2012 Award Recipients & Recognition

Frank J. Gonzalez

Frank J. Gonzalez, PhD, during the last 30 years, has made major advances that have significantly moved the field of carcinogenesis forward. His interests in drug/chemical carcinogen metabolism led to the identification and characterization of many cytochrome P450s and phase II xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. This interest ultimately led to his seminal studies elucidating how regulatory transcription factors modulate expression of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes that contribute to cancer etiology, through the generation and characterization of countless knockout, transgenic, and “humanized” mouse models. Many of the mouse models generated by Dr. Gonzalez during his tenure at the National Cancer Institute have been utilized by countless investigators and have provided invaluable tools to allow for continued progress in the field of carcinogenesis. His most recent research interests have focused on applying metabolomics to bridge the gap in knowledge between genomics and proteomics. Toward this goal, he has established a center for metabolomics where he uses this approach for his own research goals that have made significant advances in our understanding of how xenobiotic metabolism drives carcinogenesis using both rodent and human models.

Dr. Gonzalez has also served as a mentor for many postdoctoral fellows, providing exceptional training that has led to the development of many scientists in the field. He has served on numerous grant peer-review panels, has served as editor/associate editor and editorial boards of many journals, has reviewed thousands of manuscripts for his peers, and has provided hundreds of invited presentations at national and international meetings to share unpublished findings that are of interest to investigators in the field of carcinogenesis. He is among the top ten “most highly cited” authors in the fields of toxicology and pharmacology, and he has held this distinction for at least the last two decades.

Leroy Hood

Leroy Hood, MD, PhD, is a renowned scientist and pioneer in systems biology and medicine. While at Caltech, Dr. Hood, along with his colleagues, developed the DNA sequencer and synthesizer and the protein synthesizer and sequencer—four instruments that paved the way for the successful mapping of the human genome. His accomplishments are many, including the concept of the 4Ps in medicine—Predictive, Preventive, Personalized, and Participatory—which lead to his receipt of this year’s prestigious Russ Prize, awarded by the Academy of Engineering (2011).

In addition to his impressive accomplishments, he is a co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) in Seattle, Washington. ISB was established to address the greatest challenge of 21st century science—understanding biological complexity. Since its founding in 2000, ISB has been a pioneering source of new knowledge, innovative technologies and computational tools, and creative ways of understanding, conducting, and communicating science. ISB is catalyzing fundamental paradigm changes in how the life sciences and medicine are practiced globally.

The Society welcomes Dr. Hood back to celebrate our 51st Annual Meeting as the Opening Plenary Lecturer; he delivered the Society’s 1998 Medical Research Council (MRC) lecture entitled “Genes and Genomes: Deciphering the Periodic Table of Life.”

Donna D. Zhang

Joe L. Mauderly

Joe L. Mauderly, DVM, is presented with the 2012 SOT Arnold J. Lehman Award for his contributions to the application of sound scientific principles to the regulation of airborne materials, and the conduct and management of research that has had special impact on the regulation of airborne materials.

Dr. Mauderly is currently a Senior Scientist Emeritus (in residence) of the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and Director of the National Environmental Respiratory Center. Before his recent retirement, he was Principal Investigator of ACES project on health impacts of new technology diesel emissions and the NPACT project on critical components of airborne particulate matter. He was a former Director of Lovelace’s Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute and President of the Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute.

Internationally recognized for his contributions to the application of sound science in the regulation of airborne materials, he has served on more than 40 national and international committees advising on the science supporting national and international air quality standards and the use of that research in establishing air quality standards. He is author or coauthor of 252 journal articles, chapters and books, and 80 published technical reports. Dr. Mauderly served on Pollutant Specific Panels of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) from 1992 to 2006; and as Chair of CASAC from 1997 to 2000, where he played a key role as a contributor and as a leader of multi-disciplinary panels of scientists and engineers advising on the setting of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter, ozone, lead, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. He is especially known for his research on the hazards of engine emissions, and during his tenure as CASAC Chair, the Committee approved US EPA’s Hazard Assessment of Diesel Exhaust. Since 1998, he has provided leadership for development of the Lovelace National Environmental Respiratory Center (NERC) multipollutant research program funded jointly by government and industry. The research findings from that program are already providing improved insight into the role of individual constituents and complex mixtures of air contaminants from multiple sources in causing disease. Dr. Mauderly continues to manage the NERC Program and assist other Lovelace research efforts on a part-time basis.

