Dr. Simmons is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca. Dr. Simmons is a molecular biologist and health disparities researcher. In his laboratory, he investigates how lipid metabolism affects the immune response in the tumor microenvironment using 3-dimensional bioprinting. He also works to increase the engagement of African Heritage communities in research studies. Dr. Simmons received his baccalaureate from the University of South Florida and trained at the Moffitt Cancer Center as an NCI undergraduate research fellow. He obtained his doctorate degree from Meharry Medical College. As an NIH-NRSA predoctoral fellow in the Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research, he investigated the transcriptional regulation of HIV-1. Dr. Simmons also served as an instructor for CDC-funded Project S.A.V.E.D, which recruited and educated African American clergy in the biology and epidemiology of HIV/AIDS. He was a postdoctoral researcher at LSU Health Science Center Shreveport and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Before joining Cornell, Dr. Simmons was on faculty at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he led the MN Department of Health-sponsored COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Laboratory for Minnesota until 2021.