My clinical interest of interstitial lung diseases has guided my research direction, which involves the study of mechanisms of lung inflammation and fibrosis. My KO8 focuses on the role of the chemokine, MCP-1, in the regulation of the pro-fibrotic cytokine, TGFβ1. Other areas of study include the role of TGFβ1 in the regulation of macrophage activation and pulmonary surfactant homeostasis, as well as the characterization of macrophage activation states in different pulmonary diseases ranging from emphysema to tobacco-related interstitial lung diseases.