The Allegheny-Erie Society of Toxicology (AE-SOT) Regional held its 38th annual meeting on October 29 at the West Virginia University Alumni Center in Morgantown, WV. The event, co-organized by Alison Sanders, PhD, associate professor in environmental and occupational health (EOH) at Pitt Public Health and director of the Rust to Resilience Environmental Chemical Research Center, brought together researchers, students and professionals to discuss current and emerging environmental toxicants impacting the region.
Juliane I. Beier, PhD, assistant professor of gastroenterology in Pitt’s Department of Medicine (DOM) and secondary faculty in environmental and occupational health at Pitt Public Health, delivered her keynote address “Toxic Relationships: When Liver Meets Industrial Chemicals.” She highlighted groundbreaking research on vinyl chloride and its role in exacerbating metabolic liver diseases and cancer. Sarah Commodore, PhD, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at the Indiana University School of Public Health Bloomington, followed with “END H3 (Hidden Health Hazards),” exploring how environmental exposures influence immune and inflammatory responses across the lifespan through the emerging field of exposomics.
The afternoon symposium, “Toxicants in Western Pennsylvania: Denying, Omitting, and Obscuring the Data,” featured Jane Scott Cleary of the Citizens’ Environmental Association of the Slippery Rock Area and Lisa Johnson, a Pittsburgh-based former environmental attorney. Their discussion emphasized community-driven environmental advocacy and transparency in pollution data.
This year’s meeting also celebrated exceptional trainee achievements. The University of Pittsburgh stood out with five award winners, each of whom are affiliated with Pitt Public Health’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH).
Best Talk by a Postdoctoral Fellow: Natalie Price (EOH) — Mentor: Alison Sanders
Best Poster by a Postdoctoral Fellow: Sudrishti Chaudhary (DOM; Mentor: Gavin Arteel; Collaborator: Juliane Beier (EOH)
Best Poster by a Postdoctoral Fellow: Amber Mills (DOM) — Mentor: Sharon George; Collaborator: Alison Sanders (EOH)
Best Poster by a Graduate Student: Nusrat Jahan (EOH) — Mentor: Aaron Barchowsky
Best Poster by a Graduate Student: Vivien Lyu (EOH) — Mentor: Winnie Tang