Several years ago I decided to leave the legal field and pursue a career in forensic chemistry. After completing an undergraduate program in chemistry with a criminalistics emphasis at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, I began work on a PhD in analytical and physical chemistry at the University of Iowa. Toxicology and forensic chemistry share the trait that everything is a potential sample. This gives me a reason to inflict my curiosity upon the world and I have become enamored with the field. The knowledge I have gained from the Human Toxicology program has been of great value to me in the cancer diagnosis project in the Chemistry Department. I feel obtaining a Masters degree in Human Toxicology will give me the ability to more freely cross the assumed lines between chemistry, biology and medicine.

Thesis Title: The Effect of Low Dose Radiation on Lymphomagenesis in a Bax Over Expressing Mouse Model (full text)

Advisor: Douglas Spitz, Ph.D.

Year of Graduation: 2012

Program: M.S.

Passed away 2021

Publications from Human Toxicology Program Research:

Jacobus JA, Duda CG, Coleman MC, Martin SM, Mapuskar K, Mao G, Smith BJ, Aykin-Burns N, Guida P, Gius D, Domann FE, Knudson CM, Spitz DR, 2013, Low-dose radiation-induced enhancement of thymic lymphomagenesis in Lck-Bax mice is dependent on LET and gender, Radiat Res.;180(2):156-65. PMCID: PMC3821998