Jennifer J Schlezinger

Dr. Schlezinger received her B.S. from Boston College in 1992 and her Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Biological Oceanography in 1998. Her PhD research involved the study of the molecular mechanisms of PCB toxicity in a marine fish model. Since coming to Boston University School of Public Health as a post-doctoral researcher in 1998, she has worked closely with Dr. David Sherr on immunotoxicology studies. Dr. Schlezinger is an active member of the Society of Toxiology. Her studies focus on the mechanisms by which environmental contaminants impair the immune system, with particular emphasis on the effects of these contaminants on B cells developing in the bone marrow. Dr. Schlezinger's studies investigate the role of two receptors, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (an intracellular protein which is activated by dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons/PAH, and polychlorinated biphenyls/PCBs) and the peroxisome proliferators activated receptor-g (a protein which is activated by endogenous prostaglandins, anti-diabetic drugs, and phthalates), in the death of immature B lymphocytes. New studies in the lab, in collaboration with Dr. Tom Webster, are focusing on the effects of exposure to complex mixtures of environmental contaminants.