https://www.lai-lab.com/home daily 1.0 2023-09-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1593193576158-JIFCZ6L6N4CSKTSY1MJU/IMG_20200624_JMV_Logo_Round_Color.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1593717795245-6N6SQQWZ4JBV1COI5ZX5/IMG_20200701_JMV_Venn_Environment_Health_Microbiome_Text2.png Home https://www.lai-lab.com/publications daily 0.75 2024-04-16 https://www.lai-lab.com/research daily 0.75 2020-07-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1593194198801-I5WCSK6GVA3W6WQEYINS/IMG_20200624_PSL_school.jpg Research - School Microbiome & Asthma Morbidity in Children There is a fundamental gap in understanding how to define and create a “healthy” indoor microbial environment for the 300 million children and adults with asthma. We have been studying how the classroom microbiome of children affects their asthma, and how different air cleaning strategies changes the classroom microbiome and improves symptoms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1593194397171-3HFZOFXESEHQHST1MNJM/IMG_20200624_PSL_cf_oxygen.JPG Research - Effect of Hyperoxia on the Cystic Fibrosis Lung Microbiome Oxygen is one of the most commonly prescribed treatments for severe lung disease. We are investigating how oxygen may also change the cystic fibrosis lung microbiome and growth of pathogens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1593194686491-N2L7K34J8E63OTFLQP65/IMG_20200624_PSL_uganda_household_pollution.JPG Research - Household Air Pollution in Rural Uganda There are 3 billion people living largely in resource-limited settings relying on solid fuels as their primary source of household energy. These fuels burn inefficiently, leading to household air pollution, which impacts the health of the most vulnerable. We have been studying the contribution of kerosene-based lighting to household air pollution and how a solar lighting intervention may reduce pollution exposure, improve health, and provide additional collateral psychosocial benefits. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1593194828254-KPC2ZGETVJD8BPLMCQEC/covid19.jpg Research - Immune Dysregulation in COVID-19 Our lab is part of a collaborative effort to understand how immune dysregulation may contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 disease. https://www.lai-lab.com/people daily 0.75 2024-11-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/25da563c-2da9-47f6-8032-51dc7ee05f04/IMG_20210707_peggy_headshot_109_web_460.png People - Peggy S. Lai , MD, MPH Peggy is the PI of the lab. Peggy was born in Rochester, New York but has lived in Taiwan, the UK, Guatemala, Liberia, and the US. She is trained as a physician-scientist in pulmonary and critical care medicine and is dedicated to understanding how environmental exposures affect lung health and the human microbiome. Outside of work Peggy loves fountain pens, Pentax cameras, and travel. Contact: plai@mgh.harvard.edu https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1625853553256-SK4M0EJRGFOLXU0J9LNL/IMG_20210709_Jessica_Hex.png People - Ching-Ying (Jessica) Huang, MS Jessica is a data analyst in the lab. She completed her master's degree in biostatistics at the University of Connecticut with a concentration in quantitative data analysis and data manipulation. As an analyst, she loves being organized so that she can be the "glue" that holds together complex datasets, allowing the research team to see how to move the science forward. During her free time, Jessica can be found traveling, visiting exhibitions, and playing board games. Contact: chuang38@mgh.harvard.edu https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/a91a5890-0c4c-454a-a84e-59e4bbecc4c0/IMG_20210831_Minsik_Hex.png People - Minsik Kim, PhD Minsik is a postdoctoral researcher at the lab. He graduated with his BS, MS, and PhD degree at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). During his prior postdoctoral fellowship, he became fascinated by the microbiome when studying how microalgae treatment of wastewater reduces pathogenic bacteria through competitive microbe-microbe interactions. On holidays, he loves riding something with wheels such as bikes, cars, Segways, and skateboards. Contact: minsik.kim@mgh.harvard.edu https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/a2404d73-9088-483d-85e4-02da01e1a98e/IMG_20230722_ye_sun_6050_edited+2.jpg People - Ye Sun, BS, MD, MPH Ye is currently a pediatric pulmonology fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. She grew up in Connecticut and went to the University of Connecticut for medical school, where she also obtained a Master’s in Public Health. She then finished her pediatrics residency at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, NY. Her research areas of interest include pediatric asthma, health disparities, and how environmental factors influence health outcomes. Outside of work, she loves traveling, trying out new restaurants, and brewing coffee. Contact: ysun39@mgh.harvard.edu https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/ba246d44-9eb4-488a-bef9-6bec31922faa/IMG_20241105_Thi_Tran.png People - Thi Tran, BS Thi is currently a research technician at the lab. Originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Outside of work, she can be found hanging out with friends visiting places, swimming, reading, and playing badminton Contact: ttran73@mgh.harvard.edu https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/a0f523f3-298a-416b-b611-776d7e1751de/IMG_20220618_Lucas_Hex.png People - Lucas Chen, MD Lucas received his MD from the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine in Brazil. He is an internal medicine resident at Metrowest Medical Center in Framingham, MA and a T32 scholar at the Boston University Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Department. His field area of interest is clinical epidemiology working with the Framingham Heart Study, asthma in adults, and global health. