Dr. Firmani has been a laboratory sciences educator for over fifteen years and is currently a department chair and program director. Dr. Firmani has been involved in NIH funded research in the area of tuberculosis pathogenesis and more currently is involved in projects that focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning. Aside from working within MLS programs at several universities, she also worked for two years as a PI at the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) where she focused on biothreat characterization research and had the opportunity to work in BSL-2, BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratory environments. In addition to her administrative responsibilities, Dr. Firmani also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in molecular diagnostics and microbiology within the Integrated Health Sciences department.