This award, sponsored by the SOT Endowment, recognizes an SOT member who is distinguished by outstanding contributions to the teaching of undergraduate students in toxicology and toxicology-related areas and whose efforts support the Society’s strategic efforts to “build for the future of toxicology.”
Tisha C. King-Heiden, PhD, is awarded the 2026 SOT Rekha Mehendale Undergraduate Educator Award for her outstanding commitment to undergraduate toxicology education and her innovative efforts to recruit, train, and prepare students for careers and advanced study in toxicology and environmental health.
Dr. King-Heiden earned her BS in Biology (marine biology emphasis; chemistry minor) from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, her MS in Biology from the University of North Carolina–Greensboro, and her PhD in Biology (physiology, endocrinology, and toxicology) from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Program at the University of Wisconsin before starting her teaching career.
A faculty member at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (UWL), Dr. King-Heiden’s teaching reaches students across multiple levels of the curriculum. She teaches upper-level toxicology coursework, including a course that was redesigned from Environmental Toxicology to Aquatic Toxicology to better align with an Aquatic Science concentration, and she developed lower-level toxicology courses, Environmental and Human Health Effects of Water Pollution and Water Pollution Field and Lab Methods, to introduce and recruit students into the field. She also integrates toxicology concepts into large-enrollment core biology courses to broaden undergraduate exposure to toxicology across the program.
Beyond individual courses, Dr. King-Heiden has helped expand capacity-building in toxicology education through collaborative program development. She is assisting colleagues at UWL with the development of a Pharmacology and Toxicology concentration or certificate within the Chemistry major, with a longer-term goal of growing that effort into a full program/major.
Dr. King-Heiden is also collaborating with faculty across University of Wisconsin institutions through the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin toward a statewide certificate program in aquatic toxicology that would allow students to take complementary coursework across universities, further strengthening recruitment pathways into aquatic toxicology and human health.
Dr. King-Heiden is recognized for advancing undergraduate research and professional development. She provides students with applied research questions and training, supports career exploration through visits and interactions with toxicology-related organizations, and ensures students can communicate their science through conference presentations, reflecting strong student participation in presentations and publications and continued progression into graduate and health-professions programs.
Through her innovative teaching, curriculum development, and dedication to undergraduate mentorship, Dr. King-Heiden has strengthened pathways into toxicology and environmental health. Her sustained commitment to student training and program building exemplifies the impact recognized by the SOT Rekha Mehendale Undergraduate Educator Award.
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