Our laboratory utilizes human genetic approaches to gain insight into blood cell production (hematopoiesis) and how this process is perturbed in disease states. We study rare genetic blood disorders and the genetics underlying variation in hematopoiesis in large population-based studies. We also perform mechanistic functional studies in primary human hematopoietic cells to obtain a deeper understanding of hematopoiesis. We are particularly interested in gaining insight into the genetic basis of a variety of blood disorders, obtaining a deeper understanding of the developmental regulation of hemoglobin switching, and in developing tools that can be used for functional follow up of human genetic studies.