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. Dr. Schlezinger is an active member of the Society of Toxicology. Her PhD research involved the study of the molecular mechanisms of PCB toxicity in a marine fish model. Coming to Boston University School of Public Health as a post-doctoral researcher in 1998, she worked closely with Dr. David Sherr on investigating the immuntoxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Now, the overarching goal of her laboratory’s research is to determine how exposure to environmental toxicants impair bone and adipose homeostasis, which lays the foundation for osteoporosis and metabolic disease. Dr. Schlezinger's lab investigates nuclear receptor activation (e.g. PPARg, RXRs, LXRs) in bone forming cells and the physiological impact of environmental chemical-driven changes in the activities of these receptors. they also investigate the hypothesis that environmental obesogen-driven changes in the balance of adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation from multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells underlies susceptibility to loss of bone. Adipocyte differentiation in bone marrow is a feature of aging and a significant contributor to osteoporosis. The lab has expanded its focus to include examining the role of environmental toxicants in development of metabolic disease. They are testing the novel hypothesis that environmental ligands selectively activate PPARg’s activities, contributing to the development of pathological adipose tissue and metabolic dyshomeostasis. This work has been built upon their identification of a novel environmental PPARg ligand, triphenyl phosphate, which is a component of the obesity-inducing flame retardant mixture Firemaster 550. The newest aspect of Dr. Schlezinger's research is an investigation of the impact of early life exposure on life-long metabolic and bone health.