My research goals combine my experience as veterinarian and biomedical engineer to develop novel preclinical and translational molecular imaging approaches to diagnose, stage and monitor disease processes. I am committed to innovative and collaborative biomedical research through optical and multimodal imaging technologies, to change the way medicine is seen. In light of this goal, my work strives to illuminate biochemical and cellular events in vivo using non-invasive or minimally invasive detection technologies, including combinations of optical imaging, magnetic resonance, nuclear medicine imaging, ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging as complementary methods for interrogating pathological conditions, enhancing information content beyond the scope of individual modalities. The overarching aims of my research are to interrogate molecular events in living systems and to translate preclinical imaging and therapeutic technologies to improve patient care. As a faculty member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the UTSW Medical Center, I work to advance the cancer research program in the areas of fluorescence guided surgery, depth-independent phototherapy, diagnostics and therapy of hematological cancer. I am also an integral member of the team, alongside Dr. Achilefu and others, advancing clinical trials for evaluating LS301, a cancer-targeted fluorescent tracer, and the Cancer Vision Goggle device for illuminating cancer margins during surgery via augmented reality.