Kristine Willett, PhD, has been awarded the 2022 SOT Undergraduate Educator Award in recognition of her exemplary undergraduate teaching contributions and her support of undergraduate educators—both in her classroom and in the greater scientific community.
Dr. Willett received her PhD in toxicology in 1997 and conducted postdoctoral fellowships at Indiana University and Duke University. She then joined the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, where she now serves as Chair of the Department of Biomolecular Sciences and as a Professor of pharmacology and environmental toxicology.
Since joining the University of Mississippi in 2000, Dr. Willett has been the instructor of record for all undergraduate toxicology courses, developing and subsequently updating the undergraduate Introduction to Toxicology and Introduction to Environmental Toxicology curricula. In the past five years alone, Dr. Willett has taught more than 200 undergraduate students.
A tenured professor, Dr. Willett also has taught for many years in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, including presenting a conversations class in environmental health and a new experiential learning course on drinking water access and safety. Highly regarded among her colleagues, Dr. Willett has been recognized in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy with the Instructional Innovation Award and was a Distinguished Teaching Scholar. The university also recognized her with the Faculty Achievement Award.
Dr. Willett’s mentorship of the diverse undergraduates who have worked in her laboratory is equally impactful to her classroom activities. She has hosted research experiences for 65 high school and undergraduate students, exposing them to her federally funded research, and has mentored 56 undergraduate students. Undergraduates are part of all Dr. Willett’s research projects with specific funding for undergraduate research from multiple mechanisms, and she has received two National Institutes of Health supplements—totaling more than $97,000—for summer research experiences for undergraduate students.
Dr. Willett’s excellence as an undergraduate educator also is exemplified through the caliber of her students, who have received both scientific meeting travel awards and presentation awards and are co-authors of several of Dr. Willett’s publications. Many of Dr. Willett’s students have gone on to medical and pharmacy schools, and others are continuing their careers in toxicology and forensic toxicology.
An SOT member since 2001, Dr. Willett has been a champion for undergraduate educators within the Society, including through her service as a member of both the Undergraduate Education Resources Task Force and the Faculty United for Toxicology Undergraduate Recruitment and Education (FUTURE) Committee. In addition to these appointments, Dr. Willett served as Co-Chair of the Undergraduate Education Subcommittee. In her roles within SOT, Dr. Willett contributed to publicly available education resources, including a series of Undergraduate Educator Network webinars and the Eminent Toxicologist Lecture Series, strengthening the Society’s impact in undergraduate education. In addition to this service, Dr. Willett is a Past President of the South Central Regional Chapter and Molecular and Systems Biology Specialty Section, is a member of the SOT Membership Committee, and is an inaugural Deputy Editor of Toxicological Sciences.
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