# Acknowledgements {.unnumbered}::: {.content-visible when-format="pdf"}I am grateful to LMU Munich's Department of Medicine IBE and the support staff and professors therein who have helped enable my success in this program and in this thesis, and who have provided a supportive and enriching academic environment. I extend my sincere appreciation to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Cornelia Ursula-Kunz, for her guidance and support throughout this thesis process (and for always challenging me to write more). As well, my many thanks to Boehringer Ingelheim for their support of this project and the opportunity to work with them on this thesis. I owe tremendous gratitude to my previous mentor, Prof. Katherine Rankin, who has been a great source of inspiration and support throughout my academic career, and without whose mentorship I would not have developed the skills and knowledge necessary to complete this thesis or my master's degree.I wish to thank the friends who have supported me along the way, and particularly those who have been on this journey with me in the Epidemiology program. I am especially thankful to my roommates in Munich who have been an unending source of laughter, support, and companionship during my time here, making the experience all the more enjoyable and memorable, and who have been instrumental in helping me to feel at home in a new city and culture.And finally, I am forever grateful to my mom and dad for their support in all my endeavors, and for supporting me in finding many opportunities to learn and grow and to repeatedly find new homes thousands of miles away from *home*. My heartfelt thanks to my partner for her support, patience, and especially for all the delicious homecooked meals that kept me healthy and sane over the last several weeks. I also want to thank my siblings for their encouragement and support over the last several years. And of course, my gratitude extends to all of our family pets: past, present and future who have brought and bring joy, companionship, and love to my life.:::