External Advisory Committee
John R. Balmes, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
San Francisco General Hospital
Email: john.balmes@ucsf.edu
Dr. Balmes received his M.D. degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1976. After internal medicine training at Mount Sinai and pulmonary subspecialty, occupational medicine, and research training at Yale, he joined the faculty of USC in 1982. He joined the faculty at UCSF in 1986 and is currently Professor and Division Chief of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital. His major academic activities include his research laboratory, several collaborative epidemiological research projects, various advisory and editorial committees, and direction of the clinical occupational/environmental medicine division. In 2002, Dr. Balmes was appointed Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley where he directs the Northern California Center for Occupational and Environmental Health and the Center for Environmental Public Health Tracking.
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Aaron Barchowsky, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Pittsburgh.
Email: abarchowsky@eoh.pitt.edu
Aaron Barchowsky received his B.S. in Zoology at North Carolina State University in 1978 and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Duke University in 1985. Following postdoctoral training in toxicology at Duke, he was a Research Assistant Professor of Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at Thomas Jefferson University from 1988-1991. During this time he was the Head of the Laboratory for Investigative Medicine within the Division of Clinical Pharmacology. In 1991, he joined the faculty at Dartmouth as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1998. Dr. Barchowsky has been a Project Director in the Toxics Metals Program (Superfund Basic Research Program) at Dartmouth since 1995. His research has focused on cell and molecular signaling in response to reactive oxygen species. His current projects examine cellular mechanisms for arsenic-induced vascular diseases and for chromium and nickel-induced pulmonary fibrosis. These projects focus on mechanisms for phenotypic change in response to low, environmentally relevant concentrations of metals. He has over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals related to his work in cell signaling. Dr. Barchowsky currently serves on the executive committee for the Center for Environmental Health Studies at Dartmouth and is a member of the faculty of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. He also serves as the Chair of the Radiation Safety Committee and has been on the Graduate Program Committee for Pharmacology since 1996. He has been a member of the Research Committee of the American Heart Association, New England Affiliate since 1996. He served as an external advisor for the outreach program of the Harvard Superfund Basic Research Program in 1996-1998 and has served on numerous review committees for the National Institutes of Health.
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Aruni Bhatnagar, Ph.D., F.A.H.A.
Professor and Distinguished University Scholar, Department of Medicine/Cardiology
University of Louisville
Email: aruni@louisville.edu
The major focus of Dr. Bhatnagar's research is to elucidate the mechanisms by which oxidative stress affects cardiovascular function. In particular, he is interested in the role of lipid peroxidation as a contributor to myocardial ischemic injury and atherosclerosis. Although lipid peroxidation generates several reactive intermediates and end products, lipid-derived unsaturated aldehydes are believed to be a major source of oxidative stress and these toxicants appear to be critical mediators of tissue injury due to lipid peroxidation. In order to understand how the cardiovascular tissues protect themselves from the toxic products of lipid peroxidation, he is currently investigating the biochemical mechanisms by which unsatuarated aldehydes are detoxified in the heart and blood vessels. He has learned that the enzymes - aldose reductase, glutathione S-transferases and aldehyde dehydrogenase are the major constituents of aldehyde metabolism in the heart, and vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and that these enzymes function in tandem to protect cardiovascular tissues from the harmful effects of lipid peroxidation. Based on this understanding he is currently assessing in detail the role of aldose reductase and related aldo-keto reductases in the detoxification of lipid peroxidation products. He is investigating whether inhibition or upregulation of these enzymes affects the ability of the heart to withstand oxidative stress during ischemia and reperfusion. In a parallel series of experiments he is studying the role of aldose reductase in atherogenesis in an effort to ascertain whether changes in aldehyde metabolism alter plaque burden in atherosclerotic animals. He believes that this line of inquiry will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms by which oxidative stress mediates or exacerbates cardiovascular disease, and how the untoward cardiovascular effects of lipid peroxidation could be prevented. In addition to the metabolism and detoxification of endogenous aldehydes, his research interests also include cardiovascular toxicity of environmental aldehydes. Several ubiquitous pollutants such as gasoline vapor, car exhaust, smoke, and smog contain significant amounts of reactive aldehydes. Similar aldehydes are also generated during the metabolism of pollutants such as butadiene, vinyl chloride and allylamine and cardiotoxic drugs such as cylcophosphamide and adriamycin. These aldehydes are related, in structure and toxicity, to those generated endogenously during lipid peoxidation. Thus, his work on the lipid peroxidation-derived aldehydes bears significance for understanding the cardiovascular effects of environmental aldehydes. To examine this rigorously, he has recently initiated a series of studies to test whether environmental exposure to aldehydes exacerbates atherosclerosis and induces myocardial dysfunction, and whether aldehyde exposure is a risk factor for the development of heart disease.