Dr. Mauderly is a renowned speaker who is able to communicate with audiences of varied backgrounds, ranging from his scientific peers and students to technology developers to policy makers to the general public. He serves as a role model for others and is a wonderful representative of the science of toxicology. In recognition of his contributions to risk assessment and the regulation of chemical agents, the Society of Toxicology is pleased to announce Dr. Joe L. Mauderly as the recipient of the 2012 SOT Arnold J. Lehman Award.

The Board of Publications has selected the paper entitled “Selective Phthalate Activation of Naturally Occurring Human Constitutive Androstane Receptor Splice Variants and the Pregnane X Receptor” as the best paper published in Toxicological Sciences in the past year (Toxicol. Sci 2011, 120(2): 381–391). The authors of the paper are Joshua G. DeKeyser, Elizabeth M. Laurenzana, Eric C. Peterson, Tao Chen, and Curtis J. Omiecinski.

In this paper, the authors used transactivation and mammalian two-hybrid assays to demonstrate differential selectivity of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on CAR and PXR variants. These results offer an important insight into the mechanism whereby alternate splicing of receptors results in an enhanced capability of receptors to distinguish among a broad range of xenobiotics that possess similar chemical properties. In this way, variant receptors possess distinct ligand-selective activation profiles.

This paper greatly extends our understanding of a fundamental mystery of toxicology—How are a relatively small number of xenosensing receptors able to identify an enormous number of xenobiotics and respond appropriately? The answer contained here demonstrates that alternately spliced human CAR genes transcripts increase CAR’s capacity to serve as a selective xenosensor. Since rodent species appear incapable of producing some receptor splice variants, this finding is crucial to understanding the reasons behind the differences in response to chemical exposures observed for humans and rodents.

Ernest Hodgson

Ernest Hodgson, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, is the recipient of the 2012 SOT Distinguished Toxicology Scholar Award. Dr. Hodgson’s current and recent research activities are extremely important to the characterization of the human metabolism of nonpharmaceutical xenobiotics and to the characterization of the flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs). He is a recognized leader in the field of human metabolism of agrochemicals and also the specific interactions that agrochemicals can have with one another from the standpoint of metabolism, as well as the inhibition of steroid hormone metabolism by organophosphorus compounds (insecticides or their metabolites). Dr. Hodgson’s work in this area is a unique and important contribution to our protection of human health. He has made North Carolina State University renowned for research in human metabolism of agrochemicals.

Dr. Hodgson is well known for his scientific leadership in the field of pesticide toxicology and metabolism, and he has competed successfully for substantial federal support for his research. He has published prolifically. He edits the Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology. He also has edited and part-authored two textbooks of toxicology, both now in fourth editions, and contributed to a variety of review books, dictionaries, and electronic databases. He has contributed to the education of numerous toxicologists and has former students and postdocs distributed among a variety of academic, industrial, and government positions. He is frequently called upon to serve on advisory committees and review panels and has received significant recognition at his own institution by being named to one of the prestigious endowed professorships, a William Neal Reynolds Professor.

Dr. Hodgson has been involved in numerous roles in SOT and other professional societies and always garners the respect of those whom he leads or interacts with through both his wisdom and his dry wit. He has a rather unique talent for analyzing situations and developing appropriate conclusions, and delivering those conclusions in an effective and diplomatic way.

In recognition of his seminal scientific achievements that have advanced the science of toxicology and have given additional recognition and prestige to the field, Dr. Ernest Hodgson is presented the 2012 SOT Distinguished Toxicology Scholar Award.

