The research he is conducting in collaboration with Washington DC Veterans Medical Hospital and Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in the amount of 798,324 from 2012-2018 is funded by Veterans-Historically Black Colleges University (VA-HBCU) Research Training Grant to investigate the expression levels of bi-directional genes or proteins in aggressive and non-aggressive prostate cancer specimens obtained from a cohort of African American and Caucasian men who have undergone transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy (TRUS). The goal is to produce signature markers that can be used to build a risk prediction model for aggressive prostate cancer. He is the first recipient of the VA-HBCU award.