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Vince Castranova, Ph.D.
Chief, Pathology and Physiology Research Branch, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Email: vic1@cdc.gov
Dr. Castranova received his Ph.D. from West Virginia University in 1974 and served a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale. His research interests are in pulmonary cell physiology, pulmonary inflammation, occupational lung diseases, and inhalation toxicology. Dr. Castranova's NIOSH laboratory is involved in the isolation and characterization of lung cells to determine their function, interactions, and susceptibility to occupational or environmental pollutants. This research focuses on the role of oxidant damage and cytokine expression in the development and progression of pulmonary diseases such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis, silicosis, asbestosis, emphysema, and byssinosis.
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David L. Eaton, Ph.D.
Associate Vice Provost, Office of Research
Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
University of Washington School of Public Health
Email: deaton@u.washington.edu
Dr. Eaton received his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) in 1978. Following a post-doctoral fellowship in Toxicology at KUMC, he joined the faculty of the University of Washington in 1979. He served as Toxicology Program Director in the Department of Environmental Health from 1983-90, then as Associate Chairman of the Department from 1990-92, and as Associate Dean for Research in the School of Public Health from 1999-2005. He is currently Professor and Director of the Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health, an NIEHS Center of Excellence, at the University of Washington, and Associate Vice Provost for Research for the University of Washington. Dr. Eaton maintains his own active research and teaching program focused in the area of the molecular basis for environmental causes of cancer, and how human genetic differences in biotransformation enzymes may increase or decrease individual susceptibility to chemicals found in the environment. Nationally, he has served on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer of the American Board of Toxicology (1990-94), and as President of the Society of Toxicology (2001-02). He has also served on the Board of Environmental Studies and Toxicology, National Academy of Sciences /National Resource Council (1996-99), as a member of the Board of Directors and Vice-President of the Toxicology Education Foundation, and on the Board of Trustees of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences. He is an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Academy of Toxicological Sciences. He has published over 150 scientific articles and book chapters in the field of toxicology and risk assessment.
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William L. Eschenbacher, M.D.
Email: William_Eschenbacher@cgha.com
Dr. Eschenbacher received his M.D. from Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas and his fellowship training at The University of California, San Francisco in the Cardiovascular Research Institute. He began his academic carrier at the University of Michigan then moved to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Currently, Dr. Eschenbacher is the Branch Chief for the Surveillance Branch in the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies as part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In that capacity, he has continued his long-standing interest in investigations to understand the relationships between environmental/occupational exposures and the development/worsening of lung disease. Dr. Eschenbacher has over 45 peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters. He was previously associated with the Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center as both the director of research and the chairman of the Scientific Advisory Panel. In his academic career, he has received over $1 million in research funding; has been a member of several national scientific invited panels, study sections, and workshops; and held positions of leadership in the professional societies: American Thoracic Society and American College of Chest Physicians.
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Robert E Ferrell, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh.
Email: rferrell@helix.hgen.pitt.edu
Robert E. Ferrell, Ph.D., is Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Ferrell received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Texas, Austin in 1970, and did his post-doctoral training in the Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan. From 1975-1984, he was an Assistant then Associate Professor at the Center for Demographic and Population Genetics, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, where his major focus was human population genetics. In 1984, he moved to the University of Pittsburgh, and for the last 15 years has focused on defining the role of genes in susceptibility to common diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease. He has extensive experience in gene mapping, molecular population genetics and quantitative genetics. He is coauthor on more than 450 peer reviewed publications in diverse areas of human genetics. He is Associate Chair of the Department of Human Genetics and has broad experience serving on NIH and NSF peer review panels.
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Bernard Fox, Ph.D.
Chief, Laboratory of Molecular and Tumor Immunology,
Earle A. Chiles Research Institute,
Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland, OR
Email: foxb@foxlab.org
Since taking on the role of Laboratory Chief in 1994, Bernard Fox, Ph.D., has divided his research efforts between preclinical animal models and the development, performance and monitoring of clinical trials. His most recent work involves translational immunotherapy trials for patients with melanoma, prostate, ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer.
Dr. Fox completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees at the University of Detroit. After receiving his Ph.D. from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, he pursued five years of additional postgraduate training at the National Cancer Institute’s Surgery Branch. As a University of Michigan faculty member, he mentored physicians in training within the Department of Surgery’s Surgical Oncology Division.
