My research focuses primarily on the etiology of soft tissue sarcomas and designing pre-clinical models to identify early tumor markers, response to therapies, and potential mechanisms by which cancer evades treatments. Over the last 4 years of my research training I have gained aptitude and knowledge which I believe in combination with my continued mentorship and enthusiasm will enable me to complete the research project proposed. With the support of a 2 year NIH institutional training award and a 1 year K12 Scholar Award, I have used molecularly based functional studies to better characterize the development of pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma. I have also collaborated in a CPRIT funded collaborative project creating new pediatric  derive xenografts and a SPORE initiative project investigating novel therapeutic agents including CDK4/6 inhibitors. Additionally, I have contributed to the creation of an institutional program using a precision based approach to better identify possible molecular targets in patients with high risk cancers and recurrent disease.