The mammalian skin epithelium is an ideal model system to study fundamental questions in stem cell and cancer biology. Specialized stratified epithelia cover the body surface, where they serve as barriers against the outside environment. These epithelia rapidly turnover throughout life and are maintained by progenitors that reside within the deepest basal layer. Our lab is broadly interested in how stratified epithelia are established, maintained, and disrupted in disease, with a particular emphasis on how oriented cell divisions contribute to normal growth and disease pathogenesis. We utilize both the mouse epidermis and oral epithelia as model systems to study stratified epithelial development, stem cells and cancer.