Our laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive persistent inflammation in hidradenitis suppurativa and other inflammatory skin diseases. We use human surgical specimens, ex vivo tissue models, spatial transcriptomics, single-cell approaches, multiplex imaging, and flow cytometry to define inflammatory microenvironments within diseased tissue and understand how they respond to therapy. A major focus of the laboratory is the inflammatory tissue surrounding hidradenitis suppurativa tunnels and the role of immune-regulatory pathways, including VISTA and TIGIT, in controlling chronic inflammation. We also investigate the mechanisms underlying the clinical effects of ertapenem in hidradenitis suppurativa, including potential immunomodulatory effects beyond its antimicrobial activity. Additional work examines shared inflammatory mechanisms across skin and gastrointestinal disease, including hidradenitis suppurativa and Crohn’s disease, with the goal of translating discoveries from human tissue into new therapeutic strategies.