As a chemistry major, I found it would be most beneficial to speak with Dr. Sandra Chimon Peszek regarding how she conducts research in this field. Dr. Peszek was one of my former professors at DePaul University and was more than eager to share her insight with me. After speaking with this faculty member, I have found that chemists are always conducting experimental research. Dr. Peszek is currently researching the Alzheimer’s amyloid peptide with one graduate student, one post-back student, and three undergraduate students. All of her research is conucted through various experiments while utilizing various instruments. Furthermore, when questioning her about fellow professors at DePaul, she explained that everyone is conducting their own research projects. Most of the research that is being conducted possesses a medicinal purpose; however, one of her co-workers is simply analyzing the structures of certain chemicals found in the body. Therefore, this type of research is strictly chemistry-based. Regardless, Dr. Pesezk has been published in the past by the Nature Publishing Group, which contains science journals, jobs, and information. In addition, she has had two papers published in the Journal of American Chemical Society. Furthermore, she will be submitting three more papers to be published in the near future. Consequently, I believe scientific journals will prove highly beneficial when exploring the positives and negatives of the H1N1 influenza vaccination.
Moreover, since I had a strong idea of what I would be researching for this project, I took the initiative to question Dr. Peszek about her feelings on this topic. She has not personally conducted any research on this strain of flu since it is more biology based, but this is not to say that chemists elsewhere are not experimenting on H1N1. And when it comes to her personal feelings about this vaccination, Dr. Peszek does not believe it is beneficial yet. She shared with me that most vaccines require seven to seventeen years of research to conduct all necessary tests. As a result, the release of the H1N1 flu vaccination was forced since it was declared an epidemic. The brutal side effects are not worth the protection from this strain of the flu.
On the other hand, I encountered a different opinion after speaking with Anh Cao, a pharmacist at the local Dominick’s. Cao received her degree at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and will have been a pharmacist for two years come May. She shared that an estimated three hundred people have ventured to this pharmacy to receive the vaccination. In her opinion, she saw fewer patients than she anticipated. The potential justifications for this lower outcome are that it took such a long time for Dominick’s to receive the vaccine that most people resorted to other resources, such as local medical groups, to obtain the vaccination. Regardless, members of all different age groups have received the vaccine from this pharmacy, with a bit higher prevalence amongst the elderly. Cao shared that most people ask common questions about potential side effects from the vaccination as well as the difference between the regular flu shot and the H1N1. And when asking Cao about her research of the H1N1, it was primarily based upon secondary sources. She mentioned statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control as well as research conducted by corporate. Furthermore, she possess basic knowledge of this strain of flu from school. On the contrary to Dr. Peszek, Cao believes that the H1N1 vaccine is beneficial. She argues that this vaccination is generally the same as the typical flu shot; the H1N1 only covers a different strain. Therefore, if a person can tolerate the regular flu shot, Cao claims that one will tolerate the vaccination for the H1N1 influenza. Furthermore, she states that is highly beneficial for young people, since it is so prevalent amongst this demographic.
After conducting this interviews, I believe that I will be reviewing several scientific journals to learn about clinical trials that were held on the H1N1 influenza vaccination in addition to research the Centers for Disease Control and other secondary sources, such as newspapers and magazines. Nonetheless, it is apparent that there are highly different stances on this issue. So, it will be interesting to see the experimental truth that I find behind this inquiry.
