Council

Participation:

Michael Aschner

President (2022–2023)

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Aschner has served on numerous national and international toxicology panels (Institute of Medicine, US Environmental Protection Agency, and Center for Disease Control), served and chaired a National Institutes of Health study section, and he has authored approximately 630 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 100 book chapters in the area of neurotoxicology. He presently serves as Associate Editor (Neurotoxicology; Toxicological Sciences; Neurochemical Research; and BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology), Section Editor Frontiers in Toxicogenomics, and on the editorial boards (Toxicology; Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis; Alcohol; Neurochemical Research) of several journals. He edited several books related to neurotoxicology. He is a member of the Society of Toxicology, Society for Neuroscience, a fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences, and a Past President of the International Neurotoxicology Association. In 2011, Dr. Aschner was a recipient of the SOT Merit Award. Dr. Aschner currently serves the President of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences (2019–2020).

Dr. Aschner’s research interests and expertise are in the field of neurobiology and physiology of astrocytes and the mechanisms of central nervous system injury. Dr. Aschner has substantively contributed to the understanding of metal uptake and distribution in the brain, devoting the last 30 years of his research to the mechanisms of transport of methylmercury, manganese, and uranium across the capillaries composing the blood-brain barrier, as well as their cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurotoxicity. Current studies in the lab address basic mechanisms in various experimental models (C. elegans, tissue cultures, and rodents) as well as follow-up on the sequelae of manganese deposition in the brains of human neonates.

He also has mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral scholars and has directed both the Vanderbilt University Medical Center P30 and T32 NIH/NIEHS Center and Training grants, respectively, in Molecular Toxicology. Dr. Aschner began his professional career with a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Rochester, School of Medicine in 1987.

Participation:

Dori R. Germolec

Vice President (2022–2023)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Dr. Germolec currently serves as the Immunology discipline leader for the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and oversees the efforts of the NTP to design, interpret, and report studies that assess the potential for chemicals to modulate immune responses.

She is particularly interested in persistent immunologic effects following in utero exposure to xenobiotics, autoimmune disease, and the development of in vitro methods to assess immune function. Dr. Germolec also serves as a project leader for toxicology studies and is spearheading the NTP research efforts to evaluate the health effects of exposure to molds.

Dr. Germolec has been an SOT member since 1996. She has previously served as an SOT Councilor and on several task forces and working groups within the Society. She is a member of the North Carolina Regional Chapter and the Women in Toxicology Special Interest Group, and she has served as Councilor and on the Presidential Chain of the Immunotoxicology Specialty Section, of which she has been a member since 1996. She has received several awards from the Society, including the Immunotoxicology Specialty Section Vos Lifetime Career Achievement Award in Immunotoxicology in 2017.

Participation:

Laurie Haws

Vice President-Elect (2022–2023)

ToxStrategies Inc.

Dr. Laurie Couture Haws has more than 30 years of experience in the fields of toxicology, human health risk assessment, safety assessment, and risk communication. Dr. Haws has a diverse background, having worked for both government agencies and the private sector in a variety of capacities. She began her career as a scientist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, where she worked while pursuing both her MS and PhD under the direction of Dr. Linda Birnbaum. Dr. Haws then spent more than a decade as a regulatory toxicologist with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), where she served as a manager in the Toxicology Division. During her tenure with the TCEQ, Dr. Haws was committed to expanding the role and prominence of toxicology within the Commission and was instrumental in growing the group from 3 to more than 30 toxicologists. In 2008, Dr. Haws co-founded ToxStrategies, where she serves as a Managing Principal Scientist and President. During her tenure in leading ToxStrategies, the company has grown from 2 to over 60 scientists and has expanded to provide technical and regulatory support for pharmaceuticals/biopharmaceuticals, foods, dietary supplements, pet food, animal feed, consumer products, and health and beauty care products. Key initiatives under her leadership included establishment of the Center of Excellence for 21st Century Toxicology to assist clients with the transition from traditional toxicology testing strategies to 21st century toxicology tools and technologies for the purpose of supporting the safety decision process from compound discovery to regulatory submission across different sectors, as well as the addition of EpidStrategies which is focused on contributing to research on complex health conditions to improve public health.

Dr. Haws is an author on 61 peer-reviewed publications. In addition, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Toxicology Forum and is an active member of several additional professional societies, including ACT, SRA, and RAPS. Dr. Haws has also served on a number of scientific panels, technical workgroups, and advisory committees, including the World Health Organization’s Toxic Equivalency Factor Review Panel and the Exposure and Human Health Committee of the US EPA’s Science Advisory Board.

