Jennifer Schlezinger
Profiles

Jennifer J Schlezinger, PhD

Professor, Environmental Health - Boston University School of Public Health

(617) 358-1708
jschlezi@bu.edu
Housman (R Bldg) - R-4
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Biography

Dr. Schlezinger’s expertise is in the field of molecular toxicology and focused on how environmental toxicants usurp the function of ligand-activated transcription factors to disrupt physiological function. In the early part of her career, she focused on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and its activation by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls. She collaborated with Dr. David Sherr, an immunologist, to determine how PAHs suppress B lymphocyte development and impair immune function. This led to her introduction to nuclear receptors, as she transitioned to investigate the effects of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) ligands on B cell development. She found that PPARγ ligands were not only directly acting on the developing B cells, but also changing the microenvironment of the bone marrow, because PPARγ ligands skew multipotent cell differentiation from bone formation to adipose formation. For the past ten years, the overarching goal of her laboratory’s research is to determine how exposure to environmental toxicants impair bone, liver and adipose homeostasis, which lays the foundation for osteoporosis and metabolic disease. She has investigated nuclear receptor activation (e.g., PPARγ, RXRs, LXRs) in bone/adipocyte forming cells and the physiological impact of environmental chemical-driven changes in the activities of these receptors. She then expanded her focus to include examining the role of environmental toxicants in development of metabolic disease, showing that environmental PPARγ ligands contribute to the development of pathological adipose tissue and metabolic dyshomeostasis. Most recently, Dr. Schlezinger’s research has turned to investigating the effects of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on activation of diverse nuclear receptors (e.g., PPARα, CAR and PXR) and the consequences for metabolic and bone health. She also is currently investigating the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 infection with PFAS exposure with viral immunologist, Dr. Florian Douam (NEIDL). To conduct human relevant research on PFAS in animal models, she has developed novel animal models and experimental designs to maximize the applicability of the results to understanding adverse health effects in people.

Other Positions

  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research - Boston University
  • Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students) - Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Education

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, PhD Field of Study: Oceanography
  • Boston College, BS Field of Study: Biology

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHEH705
  • SPHEH768
  • SPHOM701
  • SPHPH720

Publications

  • Published on 5/10/2025

    Ekuban FA, Gripshover TC, Ames P, Biswas K, Bolatimi OE, Abramson J, Iyer M, Luo J, Ekuban A, Hwang JY, Park JW, Banerjee M, Watson WH, Wahlang B, Bello D, Schlezinger JJ, McClain CJ, Cave MC. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure and alcohol-associated liver disease severity in a mouse chronic-binge ethanol feeding model. Toxicol Sci. 2025 May 10. PMID: 40347464.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/15/2025

    Schlezinger JJ, Bello A, Mangano KM, Biswas K, Patel PP, Pennoyer EH, Wolever TMS, Heiger-Bernays WJ, Bello D. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in circulation in a Canadian population: their association with serum-liver enzyme biomarkers and piloting a novel method to reduce serum-PFAS. Environ Health. 2025 Mar 15; 24(1):10. PMID: 40089764.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/1/2025

    Nielsen G, Gondim DD, Cave MC, Heiger-Bernays WJ, Webster TF, Schlezinger JJ. Perfluorooctanoic acid increases serum cholesterol in a PPARa-dependent manner in female mice. Arch Toxicol. 2025 May; 99(5):2087-2105. PMID: 40021516.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 12/6/2024

    Schlezinger JJ, Biswas K, Garcia A, Heiger-Bernays WJ, Bello D. An oat fiber intervention for reducing PFAS body burden: A pilot study in male C57Bl/6 J mice. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2025 Feb; 495:117188. PMID: 39647509.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/21/2024

    Lion AT, Bodine SM, McCutcheon KR, Ghogale M, Chandragiri S, Abayawardena D, Shrestha BD, Descoteaux A, Alvarez K, Balkman JA, Cocke B, Wikramanayake AH, Schlezinger J, Wong JY, Prakash VN, Bradham CA. PFAS Compounds PFOA and Gen X are Teratogenic to Sea Urchin Embryos. bioRxiv. 2024 Nov 21. PMID: 39605628.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 4/25/2024

    Schlezinger JJ, Gokce N. Perfluoroalkyl/Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Links to Cardiovascular Disease Risk. Circ Res. 2024 Apr 26; 134(9):1136-1159. PMID: 38662859.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/20/2024

    Sen P, Fan Y, Schlezinger JJ, Ehrlich SD, Webster TF, Hyötyläinen T, Pedersen O, Orešic M. Exposure to environmental toxicants is associated with gut microbiome dysbiosis, insulin resistance and obesity. Environ Int. 2024 Apr; 186:108569. PMID: 38522229.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/30/2023

    Zahm S, Bonde JP, Chiu WA, Hoppin J, Kanno J, Abdallah M, Blystone CR, Calkins MM, Dong GH, Dorman DC, Fry R, Guo H, Haug LS, Hofmann JN, Iwasaki M, Machala M, Mancini FR, Maria-Engler SS, Møller P, Ng JC, Pallardy M, Post GB, Salihovic S, Schlezinger J, Soshilov A, Steenland K, Steffensen IL, Tryndyak V, White A, Woskie S, Fletcher T, Ahmadi A, Ahmadi N, Benbrahim-Tallaa L, Bijoux W, Chittiboyina S, de Conti A, Facchin C, Madia F, Mattock H, Merdas M, Pasqual E, Suonio E, Viegas S, Zupunski L, Wedekind R, Schubauer-Berigan MK. Carcinogenicity of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. Lancet Oncol. 2024 Jan; 25(1):16-17. PMID: 38043561.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/10/2023

    Dragon J, Hoaglund M, Badireddy AR, Nielsen G, Schlezinger J, Shukla A. Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Affect Inflammation in Lung Cells and Tissues. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 May 10; 24(10). PMID: 37239886.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 4/27/2023

    Pennoyer EH, Heiger-Bernays W, Aro R, Yeung LWY, Schlezinger JJ, Webster TF. Unknown Organofluorine Mixtures in U.S. Adult Serum:Contribution from Pharmaceuticals? Toxics. 2023 Apr 27; 11(5). PMID: 37235230.

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