I joined the Human Toxicology Program in the fall of 2017. My interest in toxicology started during my undergraduate at Buena Vista University. I decided to take part in river assessments of the Robalo River in Puerto Williams, Chile. This experience, the mentoring of Dr. Melinda Coogan, and receiving the EPA GRO Fellowship solidified my interest in toxicology. I was also able to perform several toxicological studies during my time in undergraduate which taught me the importance of the field. 

I became interested in the University of Iowa’s Human Toxicology program after learning about the Superfund Program and the interdisciplinary nature of the program.

Thesis Title: Assessment of the Metabolism and Toxicity of the Dichloroacetamide Safener Benoxacor

Advisor: Hans-Joachim Lehmler, Ph.D.

Year of Graduation: 2021

Program: PhD

Current Position: Laboratory Analyst

Current Employer: Foundation Analytical Laboratories

Publications from Human Toxicology Program Research:

Bao W, Liu B, Simonsen DW, Lehmler HJ., Association Between Exposure to Pyrethroid Insecticides and Risk of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in the General US Adult Population, JAMA Intern Med. 2020 Mar 1;180(3):367-374. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.6019

Simonsen D, Cwiertny DM, Lehmler HJ., Benoxacor is enantioselectively metabolized by rat liver subcellular fractions, Chem Biol Interact. 2020 Oct 1;330:109247. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2020.109247

Lehmler HJ, Simonsen D, Liu B, Bao W., Environmental exposure to pyrethroid pesticides in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults and children: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2012, Environ Pollut. 2020 Dec;267:115489. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115489

Wagner VA, Clark KC, Carrillo-Sáenz L, Holl KA, Velez-Bermudez M, Simonsen D, Grobe JL, Wang K, Thurman A, Solberg Woods LC, Lehmler HJ, Kwitek AE., Bisphenol F Exposure in Adolescent Heterogeneous Stock Rats Affects Growth and Adiposity, Toxicol Sci. 2021 May 27;181(2):246-261. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfab035

Simonsen D, Cady N, Zhang C, Shrode RL, McCormick ML, Spitz DR, Chimenti MS, Wang K, Mangalam A, Lehmler HJ., The Effects of Benoxacor on the Liver and Gut Microbiome of C57BL/6 Mice, Toxicol Sci. 2022 Feb 28;186(1):102-117. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfab142.

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