Q: You were the 2021 recipient of the Innovative Teaching & Research Grant. Any updates on your project, “CannFall: Evaluating Blood Biomarkers of Cannabis Use After Geriatric Falls?”

A: We are thrilled to share that we were able to present an abstract with some of our promising results during the 2023 ACMT conference. Currently, we are eagerly awaiting the statistical analysis and working on further chart review that will pave the way for at least one publication. Our aim is to complete this publication by the end of 2025 and submit it to a journal at that time.

Q: Did you learn anything memorable or unexpected during the grant cycle?

A: It was a valuable experience essential to my career development as a toxicologist and researcher. Beginning with writing a grant application that in every way resembles those that I will write in the future, it was an excellent primer. I had yet to anticipate the complexity of grants administration within our (and I expect other) institutions. Learning about this process was fascinating and important for future funded work.

Q: You've also participated in the Medical Toxicology in Industry Fellows Rotation. What were some key takeaways from that unique experience?

A: I loved the rotation. It was great to meet a toxicologist outside of my institution who had a very different career path than those I have learned from. It was wonderful also to meet such an incredible and diverse set of scientists who are genuinely passionate about their work and believe in the good it is doing for the world. Additionally, it greatly enhanced my understanding of regulatory sciences and what safety and environmental testing goes into the development of GMOs, pesticides, and herbicides. I had yet to anticipate the international nature of this rotation and the understanding it gave me as to how regulation looks different in Europe, Brazil, and East Asia. Beyond this, it was great to dive deeper into generic medications and their regulations, as well as drug development and the associated regulatory work and research that goes into their acceptance by the FDA. Overall it was a fantastic experience that I continue to encourage our fellows to be involved with.

Q: How has the MTF helped with your professional growth and development? 

A: It gave me a valuable experience in grant writing as well as developing and getting my own project off the ground. It has opened some doors to additional work and funding in my department both in related and unrelated domains. I look forward to further work as a collaborator and principal investigator as my work continues.