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and spending time with his family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/0fca1253-fddb-4f5e-aaa3-3034bd390a6a/IMG_20230718_headshot_laura_brenner.jpg People - Laura Brenner, MD Laura is an affiliated scientist in the lab. She grew up both in DC, North Carolina and San Diego. She has a BS in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Yale University and received her MD form Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She then went for training at MGH for residency and did her pulmonary and critical care fellowship at the Harvard combined program. Her research now focuses on precision medicine and multiomic techniques. As part of the Lai lab, she focuses on the effect of glycemia on the microbiome. Outside of work she enjoys reading, hiking and travel, especially when she gets to try new foods. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1630769026784-BFTCNNEB63XQE4R5J8K3/IMG_20210426_Mike_Hex.png People Mike Kelly, MD Mike is a current Internal Medicine and Pediatrics resident at MGH on a residency sponsored R38 research fellowship. He grew up outside of Buffalo, NY and does love the Bills. His research interests include asthma in children and adults, as well as health disparities. Outside of work he loves to run marathons, cook for friends and hang out with his dog Kipchoge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1630769049214-6DV7HQBM1W6Y25BP0HVQ/IMG_20210426_Edwin_Hex.png People - Edwin Nuwagira, MBChB MMED Edwin was born in Rukungiri, Uganda and has spent most of his time in Mbarara, western Uganda, where he did all his secondary and tertiary education. He is a lecturer in the Department of Medicine at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). Edwin is interested in the long term effects of infectious diseases on respiratory health. His current research is focused on pulmonary function and quality of life after acute tuberculosis infection in Uganda. Outside of academic work, Edwin is a cattle keeper and enjoys watching soccer and rugby. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/a38f58b7-e07e-495b-99ef-8dbe9a6965a6/IMG_20240401_Aribah_Photo.jpeg People - Aribah Baig Aribah is an undergraduate research assistant in the lab. She spent a 6 month coop in the Lai Lab in 2023 and subsequently received a highly competitive Northeastern University PEAK summit award for this work. Aribah grew up in Foxboro, MA and is currently studying Cell and Molecular Biology at Northeastern University in Boston. In her free time, she enjoys board games, crochet, and learning new languages. https://www.lai-lab.com/contact daily 0.75 2023-01-03 https://www.lai-lab.com/news daily 0.75 2026-03-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/d198f96f-074b-4bc9-a760-add751c4b731/Screenshot+2026-03-28+at+06.39.11.png News Air Purifier Intervention for Respiratory Viral Exposure in Elementary Schools. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(10):e2536951. PMID: 41071551. PMCID: PMC12514627. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/2387a2fd-fe3f-4435-a64d-50dea725c077/Screenshot+2025-06-12+at+10.56.58.png News Ye presenting her talk in Denver. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/b5267744-d3ee-49dd-aaa3-f0a77bea41ff/Screenshot+2024-11-05+at+9.57.57%E2%80%AFAM.png News Ye presenting her talk in Denver. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/e6700391-8a5f-45c4-b7ee-cca36bb6aaba/Screenshot+2024-10-02+at+1.56.16%E2%80%AFPM.png News Open wick kerosene lamp (“tadooba” in local language) used for light https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/3509feac-4b57-4f31-9097-3fb4c15a05f9/Screenshot+2024-11-05+at+10.04.55%E2%80%AFAM.png News Chest CT scan of patient at the time of microbiologic TB cure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/e1e24b6a-bf88-4706-ac6f-2b74f97f9783/IMG_20240416_AKB_Aribah_RISE.jpeg News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/d94eabc9-2400-4411-80b8-356151c57452/Screenshot+2023-09-05+at+13.22.21.png News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/7efaa8e5-ade3-4ff5-b207-d82575a02b43/Screenshot+2023-09-05+at+13.16.28.png News Gut microbiome associated with severity of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/b37fdc4d-3a98-4615-82a2-fa888f04ddad/DRAFT_20220628_CDP_CCM_Figure2.jpg News Mediation analysis of race and ethnicity predicting delay to admission, mediated by preferred language. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/fe57de80-dbd0-4057-a66f-bcfd1a301c97/Figure_2.png News Kaplan-Meier Plot of the Probability of Survival from Time of Proning to 90 days. (A) in the entire cohort, and (B) in patients with PaO2/FIO­2 ≤ 150 at time of pronation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/02e88134-4514-4257-af65-2296ffc1be2c/Figure4.png News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/f320480e-0fc9-4fd0-9a53-02cd1c565c73/Figure1_20220303_MSK_JACIP_environmental_microbiome_review.jpg News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/b51e22d7-eb98-478f-84b5-95dd986cdc9a/IMG_20220516_Peggy_ATS_award.JPG News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/8456b322-cc35-475c-905c-d50c05699d8d/IMG_20220516_Edwin_ATS_grant.png News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/251a976b-d10e-44fe-81e2-ec84866604f3/IMG_20220517_Mike_ATS_Symposium.JPG News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/0ade5715-4e5f-4db4-8ede-1048ebf04cab/IMG_20210824_Jake_Jove+filming.png News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1594670352044-RI7Y2GE5PPCG5LHOPPY9/merlin_173504862_da389f57-7f11-4c2b-9711-b645d0e56455-superJumbo.jpg News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1594670435817-Y4V1A1E4SODKX8FTOX91/fmicb-11-00953-g001.jpg News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e10decfc6bbb053d3e1b59e/1594237958645-P6ZTS9KCJE4VG0J7EDFU/merlin_171561201_b2a411b6-00c6-472d-9f44-9673bf09447b-facebookJumbo.jpg News