Participation:

Mary Gilbert

Treasurer (2021–2023)

US Environmental Protection Agency

Dr. Gilbert is a neurotoxicologist in the Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Her research has examined alterations in brain function, plasticity, and behavior following exposure to pesticides, metals, and hormone-disrupting chemicals. The impact of low-level thyroid hormone disruption in brain development in rodent models has been the primary focus of her work during the last ten years. She has mentored several students and postdoctoral scholars and held an adjunct position in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for many years. She was elected to the SOT Awards Committee where she served a 2-year term from 2012–2014. Dr. Gilbert sits on the editorial board for two specialty journals in her field, Journal of Neuroendocrinology and Neurotoxicology and Teratology, and is an Associate Editor for Neurotoxicology. She is an active reviewer for toxicology, neuroscience, and neuroendocrinology journals. A member of SOT for 21 years, Dr. Gilbert has been active in the Neurotoxicology Specialty Section (NTSS) where she served as Secretary/Treasurer for four years and President in 2016. As a member of the leadership group for NTSS and an active participant of this Specialty Section, she worked to encourage the participation of students and postdocs in the NTSS poster competition and chaired the first committee in selecting a new award to fund student travel to the SOT Annual Meeting. As an officer of NTSS, Dr. Gilbert participated in the selection of three of NTSS Distinguished Neurotoxicologist Awardees, an award given to recognize an individual who has made substantial and seminal scientific contributions to the discipline of neurotoxicology over a protracted period. Dr. Gilbert also has held membership in the Society for Neuroscience and is active in the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS, formally known as NBTS) where she has served as Councilor, Chair of Finance, Chair of Nominations, Public Affairs Committee, and in 2006, as President of that Society.

Participation:

Brian Cummings

Treasurer-Elect (2022–2023)

Wayne State University

Dr. Cummings has been actively engaged in serving SOT for over 20 years. He has served as an officer for multiple Specialty Sections and also on various national committees. Dr. Cummings is currently the Dean of the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He was formerly the Department Head of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Georgia. He was also the Director of the Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program at the University of Georgia for 7 years. With regards to professional service, he is the Past Chair of the Toxicology Division of ASPET and is a Past President of the Mechanisms Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology and a Past President of the Southeastern Regional Chapter of the Society of Toxicology. He is a Past Chair of the Awards Nomination Committee. He is an Associate Editor for Toxicological Sciences and Chemico-Biological Interactions.  Finally, he has served as the Chair, or Co-Chair for several DOD and NIH Study Sections.

Participation:

James P. Luyendyk

Secretary (2022–2024)

Michigan State University

Dr. Luyendyk is professor of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation and member of the Institute for Integrative Toxicology at Michigan State University. His research focuses on defining the mechanisms linking components of the hemostatic system, recognized for its role in bleeding and thrombosis, with hepatotoxicity and liver repair/regeneration. Dr. Luyendyk has published more than 105 peer-reviewed manuscripts and serves on the editorial boards of Toxicological Sciences and the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Dr. Luyendyk has been an active SOT member since joining the membership in 2002, chairing the Graduate Student Leadership Committee and Postdoctoral Assembly Executive Board. Among his many Committee positions during his membership in the Society, Dr. Luyendyk most recently served as the 2019–2020 Chair of the Committee on Diversity Initiatives. He is a member and Past President of the Michigan Regional Chapter and is a member of the Out Toxicologists and Allies Special Interest Group; Women in Toxicology Special Interest Group; Molecular and Systems Biology Specialty Section; and Toxicologic and Exploratory Pathology Specialty Section. He was also the 2020 recipient of the SOT Achievement Award.

Participation:

Myrtle Davis

Past President (2022–2023)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

Dr. Davis is the Executive Director for Discovery Toxicology in the Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization (PCO) organization. She joined BMS from the National Cancer Institute where she was the Chief of the Toxicology and Pharmacology Branch of the Developmental Therapeutics Program. Dr. Davis has previous experience as a Research Advisor in the Drug Safety group of Lilly Research Laboratories. In both roles, she contributed critical expertise to the advancement of several drugs candidates and to the understanding of toxicological mechanisms. She also has several years of academic experience as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology in the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland.

Dr. Davis is currently responsible for leading the scientific efforts in Discovery Toxicology to provide target and molecular hazard identification and risk assessments for issues identified in discovery research. She also leads and oversees the investigative toxicology efforts needed to support mechanistic understanding of compound- or target-mediated toxicities in discovery and development.

