Winter 2016

“I think it’s so interesting that something you use every day—like a nonstick pan—could be affecting your body, and in such small amounts you don’t even realize it,” says Maxine Abustan ’18. The biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences junior is currently putting her interest to work on a yearlong research project focused on the effects of perfluorinated compounds on liver toxicity, specifically how perfluorononanoic acid—found in household products such as stain repellants, nonstick coatings, and fire retardants—affects non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in obese mice. Mentored by Associate Professor Angela Slitt, Abustan received a $5,000 Gateway to Research Scholarship from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education this year, and recently submitted an abstract to the Society of Toxicology for their national meeting in March, which she hopes to attend. After graduation, Abustan plans to pursue a Ph.D. and eventually work in toxicology or drug safety. “I think it’s important to learn about the chemicals we come into contact with in our everyday lives,” she says. “It’s important to know as much as we can about how they impact people.”

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