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Lauren M. Aleksunes, PharmD, PhD, DABT, has been elected to serve on the SOT Council for the 2022–2025 term. Dr. Aleksunes is a mechanistic toxicologist and educator at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, where she is Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Lead of Workforce Development for the NJ Clinical and Translational Science Award Program. Her translational research focuses on roles for membrane transporter proteins in modulating the disposition and toxicity of drugs and chemicals in the kidneys, liver, and placenta. The Aleksunes laboratory takes a comprehensive approach to translate novel transporter findings from in vitro screening assays to birth cohorts and clinical trials. Dr. Aleksunes is deeply committed to training the next generation of toxicologists, as evidenced through her services as Director of the Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology and Co-Director of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Since joining the SOT membership in 2003, Dr. Aleksunes has been actively involved in the Society. She currently chairs the Audit Committee and is President of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter. She previously served on the Membership Committee and is a member of numerous SOT Component Groups, including the Out Toxicologists and Allies Special Interest Group, Mechanisms Specialty Section, and Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Specialty Section. She received the 2016 SOT Achievement Award for her significant contributions to toxicology.

Of her goals for SOT, Dr. Aleksunes says: “My goal for SOT is to connect the membership with its leaders and ensure the Society reflects the needs, goals, and ideas of its community. I will champion three priorities: (1) innovative approaches to advance toxicological sciences, risk assessment, and training; (2) translating research findings from the bench to the community; and (3) dissemination of rigorous science to the scientific community and general public. To achieve these goals, trainees and scientific collaborators with a clear understanding and capability for engaging in team-based research are needed. This includes engaging scientists and clinicians from outside the traditional scope of toxicology. For this effort, successful long-standing SOT initiatives (CDI, intern program, STEP, and more) require continued investment.”