Nathan Cherrington

Bette Meek

Bette Meek, Ph.D., is recognized as the 2011 Arnold J. Lehman Award recipient for her contributions to risk assessment and regulation of chemical agents.

Dr. Meek is Associate Director, Chemical Risk Assessment, McLaughlin Centre for Population Health, University of Ottawa, having recently completed an Interchange from Health Canada, where she continues to develop opportunities formutually beneficial interactions among the regulatory and academic communities and agencies such as the World Health Organization regarding health risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication.

Widely recognized as a major driving force for the development and application of new technologies and approaches for improving the practice of human health risk assessment, Dr. Meek is especially distinguished as one of the key individuals who have consistently led international efforts to move human health risk assessment forward scientifically. A prime example of her leadership has been her role in fostering the use of science-based methods including weight of evidence frameworks for incorporation of mode of action information and pharmacokinetic data and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling for determining the relationship between external exposure and internal (target tissue) exposure.

A tireless, motivated, and committed contributor and leader, Dr. Meek has clearly demonstrated sustained and outstanding contributions to the knowledge and practice of hazard characterization, dose response assessment, exposure assessment and risk characterization. Her efforts have led to major progress in the use of new methodologies in the health assessments conducted by Health Canada, and, through her work for national and international agencies, around the world. Among other attributes Bette is articulate, erudite, humorous, forward thinking, tenacious, and steely, making her a savvy opponent in any argument using well thought out, logical, and consistent thinking with the latest science or the appropriate application of the newer methods.

Dr. Meek has moved the field of regulatory toxicology and risk assessment significantly forward though innovative thinking and principled risk assessment practice. In recognition of her achievements, the SOT Awards Committee is pleased to announce Dr. Bette Meek as the recipient of the 2011 Arnold J. Lehman Award.

The Honorable Judy Biggert, United States House of Representatives Serving the 13th District of Illinois

United States Representative Judy Biggert (13th District—Illinois) is recognized as recipient of the 2011 Congressional Science Leadership Award. Since 2009, SOT’s Congressional Task Force and SOT Council have worked hard to select those Congressional leaders who have consistently pursued public policy that is based on sound scientific principles and who have supported those legislative initiatives that have advanced protection of human, animal, and environmental health. Those who have been selected have received the Society’s Congressional Science Leadership Award.

This year, the Society is pleased to honor Congresswoman Biggert for her longstanding support for science and health research and for clean and alternative forms of energy as well as her strong opposition to club drugs and genetic discrimination. She is a champion of scientific integrity and a valued leader in providing federal support for research and development in our agencies and universities. Based on her leadership and service to science, the SOT recognizes Judy Biggert with the 2011 SOT Congressional Science Leadership Award.

The Honorable Amy Klobuchar, United States Senate

We are pleased to honor United States Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota with the Congressional Science Leadership Award. Senator Klobuchar became the first woman elected to represent the State of Minnesota in the United States in 2006. She has had a long history of bipartisan support for science and health research, and for advancing clean and alternative forms of energy. She is commended for her strong positions on consumer product safety and on breast cancer education. She is the author of the EARLY Act, which is designed to provide increased support and awareness to young women about the risks of breast cancer. She is a champion of scientific integrity, and a valued leader in directing federal support for research and development to our agencies and universities.

Oliver Hankinson

Oliver Hankinson, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Director, Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Molecular Toxicology, at the University of California, Los Angeles, is the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Toxicology Scholar Award.

For over thirty years, Dr. Hankinson has had a record of making seminal contributions to research in Toxicology. One of his most outstanding contributions being the identification, cloning and functional characterization of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Nuclear Translocator (ARNT) protein, which presaged a transformational explosion in our understanding of the mechanisms of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (dioxin) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogenesis and toxicity, and the organism’s response to hypoxia.

Dr. Hankinson is the founding and current Director of the UCLA Molecular Toxicology interdepartmental Ph.D. program (IDP). In 2000 he secured a training grant for the Molecular Toxicology program from the University of California Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program (UC TSR&TP). This grant was considered seed funding, and expired in June, 2008, when he was awarded a training grant in Molecular Toxicology from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in July, 2008. The NIEHS grant supports 4 pre-docs and 2 postdocs. This was the only new training grant awarded by the NIEHS in 2008.