John H. Duffus

John H. Duffus, BSc, PhD, DSc, CSci, CChem, FRSC, CBiol, MSB, is recognized as the recipient of the 2012 SOT Education Award. The Director of Heriot Watt University’s Edinburgh Centre for Toxicology, Edinburgh, Scotland, since 1989, Professor Duffus has spent a distinguished academic career educating toxicologists. He has held a variety of lectureships there and at other UK universities, and organized and taught numerous toxicology courses over decades. His appointments at the Chulabhorn Research Institute in Bangkok and the Asian Institute of Technology attest to his global influence and keen interest in strengthening training opportunities in developing nations, as do a variety of consultancies he has held to develop toxicology curricula throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. His programs on chemical safety, the teaching of toxicology, and manpower development have been widely used. In addition, he has organized assorted international courses and workshops in toxicology and ecotoxicology.

Professor Duffus is the author of numerous research articles and technical reports for the World Health Organization, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and other prestigious organizations. He is renowned for his widely used textbooks, Fundamental Toxicology and Concepts in Toxicology, and for his efforts on behalf of standardizing toxicology nomenclature through the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). He has also made important contributions to publications and training in risk assessment as well as in educating and providing resources for toxicology educators, including his online presentations, the Science of Chemical Safety: Essential Toxicology. He also serves as a key member of the Steering Team for ToxLearn, a multi-module tutorial being developed jointly by the Society of Toxicology and the National Library of Medicine.

Professor Duffus’ global achievements in the training of toxicologists have been numerous, and praised by his students and followers. He has been responsible, directly in the classroom, or indirectly through his many works, for broadening the intellectual horizons of many hundreds of toxicologists and nurturing those in training. For his dedicated practice and advocacy to the science of toxicology, the Society of Toxicology is pleased to name Dr. John H. Duffus the 2012 SOT Education Award recipient.

John A. Moore

John A. Moore, DVM, DABT, is presented the 2012 SOT Founders Award in recognition of his outstanding leader-ship in fostering the role of toxicological sciences in safety decision-making through the development and applica-tion of state-of-the-art approaches that elucidate, with a high degree of confidence, the distinctions for humans between safe and unsafe exposures to chemical and physical agents.

Dr. Moore has distinguished himself in various governmental and private positions, holding a number of senior positions in the US government, including Deputy Administrator and Assistant Administrator for Pesticides and Toxic Substances of the US EPA, Deputy Director of the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and Director of Toxicology Research and Testing at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

He served for ten years as founder and President and CEO of the not-for-profit Institute for Evaluating Health Risks (IEHR) and recently completed a five-year term as principal scientist at the NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction. Dr. Moore has served on several National Research Council committees, including being chair of the Subcommittee on the Toxicity of Diisopropyl Methylphosphonate and a member of the Subcommittee on Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology.

Dr. Moore has also served as the President of the Toxicology Education Foundation. He also reviewed new scientific data and advised the manufacturer on additional studies that characterized the toxicity profile of perfluorinated chemicals such as PFOS. This work led to the quick withdrawal of such compounds from commercial use in an expedient and orderly manner. At IEHR and later for NTP’s Center for Evaluating Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR), he designed and implemented a program to comprehensively review toxicology and exposure data on reproductive and developmental toxicology. This resulted in the strongest documents on this important area of chemical safety. Although retired, Dr. Moore has continued to serve on various panels and boards.

For his contributions to toxicology and to the safety assessment and regulation of chemicals, the Society recognizes Dr. John A. Moore as the 2012 SOT Founders Award recipient.

Orish Ebere Orisakwe

Orish Ebere Orisakwe, PhD, ERT, ATS, MRSC, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Professor & Chair, Toxicology Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

US University Host: Judith T. Zelikoff, PhD New York University School of Medicine Department of Environmental Medicine.

As a fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences and European Registered Toxicologists, Professor Orisakwe has shown sustained leadership and direction in toxicology, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. His department and toxicology program have been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a WHO Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) that is responsible for food monitoring and assessment. Dr. Orisakwe is a WHO—appointed Adviser, Scientific Expert, and study group coordinator for food additives, lead poisoning, and other toxicology-related issues. To highlight his regional influence, Professor Orisakwe is the African Society for Toxicological Sciences (ASTS) coordinator for Nigeria, an Advisor to the Cameroon Society for Toxicological Sciences (CSTS), President of the West African Society of Toxicology (WASOT), and Coordinator of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), West Africa. He is also the Country Correspondent (Nigeria) for the World Library of Toxicology (WLT) and has been instrumental in identifying other Country Correspondents in Africa.

