Superfund Research Program

April 2022

NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) grantees from across the country gathered in person and virtually for the 2022 Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting, held March 27-31 in San Diego. The meeting highlighted diverse, cutting-edge research.

Leading the Conversation on Climate Change

Danielle Carlin, Ph.D.
Carlin’s research interests include chemical mixtures and combined exposures, both important in the context of climate change. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw / NIEHS)

A meeting highlight was a workshop session on climate change and health, organized and chaired by Oregon State University (OSU) SRP Center trainee Brianna Rivera and SRP Health Scientist Administrator Danielle Carlin, Ph.D. The session offered a holistic view by featuring multidisciplinary perspectives across government, academia, consulting, and non-profit sectors. Panelists delved into the complexity of considering combined exposures such as mixtures, heat-stress, and socio-economic factors that are exacerbated by climate change and associated human and ecological health effects.

As part of its research portfolio, SRP supports tools and strategies to better understand and address the effects of climate change and associated exposures.

Presenting Innovative Findings

Two former SRP Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Award winners shared their latest research.

Virtual and in-person panelists shared diverse perspectives during the 2022 SOT meeting.
Panelists shared diverse perspectives on how to address the complexity of climate change for human health. Top: Theodore Tomasi, Ph.D., Integral Consulting, left, Lung-Chi Chen, Ph.D., New York University, right. Bottom: from left to right, session co-chair Rivera, John Carriger, Ph.D., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Howard Chang, Ph.D., Emory University. Not pictured: panelist Amee Raval, Ph.D., Asian Pacific Environmental Network. (Photos courtesy of Sara Amolegbe)

2020 winner Jennifer Kay, Ph.D., talked about "Integrating Endocrine and Genotoxicity Datasets to Prioritize Potential Breast Carcinogens for Risk Reduction and Further Study." Formerly a trainee at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kay is now with the Silent Spring Institute.

2019 winner Jennifer Kay, Ph.D., gave a talk titled "Toxicity Assessments of Selected Trichloroethylene and Perchloroethylene Metabolites in Three In Vitro Human Placental Models." Elkin is a trainee with the Northeastern University SRP Center at the University of Michigan.

Recognizing Trainee Excellence NIEHS and SRP staff members were on hand to meet with grantees, view their posters, and discuss their innovative research. Nearly 100 posters were presented by SRP trainees. Trainees also had opportunity to network at an SRP reception, hosted by the University of New Mexico and OSU SRP Centers.

Many SRP trainees received awards during the 2022 annual meeting.

  • Anna Clare Sparling, Duke University, received an SOT Undergraduate Research Award.
  • David Filipovic, Michigan State University SRP Center, received the Perry J. Gehring Biological Modeling Student Award Fund.
  • Subham Dasgupta, Ph.D., and Prarthana Shankar of the OSU SRP Center received awards from the Pacific Northwest Toxicology Development Fund. Dasgupta also received the Dharm V. Singh Association of Scientists of Indian Origin Student Award Fund.
  • Brianna Rivera, OSU SRP Center, received the Perry J. Gehring Risk Assessment Student Award.
Lucie Ford at SOT meeting with her poster.
Ford with her award-winning poster. (Photo courtesy of the TAMU SRP Center)
  • Lucie Ford of the Texas A&M University (TAMU) SRP Center received the Society of Toxicology Mixtures Specialty Section, Best Student Abstract Award.
  • Alexandra Cordova, of the TAMU SRP Center, received the Perry J Gehring Best Graduate Student Abstract Risk Assessment Endowment Award.
  • Krisa Camargo, Ph.D., former TAMU SRP Center trainee, was recognized with the Vera W. Hudson and Elizabeth K. Weisburger Scholarship Fund.
  • Jamie Young, Ph.D., and Jennifer Toyoda of the University of Louisville received Student Research Award Funds from the Metals Specialty Section.
  • Hao Wang, Ph.D., of the University of Washington SRP Center received an award from the Pacific Northwest Toxicology Development Fund and won the prestigious Gabriel L. Plaa Education Award from the Mechanisms Specialty Section.

For a complete list of winners, see the SOT 2022 Awards listing.