As a pharmacist, being actively involved in research geared towards drug discovery and development has always been my long-term career goal. Unlike my Master of Public Health program, where my research was focused on an environmental pollutant (mercury), my work started aligning with my long-term goal when I started my PhD program. My doctoral research work was on nicotine addiction, and it was specifically centered on investigating the role of glia (non-neuronal cell types) during chronic nicotine use and withdrawal.
Findings from my series of experiment revealed a novel role for microglia in nicotine dependence. My growing interest in studying microglia biology in health and disease led me to start pursuing a post-doctoral study in a microglia research lab. Going forward, I will be continuing my research studying the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s disease