The research of Dr. Hankinson’s laboratory has provided, and continues to provide, fundamental insights into the mechanisms whereby mammals respond to chemical carcinogens and hypoxia. For example, his recent research has documented roles for coactivator proteins and for chromatin modification during the activation of gene transcription by dioxin and hypoxia. The observations his group has made are highly relevant to diseases responsible for a major proportion of human mortality in the U.S.A, including cancer, heart attack, stroke, asthma and chronic lung disease. Furthermore, his laboratory has been an important source of reagents for other research groups.

In recognition of his substantial and seminal scientific contributions to our understanding of the science of toxicology, Dr. Hankinson is presented the 2011 SOT Distinguished Toxicology Scholar Award.

Michael Gallo

Michael Gallo, Ph.D., ATS, DABT, Professor, Environmental and Occupational Medicine; Adjunct Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Member of the Graduate Faculty, Rutgers College of Pharmacy, is the recipient of the SOT 2011 Education Award. Professor Gallo continues to enjoy a long and distinguished career in Toxicology. His pre-doctoral and postdoctoral training were conducted at the Albany Medical School of Union University, Albany, New York, under the tutelage of Professor Fred Coulston, a Founding member and Past President of the SOT.

Having begun his career in 1972 as a toxicologist in the drug industry, he was appointed Director of the Toxicology Division in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Rutgers (now Robert Wood Johnson) Medical School of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), New Brunswick, NJ, in 1980. Most of his research career has focused on dioxin, its receptor, and its biological activities and he has authored more than 90 research articles. Among his most significant contributions to toxicology are as a mentor and role model to graduate students. Among his many accomplishments, he was instrumental in the inception, development, and success of the Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology sponsored by Rutgers the State University of New Jersey and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of UMDNJ, which has successfully graduated more than 100 Ph.D. candidates in Toxicology.

Professor Gallo’s educational activities go beyond the university. He has been very active in resurrecting the the Gordon Conference on Toxicology, one of the most important educational opportunities available to the toxicological community. He has also served on numerous national committees, including NAS/NRC Committees, the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board, and the National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors, among others. He brings his experiences on these panels directly to the students to insure that they have an appreciation of the part that their own research may play in deciding upon national policies relating to chemicals.

As he truly represents the best and most important aspects of the toxicology educator, the Society is pleased to name Dr. Michael Gallo the recipient of the SOT 2011 Education Award.

Joan B. Tarloff

Joan B. Tarloff, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, is the recipient of the 2011 SOT Endowment Fund 50th Anniversary Undergraduate Educator Award.

Throughout her career, Dr. Tarloff has exemplified the philosophy that in order to build for the future of toxicology, one must first excite the students at the undergraduate level. As one of the few programs offering a B.S. level program in toxicology, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP) has provided many opportunities for Dr. Tarloff to influence undergraduates. She has been active in shaping this program, especially the core coursework in Biochemical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Research Techniques in Pharmacology and Toxicology and Biomethods in Pharmacology and Toxicology, and has served as Program Director from 1988 to 1996.

Dr. Tarloff traditionally has carried a heavy teaching load for several course classes at USP. She is the course coordinator and a lecturer for Pharmacology I and II, and is an integral lecturer in Physiology, with approximately 20 contact hours teaching in renal physiology. In addition, Dr. Tarloff is a course coordinator and lecturer for Principles of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology.

Dr. Tarloff is consistently accessible and works with the students to solidify concepts that are critical to their success as pharmacists and scientists. For those students in the Pharm/Tox program, Dr. Tarloff invests additional time mentoring them, preparing them for careers and encouraging them to pursue graduate degrees. Dr. Tarloff also has an active research program and has received NIH grant support. She inspires people, and this is evident in the quality of her former students that have completed graduate school.

Dr. Tarloff has also been active in the Society of Toxicology, serving in the Mechanisms Specialty Section, and the Communications Committee. In appreciation and recognition of her achievements, the Society is pleased to present Dr. Joan Tarloff with the 2011 SOT Endowment Fund 50th Anniversary Undergraduate Educator Award.

Joseph F. Borzelleca

Joseph F. Borzelleca, Ph.D., is presented the SOT 2011 Founders Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership in fostering the role of toxicological sciences in safety decision-making through the development and application of state- of-the-art approaches that elucidate, with a high degree of confidence, the distinctions for humans between safe and unsafe levels of exposures to chemical and physical agents.