In recent years Professor Orisakwe’s toxicology program has shown promising growth in the output of quality research papers, increased the number of participants in conferences, and disseminated information in public lectures and awareness campaigns. His current research focus includes: (i) sources, behavior, fate, and effects of metals in the natural and contaminated environments (electronic waste, telephone mast, acid rain, etc.); (ii) environmental justice and disproportionate exposure of communities to environmental pollutants; (iii) environmental/public health problems in the developing countries, especially in the oil rich Niger Delta; and (iv) risk assessment.

The GSSEP will offer Professor Orisakwe the opportunity to interact with world-renowned experts, including his host, Dr. Zelikoff, to develop collaborations, and to identify ways to strengthen his toxicology curriculum, which will be of immediate benefit to his department and program. He also looks forward to using the opportunity to create links that will attract international scholars as Visiting Professors to Nigeria and the surrounding region.

Jesus Olivero-Verbel

Jesus Olivero-Verbel, PhD, PhD Program in Environmental Toxicology (Doctorado en Toxicología Ambiental) Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Campus of Zaragocilla, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.

US University Host: Miroslav Styblo, PhD Research Associate Professor University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Co-Host: Michael P. Waalkes, PhD, Chief NTP Laboratory Branch, NIEHS, DNTP.

Professor Olivero-Verbel is the recipient of numerous recognitions, including Distinguished Research Professor Ivo Seni Canata, Universidad of Cartagena, 2010; SOT/AstraZeneca/IUTOX Travel Fellowship, 2010; Ten Outstanding Young Citizens of the Year from the Junior Chamber, Colombia, 2003; and the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Award for Young Scientists from Colombia, 2003. He has authored or co-authored over 50 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, as well as numerous books and book chapters.

The Global Senior Scholar Exchange Program (GSSEP) will assist Dr. Olivero-Verbel in improving and developing his graduate program in environmental toxicology, the first in Colombia. It will allow the formation of a research network with his host, Dr. Miroslav Styblo and co-host, Dr. Michael Waalkes, as well as with other US scientists that will lead to improved understanding, and the formulation of solutions to environmentally derived toxicological problems in Colombia.

Through the GSSEP Dr. Olivero-Verbel seeks to decrease the gap between economical and sustainable development in the country, leading to less environmental damage and more possibilities for the future of Colombia and indeed the region. Currently, gold and coal mining are high-priority issues for the national government, but these activities are creating environmental problems that are threatening ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. Therefore, the PhD Program in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Cartagena (close to the mining region) hopes to develop platforms where economic growth and the protection of human health and ecosystems can take place together, as well as to develop new research strategies to generate data useful to take necessary actions to halt and prevent further environmental pollution and deleterious effects on humans.

Dr. Olivero-Verbel’s doctoral students will benefit from the GSSEP program, as they will be able to learn any new tools and strategies related to their research interests gained during his US visit, and perhaps his visit will open opportunities for academic exchanges with US universities. Through the GSSEP, a bridge will be built transferring ideas and science between the United States and Colombia, creating ways of thinking that allow necessary international consensus to promote the protection of the environment, as Colombia struggles to attain sustainable development.

Myung-Haing Cho

Myung-Haing Cho, DVM, PhD, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Korea, is awarded the 2012 SOT Leading Edge in Basic Science Award for his extensive research on lung toxicity and cancer, toxicity and efficacy of nanoparticles, gene delivery, and stem cells.

Dr. Cho has investigated the health impact of high dietary inorganic phosphate and found that it increases lung tumorigenesis via altering Akt signaling. With respect to the mechanical basis of lung cancer treatment, he found that the apoptosis induced by 4-(N-methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-butanone occurred initially through Cap-independent protein translation and then changed to Capdependent protein via translation at a later stage. Also, he has reported that aerosol delivery of a complex of glucosylated polyethylenimine/programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) through a nose-only inhalation facilitates the apoptosis of lungs via regulation of proteins relevant to cell-cycle control and suppression of AP-1 activity, providing a more efficient approach to tumor prevention and treatment.

