Welcome!  We are a basic science research laboratory in the Department of Dermatology, Cell & Developmental Biology and Cellular & Molecular Biology program at the University of Michigan. Our interests are in discovering novel and fundamental insights related to skin and hair follicle biology, epithelial stem cells and cancer.

Our skin is a vital organ of great intrigue due to its immense complexity. Because of this complexity, a multitude of diseases can arise when cellular processes become defective. Some of these diseases are typically mild, such as acne.  Others can be disfiguring, such as ichthyosis.  Still others, such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), are fascinating because of their subversion of key developmental pathways such as Hedgehog signaling. All these diseases are related to studies currently ongoing in our lab. In addition, we are keenly interested in studying how hair follicles grow, and how different stem cells in the skin coordinate their behaviors to drive hair regeneration. Our research is generously supported by the NIH, the American Cancer Society, the Leo Foundation, and the Roof cancer research grant.