One of the early leaders in the Society and an enthusiastic participant in all of its affairs, Dr. Borzelleca has served as a Councilor, Secretary, and President (1973–1974) of the Society.

As an effective and persuasive spokesman for our discipline, he has represented SOT and our discipline in various governmental agencies—including the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Cancer Institute, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and National Institute for Mental Health—and has been a vigorous proponent for good science and toxicology in several prominent roles in the National Academy of Sciences, the World Health Organization and a variety of other national and international organizations.

He has served as the editor of Food and Chemical Toxicology since 1992 and is on the editorial board of nine other journals. His contributions to food safety are especially noteworthy. A review of his many publications in the peer-reviewed literature reveals many that deal with food additives or contaminants. His work did not stop with the publication of the results of well-designed and conducted studies. He regularly took the next step and championed the use of the science in safety evaluations. He personally contributed to evaluations of the health aspects of over 100 compounds used as food ingredients or having the potential to contaminant foods.

A passionate and dedicated teacher of graduate and medical students and an advocate for toxicology in all of his many scientific activities, Dr. Borzelleca is recognized both nationally and internationally as a distinguished expert in food toxicology. He is a mentor to his fellow toxicologists, an example to follow for his students and a joy for all who know and work with him.

For his extraordinary achievements and contributions to ensuring the safety of food, the Society recognizes Joseph F. Borzelleca as the 2011 Founders Award recipient. His career epitomizes the use of toxicological science to create a healthier world.

Masayuki Yamamoto

Masayuki Yamamoto, M.D., Ph.D., is awarded the 2011 SOT Leading Edge in Basic Science Award for his discovery and characterization of the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway, a seminal scientific advance that is having a profound and pervasive impact on the field of toxicology. Currently Vice President, Tohoku University, and Dean of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan, he is an incredibly productive scientist, publishing regularly in high impact journals.

Over the past decade, the transcription factor Nrf2 has become recognized as a master regulator of adaptive responses to oxidative and electrophilic stresses. Expression levels, polymorphisms and mutations in the pathway all affect susceptibility of mammals to a wide range of toxicants. Dr. Yamamoto has been at the forefront of defining both the molecular details of signal transduction via Nrf2 and the mechanisms underlying cell survival via this pathway. He and his colleagues have recently used the tools of molecular biology, mouse genetics and structural biology to describe the intricate details of how chemical signals are transduced through Keap1 to allow Nrf2 to accumulate in the nucleus and activate or repress its target genes.

Dr. Yamamoto has identified and characterized to a remarkable level of depth in a short period a signaling pathway that influences the toxicological responses of a wide range of agents. The importance of this pathway in human disease, especially that with underlying environmental etiologies, is only beginning to emerge, but will be a topic of intense investigation over the next few years.

Dr. Yamamoto has clearly shown his dedication to basic toxicological research throughout his scientific career. He has published more than 400 research articles, including 199 Nrf2 papers, in which 113 are toxicology related. He continues to make seminal and significant contributions to the Nrf2 field, having published 124 papers (71 with toxicology topics) in the past five years alone.

In recognition of his accomplishments and impact on the field of toxicology, the Society of Toxicology recognizes Dr. Masayuki Yamamoto with the SOT 2011 Leading Edge in Basic Science Award.

William C. Hays

William (Bill) C. Hays Esq., has represented the Society of Toxicology as Councilor for five decades and has been central to all the activities of the Society. As a Counsellor-at-Law with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, he has extensive experience in all aspects of estate planning, the administration of trusts, and in the settlement of estates. His practice, Hays & Skerry, also extends into the fields of real estate and general business law. Bill acts as trustee on many family trusts and also serves on the boards of numerous charitable and civic organizations. As Counsellor for the Society, he has studiously reviewed all changes to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society, making key recommendations and providing judicious guidance and astute advice in all matters, from the development of new Membership classes to the shaping of the strategic vision of the Society to create a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology. Bill's influence can be traced to the very forming and foundations of the Society and no doubt will extend to the future well being of the Society.

Mr. Hays has lectured extensively in eastern Massachusetts on estate planning and affordable housing. He is a past chairman of the Regional Planning Subcommittee and the Land-Use Committee of the Boston Bar Association. He is a 1955 graduate of Bowdoin College and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1960. The Martindale Hubbell National Law Directory has awarded Mr. Hays an AV rating, the highest rating for legal ability and professional ethics.