Dr. Cho has been very active in the field of nanomaterials toxicology and their systemic toxicity, and has vital experience in studying for the toxic effects of nanomaterials in lungs as well as in immune systems. He also cleared the mechanism of apoptosis induction by nanoparticles using various cell lines including HeLa cell, CT-26 carcinoma cells, JB6 cells, and lung cancer cells, and validated short-term and subchronic inhalation toxicity of silver nanoparticles with amechanistic explanation in a variety of animal models involving AP-1 luciferase reporter mice, K-ras null mice, A/J mice, and monkey. Among his more recent contributions, Dr. Cho has designed a noninvasive aerosol gene delivery system that makes it possible to reach large surface areas through inhalation treatment. Additionally, he has investigated more efficient ways to treat lung cancer and found that repeated aerosol delivery of carboxyl-terminal modulator protein suppresses lung tumors in K-rasLA1 mice.

Dr. Cho’s accomplishments have paved the way for toxicologists to identify specific targets and pathways of nanomaterials, leading to new approaches to tumor therapy using nanomaterials.

In recognition of his accomplishments and impact on the field of toxicology, the Society of Toxicology recognizes Dr. Myung-Haing Cho as the 2012 SOT Leading Edge in Basic Science Award.

Curtis D. Klaassen

Curtis D. Klaassen, PhD, DABT, ATS, Distinguished Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), is the recipient of the 2012 SOT Merit Award in recognition of his distinguished contributions to toxicology throughout his career.

Dr. Klaassen’s reputation in toxicology research and education has drawn students from all over the world to be trained under his mentorship. Since joining the faculty of KUMC in 1968, he has mentored 121 scientists, including 31 students who received their PhDs and 64 postdoctoral fellows. Among these trainees, many have become pillars of the Toxicology and Pharmacology society, and Dr. Klaassen’s training and continuous support to all his students have certainly contributed to their success and achievements.

Dr. Klaassen has served as editor of the Casarett and Doull’s Toxicology textbook for several decades, and inaugural editor of Toxicological Sciences and associate editor for the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, two of the most important journals for the fields of toxicology and pharmacology. He has published more than 600 research articles, reviews, and book chapters, and has been ranked in the Top five Most Highly Cited Pharmacologists/Toxicologists in the world for the last decade.

In addition to his remarkably productive contributions to the scientific literature and education of the next generation of toxicologists, Dr. Klaassen has contributed professionally in many other ways. He has been elected to 27 different positions in professional organizations, including President of the Society of Toxicology (1990–1991) and President of IUTOX (1992–1995); he also has served on 75 national/international committees of prominence and as the Chair for the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics at the KUMC (2002–2011). Dr. Klaassen also has participated on numerous panels, committees, and study sections and has organized several national and international meetings on heavy metal toxicology, including the Midwest Toxicology Course, one of the most respected and important annual training courses for toxicologists preparing for board certification.

In recognition of his scientific accomplishments and his tireless efforts in championing both the science of toxicology and the Society of Toxicology, Dr. Curtis D. Klaassen is presented with the 2012 SOT Merit Award.

Martin A. Philbert

Martin A. Philbert, PhD, ATS, Dean and Professor of Toxicology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, is the recipient of the 2012 SOT Public Communications Award in recognition of his major contributions in broadening public awareness on toxicological issues and disseminating the message of toxicology and its impact in our society.

Dr. Philbert has worked much of his professional career to inform policymakers and key decision makers in government agencies about topical scientific issues and the science of toxicology in general. As an SOT media spokesperson, Dr. Philbert’s eloquence and ability to communicate effectively have made him a highly sought-out speaker and ambassador, not only among scientists, but also among numerous circles in the public sector. His impact is best exemplified by appointments to the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research and the National Academies National Research Council (NRC) Committee for Review of the Federal Strategy to Address Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials. Dr. Philbert has served on the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council of NIEHS and continues to advise several federal agencies on a variety of issues surrounding emerging nanotechnologies. He is Chair of both the US Food and Drug Administration Science Advisory Board and the US Environmental Protection Agency Board of Scientific Counselors. He also volunteers regularly to speak at elementary and secondary schools in his home state of Michigan to bring his knowledge of toxicology to students. In these capacities, Dr. Philbert has made lasting contributions in our collective efforts to disseminate the impact of toxicology among government officials, educators, health professionals, and private citizens.