In addition to his work at the Franz Cancer Research Center, he maintains an Associate Professor role at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), where he is immersed in two departments: the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology department and Environmental and Biological Systems. Dr. Fox also shares his knowledge and expertise with OHSU Cancer Institute’s Tumor Immunology Focus Group.
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Marvin J. Fritzler, Ph.D., M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Arthritis Society Chair
Department of Medicine and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology,
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Email: fritzler@ucalgary.ca
Dr. Fritzler received his PhD in 1971 under the direction of Dr. R.B. Church and his M.D. degree in 1974 from the University of Calgary. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla and the University of Colorado under the supervision of Dr. Eng M. Tan. Dr. Fritzler was appointed to the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary in 1978. He has served as President of the Western Section of the American Rheumatism Association and the Canadian Society for Clinical Research. In 1986, he was inducted into the American Lupus Society Hall of Fame, was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Calgary in 1988, and the Canadian Society for Clinical Research presented him with the Distinguished Scientist Award in 1995. He was a Scientist of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research until he assumed the position of Associate Dean (Research) in 1996. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Innovation Calgary and the Board of Management of the Alberta Science and Research Authority (ASRA). His research program is oriented to the cell and molecular biology of human autoantigens and the focus is on application of new technology in the development of novel serological diagnostic systems; the Golgi complex and endosome compartments of the cell as targets of autoantibodies in patients with autoimmune diseases; cell cycle specific antigens and their relationship to cancer; and the role of environmental toxins and xenobiotics in induction of autoreactivity and autoimmunity. He is currently engaged in government-sponsored projects to assess the impact of environmental toxin exposure on health. He has authored over 180 manuscripts, book chapters and review articles. He currently holds the Arthritis Society Chair at the University of Calgary.
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John R. Hoidal, M.D.
Professor and Chairman Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine.
Email: john.hoidal@hsc.utah.edu
Dr. Hoidal is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Respiratory, Critical Care & Occupational Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1969 and completed his internship and residency there, becoming Chief resident in 1972. At the completion of a fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine 1975, Dr. Hoidal became an Assistant Professor, then Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. In 1983 he moved to the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center where he served as Professor of Medicine and Director of the Pulmonary Medicine Division. Moving to his current position in 1987, Dr. Hoidal’s laboratory at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center studies the role of proteinases and oxidases in lung injury. Over the past two decades, Dr. Hoidal has received research support and been involved in an advisory capacity with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and he has published more than 167 manuscripts in peer-reviewed publications.
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Lawrence Hunter, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Computational Pharmacology
Associate Professor of Pharmacology, PMB & Computer Science, University of Colorado
Email: Larry.Hunter@uchsc.edu
Dr. Hunter is the director of the Center for Computational Pharmacology and the Computational Bioscience Program within the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. He is also Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Preventive Medicine and Biometrics and Computer Science at the Boulder campus. His research interests include the development and application of advanced computational techniques for biomedicine, particularly the application of machine learning and statistical inference techniques to high-throughput molecular assays. His laboratory focuses on developing novel techniques for analysis of gene expression array data and for management of large collections of biomedical documents.
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Terry Kavanaugh
Dr. Kavanaugh's laboratory conducts research in the areas of in vitro toxicology, analytical cytology and transgenic mouse models with emphasis on free radical biology, immunotoxicology, genetic toxicology, nanotoxicology and aging. It has been funded by the NIEHS to investigate the role of glutathione synthesis in protecting tissues from toxic chemical insult. The laboratory has made transgenic mice that conditionally overexpress glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL, the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of GSH) in the liver, and "knock-out" mice that lack the GCL modifier subunit (Gclm null mice). These mice are being used to test the hypothesis that GCL activity and glutathione synthesis are important in defense against free radical injury caused by exposure to a number of toxicants. Other areas of active research include: understanding chemical-induced liver injury using toxicogenomics and metabolomics; the role of genetics in air pollution susceptibility; and the toxicology of materials used in the nanotechnology industry.
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Lester Kobzik
Dr. Kobzik's main research interest is how the lung interacts with inhaled particles—be they environmental particulates, pathogens or allergens. One focus is the role of the lung macrophage in lung defense mechanisms and pulmonary inflammation, especially in relationship to environmental lung disease. A fascinating aspect of lung macrophages is their selective interaction with inhaled particles. They respond with simple ingestion and clearance to some particles (the harmless, 'inert' dusts). In contrast, encounters of lung macrophages with pathogenic particles result in release of mediators that initiate inflammation and injury. These mysteriously regulated responses are central to the public health problems caused by air pollution in urban areas, by dusts in certain occupations, and by certain inhaled pathogenic organisms.
