The SOT Endowment Funds enhance SOT programs as well as provide individual awards which recognize SOT members and provide travel support for the SOT Annual Meeting and other educational activities. In 2024–2025, the Endowment provided support for 215 individual awards, including the numerous awards administered by SOT Component Groups. Thanks to the support and continued generosity of SOT members and friends, the Endowment closed the fiscal year (June 2025) with a balance over $6 million. The full list of 2025 Endowment Fund awardees can be seen on the SOT website, along with statements from each recipient that illustrate the lasting impact of these funds. These statements express the profound difference these awards make, for example:
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“This opportunity will be a game-changer for my research on the role of MAP4K4 in metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease. It will provide me with access to specialized training and professional development to sharpen my skills and expand my knowledge of genomics data analysis.” —Felix Ampadu (Diversity Initiatives Career Development Award) |
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“Receiving this award is an incredible honor and a humbling recognition of my work. It reinforces my commitment to advancing the field of carcinogenesis and motivates me to continue to push boundaries in the field. This recognition will provide me with additional resources and opportunities to collaborate with experts, ultimately accelerating the progress of my work and allowing me to continue to make meaningful contributions to the broader scientific community.” —Samantha Musso (Environmental Carcinogenesis Research Fellowship Fund) |
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“This award meant a lot to me … My mentor received the first (ever) Mary Amdur award, and I was so ecstatic to follow in his footsteps. Receiving this award has solidified my motivation to continue in the field of toxicology past my doctoral degree. I love my work and can't wait to expand our methods to other fields.” —Brenna Baird (Mary Amdur Student Award Fund) |
SOT Mission Funds and Named Funds administered by SOT Council provide program support. In the previous year, these funds enabled communications training for 48 SOT members through the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. They also supported the Undergraduate Development Program, Graduate Student Travel Support, and the SOT Undergraduate Research Awards.
You can join other SOT members in supporting the Endowment and investing in the future of toxicology. There are many ways to get involved, whether through donating, volunteering your expertise, or offering mentorship to students. As Joel Bercu has stated, “I have greatly benefited from the generosity of others in my career and so it was important for me to give back. The legacy of our field is dependent on those students that are training and learning. By supporting an endowment, whether it is through our time or treasure, we are planting the seeds for our future.”
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