Aliza S. 2026 | BASIS Independent McLean
- Project Title: Are the side effects of psychoactive drugs worth their intended purpose?
- BASIS Independent Advisor: Monica Isquith
- Internship Location: APG Labs
- Onsite Mentor: Irfan Saeed
Through this research project, I want to draw attention to the side effects of medications that have been repurposed from their original intent and their impact on patients’ quality of life. While some medications are necessary for patients, altering them for different goals can shift the cost-benefit ratio. This change is not necessarily accounted for by the U.S. healthcare system, where they focus on fast symptomatic relief rather than long-term treatment. During my internship at APG Labs in Baltimore, I will survey patients to learn about their symptoms and medication side effects. I aim to understand the patient's personal experience with the medication and the cost-benefit ratio they undergo.
My Posts
Blog #8: Survey Responses
May 8, 2026
This week, I submitted the final draft of my research analysis, which was a huge goal in the completion of my project. When submitting my work, I started collecting and organizing the results from the survey I created. This survey was created using Google Docs and was posted with a QR code in the hopes […]
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Blog #7: A Turning Point
April 29, 2026
This week, my research took a more focused and concluding turn as I began considering my central question: Are the side effects of psychoactive drugs worth their intended purpose? The more I explored this, the more I realized that the answer isn’t as straightforward as I initially thought. It depends heavily on the context, severity […]
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Blog #6: "Off-Label" uses with FDA approved drugs
April 20, 2026
This week, I decided to look into the different caveats of how FDA-approved drugs are prescribed to patients. According to the official U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the definition of “off-label” use is when FDA approval is not required, and we cannot determine with 100% accuracy whether a given administration has not been officially approved […]
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Blog #5: On-site internship placement
April 16, 2026
This week marked the official beginning of my in-person commute to my internship at APG Labs. During this in-person, I was first introduced to the foundational principles of how an organization works within a laboratory setting. One of my main responsibilities was to develop an inventory log, a tool used to track items. As part […]
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