As a Research Scholar at Dale Abel Laboratory, my research is centered in the metabolic effects of skeletal muscle-specific depletion of dynamin related protein 1 (DRP1). I established and validated inducible and constitutive murine models of skeletal muscle-specific depletion of DRP1. My results show that mice with inducible depletion of DRP1 are protected from weight gain and diabetes during high fat diet. The molecular mechanisms underlying these phenotypes involve the endoplasmic reticulum stress response and secretion of myokines such as FGF21 and GDF15. My activities in Pereira's Laboratory include mentoring undergraduate students. I have had the privilege of mentoring 6 pre-med students who successfully received internal fellowships over the last 3 years. I am also interested in clinical research and currently conduct a clinical trial to assess the utility of very low-calorie diet for the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This project is funded by a Stead Family philanthropy grant. I am also a co-investigator in two clinical studies addressing the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic neuropathy led by Dr. Mark Yorek at the VAMC in Iowa City and the principal investigator in four international randomized clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical industries run at the UIHC Preventive Intervention Center.