Marie Drottar is a Research Scientist in the Department of Otolaryngology at the Children's Hospital in Boston MA. Her current focus of research interest is in the prevention of ototoxicity from chemotherapeutic drugs. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, and is currently working on a Graduate Certificate in Pharmacogenetics at Northeastern University. She is a past recipient of a Career Development Grant from the American Association of University Women, and is a dedicated advocate of the importance of mentoring younger women students who are interested in the sciences. To that end, she has been a mentor and science fair advisor for the Woodward School for Girls, in Quincy MA, and has been a the Service Unit Administrator for the Avon-Holbrook Girl Scouts. She lives in Avon, Ma with her two (teenage) daughters, a middle school son, her husband and a large assortment of pets.