My research focus on the role of gut-brain axis in mediating energy signals to the central nervous system. Our lab is specifically interested in the role of that axis in the setting of bariatric surgery which is currently the most effective therapy available for morbid obesity and its complications.  I have a solid background in clinical medicine and translational research in the fields of obesity, energy balance and glucose metabolism.  As a young investigator, I finished my clinical training in gastroenterology and obesity medicine at UT Southwestern (Dallas, TX) where I also did my post-doctoral fellowship in the division of Hypothalamic Research. The training was funded by a T-32 grant from NIH (DK007745) and it allowed me to get introduced to basic concepts of energy and glucose homeostasis in order to apply them to bariatric surgery models in rodents which I helped develop (like gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. In addition, I was also certified as a diplomat of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) in January 2014 and as a result of my clinical background in obesity and nutrition, I believe that I have the ability to identify and appreciate gaps in current therapy available for obesity and its associated metabolic disorders and the implication of translation research in closing that gap. My research experience in studying energy and glucose metabolism combined with the unique tool of developing bariatric surgery models in mice would open various opportunities for me to better understand the mechanism of metabolic regulation behind this already proven effective therapy. I also grew an extensive network of collaborators within various groups at the University of Iowa as well as nationally and internationally allowing me to make recent important contributions to the area of metabolism and neuroendocrinology such as last paper in Cell report defining new pathway of energy crosstalk along the gut-brain axis.