Dr. Davis is a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences, an active member of the Society of Toxicology (previously elected as a Councilor for the Society), and a member of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology. She is currently serving on the Board of Scientific Councilors of the National Toxicology Program, and she is a reviewer for the Assay Development and Screening Technologies Laboratory of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). She has served as Associate Editor for Toxicological Sciences and Toxicologic Pathology, and she is Editor-in-Chief of the ILAR Journal (Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the National Academy of Sciences).

Dr. Davis attended Tuskegee University where she pursued a BS degree in Chemistry and Mathematics followed by a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She then received her PhD in Toxicology from the University of Illinois and obtained postdoctoral training in Toxicologic Pathology at the University of Maryland before starting her academic career.

Participation:

Lauren M. Aleksunes

Councilor (2022–2025)

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Dr. Aleksunes is a mechanistic toxicologist and educator at Rutgers University where she is Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Lead of Workforce Development for the NJ Clinical and Translational Science Award Program. Her translational research focuses on roles for membrane transporter proteins in modulating the disposition and toxicity of drugs and chemicals in the kidneys, liver, and placenta. Accomplishments include identifying how transporters regulate fetal exposure to drugs and environmental contaminants as well as determine the sensitivity of susceptible populations to adverse drug reactions. The Aleksunes laboratory takes a comprehensive approach to translate novel transporter findings from in vitro screening assays to birth cohorts and clinical trials. Her research has been continuously funded by NIH since 2008 including selection as a NIEHS Outstanding New Environmental Health Scientist (ONES awardee) and recognition by the Society with the 2016 Achievement Award, and 2019 Women in Toxicology Outstanding Young Investigator Award. Findings from her team have been disseminated in over 130 publications.

Dr. Aleksunes is deeply committed to training the next generation of toxicologists. This includes serving as Director of the Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology (since 2015, funded by a NIEHS T32 grant) and Co-Director of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (since 2010, funded by a NIEHS R25 grant and SOT Intern Program). For her commitment to education and training, Dr. Aleksunes was recognized with the 2021 Teacher of the Year Award in the Rutgers’ School of Pharmacy, 2020 Rutgers Chancellor Educator of the Year Award, 2018 Excellence in Teaching Award from the New Jersey Health Foundation, and 2015 Mentor of the Year Award from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.

Participation:

Antonio T. Baines

Councilor (2021–2024)

North Carolina Central University

Dr. Baines is an Associate Professor at North Carolina Central University and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a cancer biologist.

Dr. Baines was first introduced to SOT when he received the Undergraduate Travel Award to attend the Annual Meeting as a sophomore in college. An active SOT member since 1996, he was the 2016 recipient of the SOT Undergraduate Educator Award. He has also served as a Councilor of the Toxicologists of African Origin Special Interest Group and received the Toxicologists of African Origin Legacy Mentor/Educator Award in 2011. He chaired the Undergraduate Consortium Task Force and is a member of the Membership Committee.

Participation:

Christine Perdan Curran

Councilor (2021–2023)

Northern Kentucky University

Dr. Curran is a developmental neurotoxicologist who is currently funded by NIEHES to look at genetic susceptibility to benzo[a]pyrene exposure during gestation and lactation using a mouse model. She has benefitted greatly from the donation of Cyp1 knockout mice from her dissertation mentor Dr. Daniel W. Nebert, which have kept more than 80 undergraduates deeply immersed in toxicology research at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) since 2008. The BaP research is an outgrowth of studies started at the University of Cincinnati and follow extensive studies on genetic susceptibility to polychlorinated biphenyls, which began with her dissertation project in the Nebert Lab. She completed a National Research Council funded postdoctoral fellowship in the Risk Evaluation Branch of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health before receiving a faculty appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences at NKU where she is currently a full professor and Director of the Neuroscience Program. She has continued to collaborate with colleagues on risk assessment projects for NIOSH and most recently with Cardno ChemRisk on a project to implement a collaborative framework to expedite brownfield redevelopment. She has used her communication skills as a former science journalist to promote science literacy and the public understanding of science and to advocate for increased federal support for biomedical research and training. She is an active member of SOT as well as the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (immediate Past President and FASEB Board Representative) and the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (Councilor) and sees her life’s work as protecting the next generation. She is a member of the Editorial Boards of Reproductive Toxicology, FASEB’s BioAdvances, and NeuroToxicology. She has been elected to successive terms on the FASEB Executive Committee and has served on working groups and initiatives related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion including co-chairing an SOT symposium on advancing DEI in toxicology and the FASEB DEI Task Force.

