INTERDISCIPLINARY FACULTY OF TOXICOLOGY (IFT

The IFT is a degree-granting graduate program composed of faculty from 20 Texas A&M departments in five colleges, three divisions of the Health Science Center, and three associated laboratories. Since 1989, the IFT has awarded over 50 MS degrees, nearly 200 PhDs; and two DVM/PhD degrees. In addition, over 100 postdocs have trained in toxicology at Texas A&M University.

Training future generations of toxicologists in novel scientific discoveries should go hand-in-hand with ensuring that trainees develop a broad set of complementary competencies that span multiple disciplines, from basic biology to exposure science, biostatistics, and epidemiology. In addition, trainees must understand how these data and knowledge are translated into decisions and policy. Areas of research include: Mechanistic Toxicology, Public Health, Risk Assessment, Exposure Science, Cancer Biology, Epidemiology, and Modeling/Data Science.

Highlights from FY21 include:

Awards/Accomplishments

• Dr. Meichen Wang received 2021 Texas A&M Distinguished Dissertation and CVMBS Outstanding Postdoctoral Research Associate awards. • Dr. David Threadgill was named a University Regents Professor. • Dr. Weihsueh Chiu was appointed to multiple boards: the EPA Science Advisory Board, the Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee, and chair of the National Academies committee informing the US EPA of New Approach Methods (NAMs). • Alexandra Cordova received a 2021 NIEHS K.C. Donnelly Externship Award Supplement to train at Los Alamos National Laboratory. • Allie Folcik was a finalist in the Texas A&M Three Minute Thesis competition with her talk “Keeping Cyanotoxins Out of Your Tap!” Toxicology graduates • Trainees made 21 presentations, won nine awards, and had two specialty section features at the Society of Toxicology 2021 Annual Meeting. • Students led discussions at SETAC’s 2020 North America Meeting, and, at the South Central Chapter meeting, Alexandra Cordova won 2nd Place Presentation. • At the 2020 Lone Star Chapter of the Society of Toxicology, five of the top eight posters were submitted by Texas A&M toxicology trainees. • Dr. Meichen Wang received the Best Poster Award at the 2020 NIEHS Superfund Annual Meeting, which had 180 posters total.

Research and Service Features

• Dr. Natalie Johnson was part of a team of A&M researchers developing inexpensive wristbands to protect pregnant women from pollutants. • Dr. Arum Han and his collaborators have demonstrated that exposure to high Toxicology students heat neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 in less than one second. • Dr. Weihsueh Chiu partnered with CVMBS scientist Dr. Martial Ndeffo to develop a state-level Covid-19 response model. • Dr. Rusyn lead research showing energy drink’s harmful effects on the heart. • Dr. Weston Porter and his team received an X-Grant, MitoX: Targeting Mitochondria to Improve Human Health. • Dr. Natalie Johnson’s research team is involved at the Shingle Mountain in south Dallas, site of 100,000 tons of discarded roofing materials in which lead contamination has been found. • Dr. Weihsueh Chiu is featured in the article "Texas A&M Researchers to Address Chemical Pollution Following Gulf Coast Storms" in which a research team was awarded a three-year Healthy Ecosystems grant by The Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to address the risk of flood-induced spills at Gulf Coast facilities.

High Profile Publications

• Wang M., et al, Enhanced adsorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by edible, nutrient-amended montmorillonite clays. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116534 • Valdiviezo, A., et al, Quantitative In Vitro-to-In Vivo Extrapolation for Mixtures: A Case Study of Superfund Priority List Pesticides. DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfab076 • Hsieh, N-H, et al, Risk Characterization and Probabilistic Concentration–Response Modeling of Complex Environmental Mixtures Using New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) Data from Organotypic in Vitro Human Stem Cell Assays. DOI: 10.1289/EHP7600 • Camargo, K., et al, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon status in post-hurricane Harvey sediments: Considerations for environmental sampling in the Ga Bay/Houston Ship Channel region. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111872