My name is John Hanson, and I graduated from Elizabethtown College in 2022, where I earned my Bachelor's of science with a Pre-Medicine concentration. During undergrad, I spent most of my time on an independent research project focusing on the sensitization of cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic Cisplatin to study its effects on the cell's cell death pathways. Following graduation, I joined the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke within the NIH as an IRTA Postbac. At the NIH I work in Dr. Sibley's lab researching the Drug Discovery and molecular pharmacology of a D1 dopamine receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM). We are currently investigating the PAMs ability to increase dopamine signaling pathways, as well as trying to elucidate the binding site of the PAM. The hope is to use this compound to help drive the discovery of a therapeutically viable compound for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.Recently, I joined Duke University School of Medicine, where I plan to pursue a PhD in Pharmacology. My hope is to join a lab that either studies the pharmacology of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and its down stream signaling, or a lab focused on the effects of different treatments on cancer-related pathways. I find both of these topics incredibly interesting, and I look forward to learning more about the research and community Duke University has to offer!