Author: [AUTHOR] Published on 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM
Emily Plumage, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Ms. Plumage is currently a student at the University of Utah. As an undergraduate, she has participated in the Native American Research Institute (NARI), a program funded by the National Institutes of Health, which introduced her to the field of medical research. This program also connected her with the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Utah. The internship's focus is to provide outstanding laboratory or clinically based research experience while working closely with research mentors. Emily's mentor is Silvia Illamola, who she credits with helping her to see the positive impact that research can have on patient care: “[Dr. Illamola] has played an influential role in my continued involvement with pharmacology research.”
Pediatric medicine is the main area where Emily's interests lie. She is “fascinated by the differences in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination between adult and pediatric patients.” Her current research specifically focuses on the dosing of an immunosuppressant in pediatric patients, due to a lack of defined therapeutic levels for pediatric patients. Emily's interest stems from an embryology class that she took as a sophomore. She believes that embryology gives reason to why the human body works the way it does. She describes herself as “constantly amazed by this area of study.” She goes on to say that embryology plays a critical role in pediatric medicine, and it has heavily influenced her career goal of becoming a pediatrician.
Dr. Catherine Sherwin served as Emily's principal investigator when she was conducting her research through the Division of Pharmacology at the University of Utah. She encouraged Emily to present her research at the Annual Meeting. This is when Emily decided to become a member of ASCPT. Through ASCPT, she hopes to stay connected to current topics that are being researched across the United States. She believes that this will benefit her future career by keeping her in touch with up‐to‐date research. Emily is currently researching therapeutic drug monitoring of Mycophenolate Mofetil in pediatric heart transplant patients.
Emily has been a member of ASCPT since 2018, the same year in which she received an ASCPT Student/Trainee Travel Grant to attend the ASCPT Annual Meeting and present a poster.