At the national level, Dr. Philbert is recognized for his expertise in neurotoxicology and experimental neuropathology. His work has resulted in three important patents with one patent pending. Further testimony to his prodigious accomplishments in communicating the science of toxicology, he is the author of numerous research publications in top peer-reviewed journals, and one book. For his unparalleled commitment to educating public, governmental, and scientific audiences, the Society is pleased to award Dr. Martin A. Philbert the 2012 SOT Public Communications Award.

Oladipo Ademuyiwa, PhD, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

Murali Badanthadka, PhD, Torrent Research Centre, Gandhinagar, India

Xianju Huang, PhD, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan City, China

Zhenlie Huang, MD, PhD, Guangdong Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, Guangzhou, China

Guojun Li, PhD, Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, China

Maria Samayoa, MTox, San Carlos University, Guatemala, Guatemala

Haixue Wang, PhD, Center for Drug Evaluation, State Food and Drug Evaluation, Beijing, China

Jingshu Zhang, PhD, Tianjin Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Tianjin, China

Xiaofeng Zhang, PhD, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China

Li Zhou, PhD, Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China

Sunisa Chaiklieng, PhD, Department of Environmental Health Science, Muang Khon Kaen, Thailand

Jianlin Lou, PhD, Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, P.R. China

John G. Benitez

John G. Benitez, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Managing Director, Tennessee Poison Control Center, Nashville, Tennessee; and Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, is the 2012 SOT Translational Impact Award recipient in recognition of his outstanding contributions to human and public health related to toxicology.

Dr. Benitez’s commitment to protecting human and public health from toxic substances was recently demonstrated in the 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant fly ash spill. Dr. Benitez, of the Tennessee Poison Control Center, and his colleagues (Drs. Seger and Williams) and Dr. Donna Cragle (Oak Ridege Associated Universities) immediately responded to the needs of the public and local health officials by providing critical information about the nature of the exposure and its potential health effects and instituting a health surveillance program that included clinical laboratory testing for heavy metals for those in the affected community. His quick actions led to findings that allowed health officials to conclude that no significant health effects resulted from the public’s exposure to the fly ash.

Dr. Benitez has served in various roles at the state, national, and international level as the director of a regional resource center (regional hospital disaster preparedness) and center for disaster medicine and emergency preparedness (URMC), the director of a regional training center (Advanced Disaster Life Support), the managing director of a state poison control center (NY and TN), medical director of a regional poison center (PA), and the chairperson of the poison plant group of the International Programme on Chemical Safety, WHO. As a recently joined member of the Society of Toxicology and the SOT Occupational and Public Health Specialty Section and the newly created Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section, he has rapidly become integrated and involved in the activities of the Society and the OPPTS and CTSS sections. He currently serves as the interim secretary of the CTSS. He was an invited speaker at the 2010 SOT Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, where he gave a timely description of the medical actions ongoing on behalf of those in the area of exposure; and was a past member and invited speaker of the Allegheny-Erie Chapter of the Society of Toxicology.

Based on his exemplary leadership and considerable contributions, the Society recognizes Dr. John G. Benitez as the recipient of the 2012 SOT Translational Impact Award.

Xuemei Huang

Xuemei Huang, MD, PhD, is named the recipient of the 2012 Translational/Bridging Travel Award.

Dr. Huang is Associate Professor, Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Pharmacology, Radiology, Kinesiology, and Bioengineering, Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Penn State University; and Director, Hershey Brain Analysis Research Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania. She is a member of a number of professional groups related to toxicant exposures and, since 2007, serves as a consultant to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS/NIH).