Frances Oldham Kelsey

Frances Oldham Kelsey, Ph.D., M.D., is a pharmacologist who is famous for her diligence in evaluating the drug Thalidomide while a physician at the U.S. FDA. The U.S. FDA withheld approval of the drug based on her recommendations and the drug was later found to cause birth defects.

Born on Vancouver Island in British Columbia on June 24, 1914, she graduated from high school at 15 and enrolled at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, where she would receive both a Bachelors (1934) and Masters (1935) of Science in pharmacology. In 1938, she earned her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Chicago where she later taught from 1938 to 1950. During this period Dr. Frances Oldham married Dr. Fremont Ellis Kelsey, a faculty member at the University of Chicago, (becoming Dr. Frances Kelsey) and had two daughters. Also, it was during this time that Dr. Frances attended the University of Chicago’s Medical School and received her M.D. (1950). She interned at Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton, South Dakota, and from 1954 to 1957 was an associate professor of pharmacology at the University of South Dakota. In 1955 she became a nationalized citizen. From 1957 to 1960 she ran a private practice in South Dakota.

During her first month at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey took a bold stance against inadequate testing and corporate pressure when she refused to approve release of thalidomide in the United States. For this she was awarded the highest honor given to a civilian in the United States, the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, by President John F. Kennedy. She went on to help shape and enforce amendments to U.S. FDA drug regulation laws to institutionalize protection of the patient in drug investigations. These regulations required that drugs be shown to be both safe and effective, that informed consent be obtained from patients when used in clinical trials, and that adverse reactions be reported to the U.S. FDA.

In 2005, Dr. Kelsey retired from the U.S. FDA at the age of 90. She was recently honored by the U.S. FDA by presenting her with the first annual “Dr. Frances O. Kelsey Award for Excellence and Courage in Protecting the Public Health.”;

Michael Aschner

Michael Aschner, Ph.D., ATS, is the recipient of the 2011 SOT Merit Award in recognition of his distinguished contributions to toxicology throughout his career. He is currently the Gray E. B. Stahlman Chair of Neuroscience and Full Professor of Pediatrics and Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he also directs the Division of Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology and serves as a Senior Scientist in the Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development.

Dr. Aschner is a worldwide authority in the field of metal neurotoxicity, particularly with regard to methylmercury and manganese. Over the years, he has characterized the molecular mechanisms of methylmercury neurotoxicity, particularly in glial cells. His pioneer work has allowed shifting the “neuronocentric” theory of neurotoxicity to the understanding of the important roles that glial cells play in modulating the neurotoxicity of this organometal and of other compounds. His research in this area has been supported continuously by NIEHS for the past twenty years, and his major R01 grant on this topic was recently renewed for another five years.

In addition to another NIEHS grant that has supported his research on manganese over the years, Dr. Aschner has also served as the Principal Investigator of a major Department of Defense Research Program (Manganese Health Research Program) which has funded his research as well as that of several other laboratories under his guidance and administration. He has also made many other innovative contributions in related fields, showing his ability to identify new trends and needs in neurotoxicology. His early recognition of the potential of “omics” technologies in neurotoxicology has led to important and thought-provoking commentaries on this topic. An extremely productive scientist, he has authored almost 300 peer-reviewed publications, dozens of book chapters, and several books, among other publications.

Dr. Aschner’s contributions to toxicology go beyond his successful research and mentoring of students and younger colleagues; his service to the profession, and organizations involved in toxicology and risk assessment, including the Society of Toxicology, have been highly remarkable. It is a distinct pleasure to honor and recognize Dr. Michael Aschner with the 2011 SOT Merit Award.

Weida Tong

Weida Tong, Ph.D., Director, Center for Bioinformatics, Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), Food and Drug Administration, is the 2011 Translational Impact Award recipient. Dr. Tong is internationally recognized for his leadership in the area of computer modeling and bioinformatics which are areas critical to the development of “omic” biomarkers. These evolving classes of biomarkers generate large quantities of data which must be digested and translated into useful information for risk assessment purposes. One clear example of his leadership in this area as the Director of the Center for Bioinformatics in the Division of Systems Biology, NCTR, has been the development of the Array-TrackTM system for managing genomic data sets which has gained acceptance and been adopted by a number of Federal agencies, universities, and the private sector. With this software, FDA has been able to analyze animal and clinical genomic data submitted as part of the Voluntary Genomic Data Submissions (VGDS) process and in regulatory filings. This system, developed under his leadership, has hence had a major public health impact as a translational tool for genomic data sets.

