Society of Toxicology Announces 2015 Best Toxicological Paper Award

Newswise — Reston, Va.; December 11, 2014 — Scientists from the US Environmental Protection Agency, Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, and Bruce Allen Consulting are being honored for publishing the best paper in Toxicological Sciences during the 12 months preceding the 2015 award’s selection. The 2015 SOT Board of Publications Award for the Best Paper in Toxicological Sciences is being bestowed by the Society of Toxicology (SOT) — the world’s largest and preeminent association representing the field of toxicology — on a paper published in the July 2013 issue (Volume 134, No. 1) of the journal, titled “Temporal Concordance Between Apical and Transcriptional Points of Departure for Chemical Risk Assessment.” (Thomas RS, Wesselkamper SC, Wang NCY, Zhao QJ, Petersen DD, Lambert JC, Cote I, Yang L, Healy E, Black MB, Clewell HJ, Allen BC, Andersen ME. Toxicol Sci. 2013 Jul; 134(1): 180–194. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kft094)

“Every month, our peer-reviewed journal Toxicological Sciences publishes some of the most notable work in the field of toxicology, so to be selected as the best of the best is a true honor that we are proud to bestow upon Dr. Russell S. Thomas and his colleagues,” says Norbert E. Kaminski, SOT President 2014–2015. “Their paper advances our discipline, as it begins to addresses the complex issues surrounding the use of quantitative data in chemical risk assessment.”

“While data from –omic approaches play supportive roles in helping identify pathways of toxicity and providing weight of evidence, they are not integrated into the risk assessment models. In the paper by Thomas and coworkers, the authors attempt to show that data from transcriptomics, using gene expression microarrays, can be used in a meaningful way in risk assessment models for cancer and non-cancer endpoints. … this paper suggests that the time is drawing near for the integration of –omic technology,” writes Gary W. Miller, PhD, Toxicological Sciences Editor-in-Chief, in an upcoming Toxicological Sciences editorial.

The authors of the honored paper are Russell S. Thomas, Scott C. Wesselkamper, Nina Ching Y. Wang, Q. Jay Zhao, Dan D. Petersen, Jason C. Lambert, Ila Cote, Longlong Yang, Eric Healy, Michael B. Black, Harvey J. Clewell III, Bruce C. Allen, and Melvin E. Andersen.

In addition, each year, the SOT Postdoctoral Assembly recognizes three early career members who are authors of papers featuring research accomplished during a mentored postdoctoral experience. The recipients of the 2015 Best Postdoctoral Publication Awards are:

• John Clarke, PhD, University of Arizona, for a paper in the Journal of Hepatology titled “Synergistic Interaction Between Genetics and Disease on Pravastatin Disposition.” (Clarke JD, Hardwick RN, Lake AD, Lickleig AJ, Goedken MJ, Klaassen CD, Cherrington NJ. Journal of Hepatology. 2014 Jul; 61(1): 139–47. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2014.02.021)
• Yong Ho Kim, PhD, US Environmental Protection Agency, for a paper in Particle and Fibre Toxicology titled “Cardiopulmonary Toxicity of Peat Wildfire Particulate Matter and the Predictive Utility of Precision Cut Lung Slices.” (Kim YH, Tong H, Daniels M, Boykin E, Krantz QT, McGee J, Hays M, Kovalcik K, Dye JA, Gilmour MI. Part Fibre Toxicol. 2014 June; 11: 29. doi:10.1186/1743-8977-11-29)
• Christina Powers, PhD, US Environmental Protection Agency, for a paper in Toxicological Sciences titled “Sparking Connections: Toward Better Linkages Between Research and Human Health Policy — An Example with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes.” (Powers CM, Gift J, Lehmann GM. Toxicol Sci. 2014 Sept; 141(1): 6–17. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfu117)

The field of toxicology and toxicologists are responsible for aiding human, animal, and environmental health and safety through the study of the adverse effects of chemicals and other biological agents.

All 2015 SOT Award recipients will be honored at the Society’s 54th Annual Meeting & ToxExpo in San Diego, California, from March 22–26, 2015.

Previously announced 2015 SOT Awards recipients include:

• 2015 SOT Achievement Award: Vishal S. Vaidya, PhD, Harvard Medical School.
• 2015 SOT Arnold J. Lehman Award: Richard A. Becker, PhD, DABT, American Chemistry Council.
• 2015 SOT Distinguished Toxicology Scholar Award: Ian Kimber, OBE, PhD, FSB, FBTS, ATS, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.
• 2015 SOT Education Award: Theodore Slotkin, PhD, Duke University Medical Center.
• 2015 SOT Enhancement of Animal Welfare Award: Marcel Leist, PhD, University of Konstanz, Germany.
• 2015 SOT Merit Award: Günter Oberdörster, DVM, PhD, University of Rochester Medical Center.
• 2015 SOT Public Communications Award: Andrew D. Maynard, PhD, University of Michigan Department of Environmental Health Sciences.
• 2015 SOT Translational Impact Award: Jeff Burgess, MD, University of Arizona.
• 2015 SOT Undergraduate Educator Award: Mindy F. Reynolds, PhD, Washington College.
• 2015 SOT Colgate-Palmolive Grant for Alternative Research: Alfredo Miranda de Goes, PhD, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, and Lei Li Kerr, Miami University.
• 2015 SOT Colgate-Palmolive Postdoctoral Fellowship Award in In Vitro Toxicology: Fabian A. Grimm, PhD, Texas A&M University.
• 2015 SOT Colgate-Palmolive Award for Student Research Training in Alternative Methods: Prajakta Shimpi, MS, University of Rhode Island.
• 2015 SOT Syngenta Fellowship Award in Human Health Applications of New Technologies: Alok Ranjan, BS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

For a full list of awards and awardees, visit http://toxicology.org/pr/press.asp.

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About SOT Awards & HonorsThe Society of Toxicology (SOT) Awards program recognizes and assists distinguished toxicologists and students each year based on merit — if a worthy recipient is not identified for a given award in a year, the prize will not be awarded that year. In 1962, the Society inducted its first honorary members, establishing its honors program. In 1965, the SOT Awards program was created with the establishment of two awards, the SOT Merit Award and the SOT Achievement Award, to support “the furtherance of the science of toxicology.” Today, the Society presents more than 20 awards that recognize achievement, facilitate travel for senior and budding scientists, and further toxicological research. The SOT Awards program supports the Society’s mission to create a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology. Hashtag: #SOTAwards

About SOTFounded in 1961, the Society of Toxicology (SOT) is a professional and scholarly organization of more than 7,700 scientists from academic institutions, government, and industry representing the great variety of individuals who practice toxicology in the US and abroad. SOT is committed to creating a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology. The Society promotes the acquisition and utilization of knowledge in toxicology, aids in the protection of public health, and has a strong commitment to education in toxicology and to the recruitment of students and new members into the profession. For more information about SOT and toxicology, visit the Society online at www.toxicology.org, follow us on Twitter @SOToxicology, and like us on Facebook.