I have a broad background in molecular and clinical microbiology. My research work focuses primarily on novel treatment and diagnostic strategies for tuberculous and Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Using animal and cellular models during my PhD training at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, we found couple Food and Drug Administration approved drugs that could be repurposed as Host Directed Therapy to improve and reduce the duration of tuberculosis first-line treatment. Under my post-doctoral training at the NIAID, I studied the impact of tuberculosis drug treatment on gut and lung microbiota, and its subsequent consequence on host immune ability to clear remaining bacterial strains from affected organs. I am also involved in many tuberculosis clinical studies at the University of Bamako in Mali since 2007 and have served as study coordinator in many of those studies. During the last Ebola crisis, I was part of the NIAID response team in Liberia and Guinea to implement and conduct the Ebola Phase II vaccine trials. HIV drug pharmacological aspects have also been my interest. Since December 2016, I accepted a Research Assistant Professor position at Northwestern University to work on new diagnostic strategies for mycobacterial diseases at the Center for Innovation in Global Health Technologies (CIGHT) and to serve as investigator in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) clinical studies within the Center for Global Health. My international collaborations are primarily in Mali, Nigeria, Guinea and Liberia.