Participation:

Betina J. Lew

Councilor (2022–2025)

Johnson & Johnson

Dr. Betina J. Lew is a Board Certified (DABT) and European Registered (ERT) Toxicologist  with broad experience in Medical Devices and Consumer Goods Industry. She is currently an Associate Director of Toxicology and Biocompatibility at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) where she manages the Ethicon Inc (Somerville/Raritan, NJ) team and oversees the safety of a diverse portfolio, including the Wound Closure and Healing, Biosurgery and Mentor Breast Implants Businesses. She had the opportunity of working as a Toxicologist and Safety Manager in other companies (such as Procter and Gamble and Reckitt Benckiser). Dr. Lew was a Postdoctoral Trainee in Toxicology at the Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester (NY) for more than four years, where she worked in elucidating the mechanisms by which environmental pollutants alter the normal development of mammary glands. She earned a PhD through a joint program from São Paulo State and Michigan State University, a MS from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) and a BS from São Paulo State University.  

Since 2007, Dr. Lew has been an active member of the SOT and served on several committees. She served as the Chair (2021–2022) of the Membership Committee, which she was elected member in 2019. She was President of Women in Toxicology (WIT, 2016–2018), Councilor of Risk Assessment Specially Session (RASS, 2016–2019). She was a member of CRAD (2013–2016), President of the Hispanic Organization of Toxicologists (HOT) from 2011–2013, their Councilor (2009–2011) and Chair of the Awards and Education committees (2010–2012). She has also served as the Chair (2008–2010) for the Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA). Throughout her career, Dr. Lew received many awards and grants support. Dr. Lew is a strong supporter of the future Toxicologists and Trainees at SOT. She co-chaired numerous sessions focused on career development of younger toxicologists and mentored several students and postdocs.

Participation:

Sue Marty

Councilor (2021–2023)

Dow Chemical Company

Dr. Marty joined the Dow Chemical Company in Toxicology and Environmental Research and Consulting (TERC) in 1997. She worked for many years in Dow’s toxicology laboratory, conducting studies in developmental and reproductive toxicology (DART), endocrine disruption and neurotoxicology. Currently, Dr. Marty serves as the Science Director in Toxicology at Dow, where she works with multi-disciplinary teams to develop science strategy and investigate toxicological issues related to human health and the environment. TERC’s science program is focused on developing early screening approaches for more sustainable chemistries, including non-animal alternative methods (NAMs) in support of Dow’s Predictive Toxicology Program. She has served on numerous committees, including the US EPA Chartered Science Advisory Board and the United Nations Environment Programme Advisory Group on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. Other international committees on which Dr. Marty is active include the OECD Working Group of the National Coordinators of the Test Guidelines Programme (WNT), the OECD Developmental Neurotoxicity Expert Group and the OECD Endocrine Disruptor Testing and Assessment Advisory Group. Dr. Marty has had the good fortune to collaborate on manuscripts with researchers from regulatory agencies, academia, and contract research organizations as well as industry colleagues, resulting in more than 80 peer-reviewed publications. She is on the Editorial Board for Birth Defects Research, the journal for the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (formerly the Teratology Society). She is a diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT). Dr. Marty received her PhD from the University of Michigan, specializing in the area of reproductive toxicology and was a postdoctoral fellow at Michigan State University, where she studied the neurotoxicity of methylmercury.

Participation:

Robyn Leigh Tanguay

Councilor (2021–2024)

Oregon State University

A recognized scholar whose work on zebrafish models has advanced the understanding of how chemicals influence embryonic development, Dr. Tanguay is a Distinguished Progressor at Oregon State University. Over the past several years, she has pioneered the use of zebrafish as a systems toxicology model, and her team has developed automated high-throughput instrumentation to accelerate phenotype discovery and have evaluated the bioactivity of thousands of chemicals and mixtures.

Dr. Tanguay joined the SOT membership in 2000, and has served in many positions within the Society. She has served as a member of the Board of Publications and is an Associate Editor of Toxicological Sciences. She also is a Past President of the Pacific Northwest Regional Chapter as well as the Nanoscience and Advanced Materials Specialty Section. She is a member of the Womaen in Toxicology Special Interest Group and Molecular and Systems Biology Specialty Section, among other Component Group memberships, and received the Toxicological Sciences Paper of the Year Award in 2020.

Participation:

Tonia M. Masson

Executive Director

Society of Toxicology

Ms. Masson previously served as the SOT Deputy Director and continues to serve SOT Council in shaping the strategy for fostering collaboration opportunities and guiding SOT’s mission.

Ms. Masson has been with AIM, our management company, since 1999 and is a founding managing partner. She served as the Executive Director for the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society, the Teratology Society, and the Toxicology Forum.

Ms. Masson is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).