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Daniel Liebler, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Proteomics Laboratory, Mass Spectrometry Research Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Email: daniel.liebler@Vanderbilt.edu
Dr. Liebler completed a Ph.D. in Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Environmental Toxicology under the direction of Dr. F. Peter Guengerich and his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Donald J. Reed in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Oregon State University. He is the director of the Proteomics Laboratory in the Mass Spectrometry Research Center and professor of biochemistry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Prior to this, Dr. Liebler had been in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona. As the first faculty hired into the newly-created Center for Toxicology. Dr. Liebler helped to organize its successful application for an NIEHS Center grant, which then became the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC). Dr. Liebler served as director of the Analytical Core laboratory in the SWEHSC and as SWEHSC Deputy Director from 1998-99, and was subsequently appointed SWEHSC Director. Dr. Liebler developed an internationally recognized, NIH-funded research program focused on mechanisms of action of antioxidants and the role of antioxidant chemistry in cell and tissue protection against chemical injury and in the prevention of cancer. Another research focus was the application of modern mass spectrometry methods for proteomics research to identify protein targets of environmental chemicals and to characterize changes in protein expression in response to xenobiotics and disease states. He has authored 41 peer reviewed papers and 17 book chapters in his field. He has given many invited lectures at national and international conferences and at university and industry laboratories. He served as President of the Mountain West Regional Chapter of SOT and currently serves as Councillor for the Mechanisms Specialty Section of SOT. He served as a member of the NIH Chemical Pathology Study Section, the last two years as Chair. Dr. Liebler has served on the editorial boards of Chemical Research in Toxicology, Chemico-Biological Interactions, and Life Sciences.
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Johnnye L. Lewis, Ph.D., D.A.B.T.
Director, Community Environmental Health Program and NIEHS Center Community Outreach & Education Program, University of New Mexico.
Email: jlewis@cybermesa.com
Dr. Lewis is a Professor in Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, and the developer and Director of the Community Environmental Health Program (CEHP) at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. Her background encompasses both a successful history in basic laboratory toxicological research in inhalation and neurotoxicology, as well as community participatory research and education with Native American communities in the Southwest. As a liaison between communities and professionals, her community involvement activities include working closely with target populations throughout the state to ensure environmental justice concerns and appropriate health care information are effectively defined, prioritized and communicated.
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Laurie Owen-Schaub, Ph.D.
Professor, Biomedical Sciences, The University of California-Riverside
Email: laurie.owen-schaub@ucr.edu
Dr. Laurie Owen-Schaub received her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1986. She completed postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Grimm at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center where she received a Preuss Foundation postdoctoral fellowship. She was appointed Assistant Professor of Immunology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1991 and Associate Professor of Immunology in 1999. Dr. Owen-Schaub has published more than 50 peer-reviewed research papers in the areas of cytokine biology and apoptosis. She has served on numerous committees and organizations at M.D. Anderson including the Immunology Program Steering Committee, the Women's Faculty and Administrators Organization Steering Committee, The Intellectual Property Committee, and the Animal Care and Use Committee. She currently serves as a member of the Keck Foundation Gene Therapy Center Steering Committee and the Women Faculty Initiatives Task Force. In addition, she is active in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center currently teaching in six graduate courses and serving on 38 graduate student committees. She received the John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998. Dr. Owen-Schaub is a member of the American Society for Cancer Research, The American Association of Immunologists, Women in Cancer Research, and the American Society for Photobiology and has chaired numerous sessions at national society meetings. She currently serves as a faculty member on two NIH training grants (Immunology and Cancer Biology), a regular member of the American Cancer Society Immunology Study section, a member of the review panel for the California Department of Health Services Cancer Research Program, and as an editorial board member of Apoptosis and Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research.
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Stephanie Padilla, Ph.D.
Chief of the Cellular and Molecular Toxicology Branch of the Neurotoxicology Division of the National Health Effects and Environmental Toxicology Laboratory of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Email: padilla.stephanie@epa.gov
Dr. Stephanie Padilla is Chief of the Cellular and Molecular Toxicology Branch of the Neurotoxicology Division of the National Health Effects and Environmental Toxicology Laboratory of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and then did her postdoctoral work as a Staff Fellow in Maternal and Child Health at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. From there she joined EPA as a staff scientist. She has published over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, has served on numerous advisory committees, and is a regular reviewer of grants for other Federal Agencies. She also reviews approximately 20 journal articles a year for various scientific journals. Her own research interests include toxicant-induced peripheral neuropathy, the short and long term effects of anticholinesterase pesticides in developing and adult mammals, and the toxicity of anticholinesterase pesticide mixtures.