Dr. Tong has been involved in many cross-agency and intra-FDA center efforts. His ability to work between the realm of molecular biology and computational methods has been critical to the ongoing success of interagency/ interdisciplinary collaborative projects involving scientists from U.S. FDA, ATSDR, U.S. EPA, and NIH/NCGC.

Dr. Tong has a long history of successfully organizing large groups of individuals from different backgrounds to address areas of common concern relevant to the use of genomic data in translational medicine. He is well-known and respected within the genomics community and has been invited to present at many national and international meetings. Based on his exemplary leadership and accomplishments and considerable contributions, the Society recognizes Dr. Weida Tong as the recipient of the 2011 SOT Translational Impact Award.

Saber Hussain

Saber Hussain, Ph.D., ATS, is the 2011 AstraZeneca Traveling Lectureship Award recipient. The award recognizes excellence in research and service in toxicology and enables a lecture tour of Europe to
promote collaborations between European and North American toxicologists.

Dr. Hussain is Group Leader for the Nanotoxicology Section at the Air Force Research Laboratory where
he leads a team of fifteen members in conducting in vitro toxicity evaluation of nanomaterials. His current research assesses toxicity of engineered nanomaterials in unique in vitro co-culture models representative of potential target organs using a spectrum of toxicity end points.

Since 1999, Dr. Hussain has been an adjunct faculty member at the Wright State University (WSU), University of Dayton (UD) and Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) where he has been involved in teaching toxicology courses and presenting training courses. He is a recognized mentor at the Wright State University and University of Dayton where he is affiliated as faculty, and in the Wright Scholar program, NRC, and DAGSI.

Dr. Hussain’s lecture itinerary will serve to familiarize research related to nanotoxicity at both industrial and academic institutions in Europe with the objective to establish productive relationships and collaborations between American and European Scientists. His goal is to gain a better understanding of the European view points on nanotoxicity testing using in vitro models, risk assessment and policy of nanomaterials in particular; strengthen collaboration with European colleagues; and provide great opportunities to leverage cutting-edge technology that benefits the U.S. The Society recognizes Dr. Saber Hussain with the 2011 AstraZeneca Traveling Lectureship Award.

The Board of Publications has selected the paper entitled “Distribution of DNA Adducts Caused by Inhaled Formaldehyde Is Consistent with Induction of Nasal Carcinoma but Not Leukemia” as the best paper published in Toxicological Sciences in the past year (Toxicol. Sci. 2010, 116: 441–451). The authors of the paper are Kun Lu, Leonard B. Collins, Hongyu Ru, Edilberto Bermudez, and James A. Swenberg.

In this paper, the authors used high performance liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry methods with selective ion monitoring (LC-ESI-MS/MS-SRM) to quantify formaldehyde-DNA adducts in various tissues. Furthermore, by exposing rats to [13CD2]-formaldehyde, they distinguished endogenous formaldehyde-DNA adducts from those resulting from inhalation exposure. With this approach, the authors determined that DNA adducts in the respiratory nasal epithelium resulting from exogenous exposure to formaldehyde (10 ppm; 5 days at 6 hr/day) were similar in abundance to those formed via endogenous formation of formaldehyde. The relative abundance of the exogenous and endogenously-formed adducts is notable new information as no previous research differentiated the precise source of DNA damage in the nose, and confirmation of DNA adducts from [13CD2]-formaldehyde support a causal role for genotoxicity in nasal carcinoma. In addition, whereas adducts from the inhaled stable-labeled formaldehyde were detected in the nasal epithelium, no adducts attributed to exogenous exposure to formaldehyde were detected in other tissues, including bone marrow. These observations offer important perspective on whether DNA adducts can be associated with the potential risk of formaldehyde-induced leukemia.

The paper is being recognized because it provides important new data that is both timely and salient to enhancing the mechanistic understanding of the carcinogenic mode of action of inhaled formaldehyde in respiratory nasal epithelium. The results are also directly applicable to improving the scientific basis of human health risk assessment.