Dr. Huang’s research is based on structural and functional imaging, both magnetic resonance- and radioligand-based. She is supported by two NIH R01 grants that focus on Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism, including both causes and treatment. Her research into relevant causative or protective environmental factors has led to a focus on the effects of environmental exposure to toxicants that include welding fumes and pesticides. For her achievements as an expert in human studies of disorders with toxicological etiologies, the Society is pleased to present Dr. Xuemei Huang with the inaugural Translational Bridging Travel Award.

Sue M. Ford

Sue M. Ford, PhD, DABT, Associate Professor, Toxicology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, St. John’s University, Jamaica, New York, is the recipient of the 2012 SOT Endowment Fund Undergraduate Educator Award.

After completing her postdoctoral training in 1987, Dr. Ford joined the faculty of the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professionals at St. John’s University, where she set out to establish a new undergraduate curriculum in toxicology. Her efforts and effectiveness have been recognized on numerous occasions by her institution; in 2005 Dr. Ford received the St. John’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and in 2007 she was awarded a fellowship that allowed her to develop methods or incorporate new technologies in the classroom to enhance undergraduate instruction. She has continued this trend of teaching excellence through to the present. Her enthusiasm for her students is exemplified in her serving as faculty advisor to the St. John’s University Undergraduate Toxicology Club T, and in her chairing the Educational Policy Committee for the undergraduate toxicology program.

Dr. Ford’s accomplishments in undergraduate toxicology teaching reach beyond the boundaries of her university and include a highly active record of contributing to the undergraduate education initiative within the Society of Toxicology. She has greatly encouraged her students to participate at the national level as well, from traveling to and participating in the K–12 programs at the Annual Meetings to competing for summer internships through SOT. Therefore, SOT has drawn great benefit from Dr. Ford’s years of commitment to undergraduate toxicology education as she has generously, and enthusiastically, contributed to undergraduate education workshops held by SOT and served on an instrumental SOT Focus Group on Undergraduate Education. Her continued leadership in this area is demonstrated by the abstract entitled “Introduction of Undergraduate Students to Toxicology Related Issues Through Journaling,” which she presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of SOT in 2011. For her unwavering and steadfast commitment to undergraduate education, the Society of Toxicology is pleased to recognize Dr. Sue M. Ford with the 2012 SOT Endowment Fund Undergraduate Educator Award.

Bhagavatula Moorthy

Bhagavatula Moorthy, PhD, Director, Neonatology Research Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, is awarded the 2012 AstraZeneca Traveling Lectureship Award.

Dr. Moorthy teaches principles of toxicology and pharmacology to medical students as part of the Integrated Problem Solving (IPS) Course at Baylor College of Medicine. He has been very active in mentoring research fellows, clinical neonatology fellows, and junior faculty in toxicology. In 2007, he received the Outstanding Research Teacher Award from the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor, and the Fulbright and Jaworski award for excellence in teaching at Baylor College of Medicine. He has been an active member of the Society of Toxicology since 1995, serving as President of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the SOT (2010–2011). He successfully organized the 2010 fall meeting (October 14–15, 2010) at Baylor College of Medicine, has served on the MBSS program committee, and also has developed and chaired a continuing education course on transgenic mouse models in toxicology. His workshop proposal on mechanisms of carcinogenesis by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), submitted jointly with the NIEHS, has been accepted by the SOT for presentation at the 2012 SOT Annual Meeting. He has previously served on the editorial board of Toxicology Letters, and is currently on the editorial board of Environmental Health Perspectives, Journal of Chromatography and Separation Techniques, and Journal of Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis. He also has served on the XNDA (NIH) Study Section (2005–2009), and has reviewed grants for the NIEHS superfund research program, NIEHS Children’s center, and numerous other special emphasis panels.

Dr. Moorthy intends that the AstraZeneca Travelling Lectureship will expose him to diverse areas that are relevant and important to his own toxicology research programs in the area of carcinogenesis and BPD. He expects that his proposed visits will bring a new perspective into his research work and will also provide an infusion of new knowledge, ideas, and technologies that will further advance his scholarly productivity. SOT is pleased to announce Dr. Bhagavatula Moorthy as the recipient of the 2012 AstraZeneca Travelling Lectureship Award.