Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog about the awardee(s) is based on the nomination materials provided. This citation is being shared under the Award Committee Chair’s name as part of their official duties and should not be interpreted as their personal or professional opinions.
This award, sponsored by the SOT Endowment Fund, recognizes a Full, Emeritus, or Retired Full member who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in fostering the role of toxicological sciences in safety decision-making through the development and/or application of state-of-the-art approaches that elucidate, with a high degree of confidence, the distinctions for humans between safe and unsafe levels of exposures to chemical and physical agents.
For his career-spanning contributions in safety decision-making using state-of-the-art toxicological science approaches, Samuel Monroe Cohen, MD, PhD, ATS, DABP, IATP, is awarded the 2024 SOT Founders Award (for Outstanding Leadership in Toxicology).
Graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1972 with doctorates in Experimental Oncology and Medicine, Dr. Cohen began his residency training in pathology at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1981, he began his association with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, holding a series of senior and distinguished positions that continues to the present time.
As a researcher, Dr. Cohen has made numerous significant contributions to the use of toxicology in safety decision-making. A major example is found in his body of work in the field of carcinogenesis, which has been incorporated into risk assessment. His efforts show that not only is DNA reactivity necessary but also the pivotal role of cell proliferation and spontaneous errors during cell replication as contributors to cancer, resulting in non-linear dose-response and thresholds. This shift in understanding in carcinogenesis has had profound influence in the risk assessment and regulation of chemicals.
In 1995, Dr. Cohen’s research demonstrated the mode of action for sodium saccharin in bladder carcinogenesis in rats and conclusively demonstrated that it is rat-specific. This research was accepted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1999, and the classification of saccharin as a carcinogen was downgraded from a classification of 2 to 3, which was precedent setting. In addition, sodium saccharin was delisted from the US Congressional-mandated list of carcinogens by the National Toxicology Program in 2000, which also was precedent setting.
Dr. Cohen’s recent research has demonstrated the mode of action for inorganic and organic arsenical carcinogenesis and demonstrated the dose and time course of its effects and the presence of a threshold. Recently, this research was corroborated through a major epidemiology analysis using Bayesian statistics, and it has the potential to have a major impact on environmental and food regulations.
A member of SOT since 1986, Dr. Cohen has participated in numerous SOT Committees and working groups, including the Awards Committee (2012–2014) and the Task Force to Improve the Scientific Basis of Risk Assessment (1999–2002). Dr. Cohen’s remarkable scientific career also was recognized by his receipt of the John Doull Award from the SOT Central States Regional Chapter in 1996, the SOT Arnold J. Lehman Award in 2001, and the SOT Merit Award in 2017.
Dr. Cohen’s exceptional research, insights, and leadership in bringing toxicological sciences to the forefront of safety and decision-making have earned him the 2024 SOT Founders Award (for Outstanding Leadership in Toxicology).
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog about the awardee(s) is based on the nomination materials provided. This citation is being shared under the Award Committee Chair’s name as part of their official duties and should not be interpreted as their personal or professional opinions.
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