I am a Professor with Tenure in the Division of Hematology at The Ohio State University (OSU), with a focus on translational research in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). I am the Associate Director for Clinical Research within the Division of Hematology, and am the Section Head for the CLL/Hairy cell leukemia group. I am the PI for multiple early stage clinical trials investigating novel targeted therapies for CLL and other hematologic malignancies, and also mentor junior faculty members in the development and conduct of Phase I studies. I chaired the intergroup Phase III study A041202 which investigated chemoimmunotherapy versus targeted therapy as initial therapy for older adults with CLL, and now chair A041702 which is investigating continuous versus intermittent targeted therapy in the same patient population. These studies are performed in the context of my role as a member of the Leukemia and Cancer in the Elderly Committees of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. My laboratory interests include experimental therapeutics in CLL with a focus on signaling pathways and kinase inhibition. Most of my work focuses on BTK inhibitors, resistance mechanisms associated with BTK inhibitors, and strategies to overcome resistance. Our group characterized the first group of patients resistant to ibrutinib and discovered novel mutations in the B cell receptor signaling pathway which confer resistance to this agent. I lead preclinical and clinical endeavors to identify risk factors for the development of resistance to BTK inhibitors and explore novel pathways to prevent or circumvent resistance.