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Rogene Henderson, PhD, DABT, has received the 2021 SOT Merit Award for her contributions to the science of toxicology, the regulation of pollutants, and the training and career development of many toxicologists over a career that has spanned almost six decades.

A groundbreaker in chemistry and biochemistry and a leader for women in science, Dr. Henderson received her PhD in chemistry from the University of Texas in 1960, during a time when gender diversity in the sciences was uncommon and the scientific world was composed mostly of men. Her career is best noted for her passionate defense of the environment and human health and her early research focused on how chemicals could affect biological systems. Her expertise spans numerous toxicants, including ozone, asbestos, tobacco, and particulate matter, as well as health effects, such as cancer, Gulf War Syndrome, and respiratory disease.

Dr. Henderson was among the first scientists hired by Dr. Roger O. McClellan in the late 1960s at the newly established Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute (ITRI), which would later become the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute. She remained there for her entire career. Early on, Dr. Henderson led a project funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) on the toxicokinetics of xenobiotics and developed novel biomarkers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid–and through those efforts, contributed to the development of the modern field of inhalation toxicology.

Dr. Henderson published extensively, culminating in over 250 scientific communications, including peer-reviewed primary research as well as review articles, chapters, and books. The ITRI held periodic workshops to share its technology and experience with others, and these events provided the basis for Concepts in Inhalation Toxicology, a book edited by Drs. McClellan and Henderson (first edition—1989; second edition—1995).

Dr. Henderson’s participation on regulatory and advisory panels began in the early 1980s and continued for three decades. She served two terms on the Toxicology Study Section of the NIEHS and then served on the NIEHS Council. She also served on 28 committees of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and its National Research Council (NRC). She chaired eight committees, including the Committee on Toxicology, a standing committee providing advice to the military. She was a member of the NRC Board of Environmental Studies and Toxicology, and after her initial term, she served as Chair. For her service, Dr. Henderson was named a National Associate of the National Academies.

Dr. Henderson has filled numerous advisory roles on panels for the National Institutes of Health, NASEM, US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), and many other organizations, including filling leadership positions. She chaired the US EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), and during her term as Chair, CASAC offered critical advice to the US EPA Administrator informing revisions to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone and Particulate Matter. Dr. Henderson additionally contributed to the World Health Organization’s guidelines for air quality and served on numerous local, US, and international advisory boards. She also spent eight years on the Research Committee of the Health Effects Institute, which plays a key role in coordinating research on the health effects of motor vehicle emissions.

Dr. Henderson is known as a thoughtful scientific leader, and she contributed significantly to the careers of numerous scientists who collaborated with her or trained under her. The list of scientists with whom she has co-authored papers is extensive and includes many leaders in toxicology and environmental health. She also contributed to the Editorial Boards of numerous journals.

Dr. Henderson is a Past President of both the SOT Mountain West Regional Chapter and the SOT Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section. The Mountain West Regional Chapter named her Ambassador of Toxicology in 1997, and she is the past recipient of three Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section Awards for Best Paper on Inhalation Toxicology as well as the 1994 Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section Career Achievement Award.

In addition to her service to SOT, Dr. Henderson also was an early Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology and is an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has lifetime academic appointments at Purdue University and the University of New Mexico, where in her working retirement she has lectured to medical students and residents.

EDITOR’S SIDEBAR: 2021 Merit Award Lecture at the 60th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo

Dr. Henderson will deliver the 2021 Merit Award Lecture on Tuesday, March 23, from 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm (US EDT, UTC -4). The topic of Dr. Henderson’s lecture is “The Exciting Challenge of Working in Regulatory Toxicology.”

The importance of using regulations to keep our air clean is relevant for two major reasons: to protect the health of all species and to protect the health of our planet. This lecture will address some of the challenges associated with working in this field through the lens of a prodigious career in regulatory toxicology. Dr. Henderson will discuss her early education, which included a double major in chemistry and biology as well as a double minor in German and mathematics. She will then discuss her one-year studies in Munich, Germany, on a Fulbright Scholarship and her subsequent return on a fellowship to perform a graduate study in chemistry at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. She then will speak about her early career, when after earning a PhD in chemistry, Dr. Henderson joined the newly established Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute under Dr. Roger O. McClellan. She will present on her research, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, on the toxicokinetics of inhaled xenobiotics, which led to the development of novel biomarkers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and contributed to the modern field of inhalation toxicology. Dr. Henderson also will touch on how from this basic research, she published over 250 scientific communications, including review articles, chapters, and books, and served on numerous Editorial Boards and study sections. Dr. Henderson will then discuss her experiences as a member and later Chair of the US Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, where she pushed for reasonable regulations of air pollutants and additionally contributed to the World Health Organization’s guidelines for air quality. This lecture will include a discussion of some of the challenges Dr. Henderson faced in the leadership roles she held in regulatory agencies. Dr. Henderson is the 2021 recipient of the SOT Merit Award.