, spinal rigidity, and cardiac diseases, with symptoms typically appearing in infancy to early childhood. Notably, LMNA-MD onset, severity, and survival rate are extremely variable, with minimal correlation to LMNA genotype, a phenomenon observed even amongst closely related affected family members. My research aims to assess the genetic and epigenetic burden associated with different levels of phenotypic severity in patients with LMNA-MD, creating a multi-omics risk score capable of predicting disease manifestation with the overarching goal of guiding clinical recommendations and therapeutic discovery efforts.

Honors/Awards:

Genetics T-32 Pre-doctoral Training Grant (2026 - 2027)

Graduate College Iowa Recruitment Fellowship Award (2025-2029)