COURSES TAUGHT

BMS 208 - Human Anatomy

BMS 309 - Laboratory in Human Anatomy

BMS 460 - Regional Human Anatomy

BMS 561 - Prosected Regional Anatomy

EDUCATION

Post-doctoral Fellow, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Anatomy & Neurobiology
Ph.D. - Kent State University, Biomedical Sciences
M.A. Kent State University, Anthropology
B.S. University of California, Davis, Biological Anthropology

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research investigates how primates integrate behavioral and physiological adaptations to overcome ecological challenges in their natural environment.  I aim to understand how these different facets of animals’ biology work together at the organismal level.  My lab provides opportunities for undergraduate and Master’s students to gain experience in hormone analysis, behavioral observation methods, thermoregulatory research, and international field work.

One main focus of my research program is the sensory ecology of foraging decisions.  I am interested in how primates use cues, such as olfactory signals, in order to select foods and communicate information about resources.  This research has investigated exudate feeding by common marmoset monkeys and seeding eating in pithecids.

Secondly, I am interested in how animals utilize behavioral and physiological adaptations to maintain a stable body temperature, as well as cope with the energetic demands of thermoregulation.  My research in this area has covered behavioral mechanisms such as microhabitat choice and use of postures, hormonal mechanisms of thermoregulation, and non-invasive assessment of body temperature via infrared thermography.

Lastly, I maintain ongoing research projects that examine the biological basis for social behavior in primates, particularly white-faced saki monkeys.  I am broadly interested in the ecological, demographic, and physiological factors that drive variation in monogamous social systems.

Please see this link for a list of publications.