The research goals of my laboratory are to identify genetic variants that influence gene expression in tissues relevant to complex phenotypes and common diseases, in particular those related to asthma, chronic rhinosinutsitis (CRS), and fertility and parturition. To this end we are using both freshly isolated cells and tissues and cell culture models of gene-environment interactions to dissect the genetic architecture of common diseases. Our studies are conducted in founder populations, the Hutterites of South Dakota and the Amish or northern Indiana, in U.S. and European birth cohorts, and in patient populations from Chicago.