The Lau Lab uses a combination of computational and experimental approaches to study the atomic and molecular details governing the function of protein complexes involved in intercellular communication. We study ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), which are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate the majority of excitatory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. iGluRs are important in synaptic plasticity, which underlies learning and memory. Receptor dysfunction has been implicated in a number of neurological disorders.

Our laboratory is interested in understanding the neural basis of auditory perception and vocal communication in a naturalistic environment. We are interested in revealing neural coding mechanisms operating in the cerebral cortex and how cortical representations of biologically important sounds emerge through development and learning.

Research in the Mary Catherine Beach Lab focuses on humanizing healthcare through investigation of patient-provider communication and relationships. Current research involves investigating the theoretical foundations of respect, as well as the impact of physician attitudes and communication on patients in the primary care setting, with a specific focus on HIV, substance abuse and sickle cell disease patients.

The Boss Lab's research focus is on patient experience, health disparities, and surgical outcomes and utilization. Studies include shared decision-making, communication, and patient/parent-reported outcomes for elective surgery in children; patient satisfaction metrics, outcomes, and health correlates in surgery and pediatrics; patient and family-centered care and communication in surgery and pediatrics; racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in pediatric surgical care utilization and outcomes; and quality and safety in pediatric surgical care

Research in the Amy Knight Lab focuses on methods by which information technology can improve the quality of health care. We investigate the role computer systems can play in expanding patient-doctor communication, streamlining healthcare tasks for both medical students and practitioners, and establishing a higher standard of care. Our studies have explored the effectiveness of semi-automating daily progress notes for improved documentation, peer assessment of professional performance among hospitalists, ways to enable patient-centered care using information technology and other topics.

Researchers in the John Sampson Lab investigate relevant, appropriate, affordable and sustainable ways to improve anesthesia and perioperative care in low-resource settings. The team’s research interests include the Universal Anesthesia Machine; interpersonal relationships between anesthesia providers and their patients; how the quality of those relationships impacts professionalism, autonomy, anxiety, patient cooperation and patient satisfaction; how disease influences cerebrovascular reactivity as measured by MRI; and how education and communication can improve medical care in Africa and other austere environments. The team is currently working with clinicians in Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya.

John Carey’s Research Group conducts research regarding diseases of the inner ear that affect both balance and hearing mechanisms. Key interests include superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS), the normal vestibular reflexes and how they change with age, novel intratympanic treatments (i.e., middle ear injections) for conditions like Menière’s disease and sudden hearing loss, and the mechanisms of vestibular migraine. With Lloyd Minor, Dr. Carey helped develop the operation to repair the superior canal in patients with SCDS using image-guided surgery. Dr. Carey has been funded by the National Institutes of Health – National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to study inner ear balance function in Menière’s disease and steroid treatment of sudden hearing loss.

The Gail Geller Lab primarily conducts empirical quantitative and qualitative research on the ethical and social implications of genetic testing in the adult, pediatric and family contexts. We have focused on clinical-patient communication under conditions of uncertainty; professionalism and humanism in medical education; cross-cultural variation in concepts of health and disease; and clinician suffering and moral distress. We explore these topics in a range of health care contexts, including genomics, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and palliative care. Our researchers have a longstanding interest in medical socialization, provider-patient communication under conditions of uncertainty and cultural differences in attitudes toward health and disease. We also explore the intersection of CAM and bioethics, as well as the role of palliative care in chronic diseases, such as muscular dystrophy and sickle cell disease.

The Bergles Laboratory studies synaptic physiology, with an emphasis on glutamate transporters and glial involvement in neuronal signaling. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms by which neurons and glial cells interact to support normal communication in the nervous system. The lab studies glutamate transport physiology and function. Because glutamate transporters play a critical role in glutamate homeostasis, understanding the transporters' function is relevant to numerous neurological ailments, including stroke, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Other research in the laboratory focuses on signaling between neurons and glial cells at synapses. Understanding how neurons and cells communicate, may lead to new approaches for stimulating re-myelination following injury or disease. Additional research in the lab examines how a unique form of glia-to-neuron signaling in the cochlea influences auditory system development, whether defects in cell communication lead to certain hereditary forms of hearing impairment, and if similar mechanisms are related to sound-induced tinnitus.

The Lisa Cooper Lab is dedicated to researching patient-centered interventions for improving health outcomes and overcoming racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Our primary focus is on the factors of physician communication skills and cultural competence training, patient shared decision-making and self-management skills training. Recently, we have explored patient-centered depression care for African Americans, tactics for improving patient-physician communication about management of hypertension, and reducing ethnic and social disparities in health. In addition, we are currently researching racial disparities in cardiovascular health outcomes for patients living in Baltimore.