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K. Michael Pollard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Molecular and Experiemental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute
Email: mpollard@scripps.edu
Dr. Pollard is Associate Professor at the W.M. Keck Autoimmune Disease Center, Department of Molecular and Experiemental Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. His primary research interests focus on the mechanisms involved in the initiation of autoimmunity and how interactions between the environment and genetics influence the induction of autoimmune diseases. Dr. Pollard received his Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, Australia, and worked at the Sutton Rheumatism Research Laboratory, St. Leonards, Austrailia. before joining The Scripps Research Institute, where he has been a faculty member since 1992. In addition to being a reviewer for 13 journals, he has published more than 50 scientific publications, including research articles, book chapters, and reviews.
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Kenneth R. Reuhl, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of the Molecular Pathology Laboratory in the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University
Email: reuhl@eohsi.rutgers.edu
Kenneth Reuhl received his undergraduate degrees in Zoology and Classics from the University of Wisconsin in 1973 and his Ph.D. in Pathology from the same institution in 1980. From 1979 to 1987 he served as a Research Officer in the Division of Biological Sciences, National Research Council of Canada. In 1987 he moved to Health Canada, where he was responsible for diagnostic neuropathology. In late 1987, Dr. Reuhl moved to the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Rutgers College of Pharmacy, as Associate Professor and Associate Director of Neurotoxicology . In 1991 he was promoted to Full Professor and became Director of the Molecular Pathology Laboratory in the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute. Since 1997, Dr. Reuhl has been Director of the Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology. Dr. Reuhl has served on numerous national advisory committees. He was a member of the Toxicology Study Section (1983-87), the Environmental Health Science Review Section (training grants, NIEHS centers, and program projects; 1996-1999), member and Chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors, National Toxicology Program; Science of Advisory Board for Neurotoxicology, EPA, and currently serves on the Division of Extramural Training Review Committee for the NIEHS. He is Associate Editor of NeuroToxicology and on the editorial board of Toxicology. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology and from 1996-2000 served on the ABT Board of Directors. Dr. Reuhl's major research interest focuses on the effects of neurotoxic metals on brain development. During the last 10 years, he has investigated the role of cell adhesion molecules on dynamic events such as neuronal migration and synaptogenesis. This work has now expanded to involve the adaptive events which occur in neurodegenerative diseases and aging. In addition, he is heading a research program investigating the identity and function of intrinsic neural stem cells during neurotoxic insult. He has extensive collaborations in various areas of experimental pathology, including pulmonary, renal, hepatic and dermal pathology. He is the author of more than 90 peer reviewed papers and 20 chapters.
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Sean Tavtigian, Ph.D.
Chief, Unit of Genetic Cancer Susceptibility, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
Email: tavtigian@iarc.fr
Sean graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor of arts degree from Pomona College in 1984. He completed a PhD with Dr. Barbara Wold in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology in 1992. Following brief postdoctoral studies at Myriad Genetics, he was promoted to Senior Scientist there in 1993. He became Director of Cancer Research at Myriad in 1996 and two years later was named to a Vice Presidency. In 2002, Dr. Tavtigian became Chief of the Genetic Cancer Susceptibility Unit of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization. Dr. Tavtigian's expertise includes many aspects of modern genetics, but his primary contribution has been one of gene discovery through positional cloning. Sean holds 6 US patents, and is an author on more than 30 publications. He has served on several grant review panels.
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Alun Thomas, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Medical Informatics. University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Email: alun@genepi.med.utah.edu
Alun Thomas is Professor of Bioinformatics in the Medical Informatics Department of the the School of Medicine, University of Utah. He received his B.Sc. in Mathematics and Statistics at Coleg Pryfysgol Cymru, in Aberystwyth, UK, and completed his Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics at the University of Cambridge in 1985. He was a lecturer in Statistics at the University of Liverpool and the University of Bath, UK. He was the director of Statistics and Informatics at Myriad Genetics in Salt Lake City and later served in the position of Vice President of Bioinformatics at this biomedical research firm. Dr. Thomas' research interests include computational statistic, mathematical genetics, and DNA sequencing and genome analysis, and he is an author of more than 50 publications.
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