Dr. Squibb joined the Society of Toxicology in 1996 and was a member of the Inhalation and Respiratory, Metals, and Occupational and Public Health Specialty Sections, the Women in Toxicology Special Interest Group, and the National Capital Area Regional Chapter.
Dr. Katherine (Kathy) S. Squibb passed away in Columbia, Maryland, after an extended illness. Before retiring, she served as a Professor in the Department of Medicine of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and was Co-Director of the University of Maryland System-Wide Graduate Program in Toxicology. Dr. Squibb received her PhD in biochemistry from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in 1977 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Her investigations examining metals toxicity and metabolism elucidated ways in which metals such as cadmium, lead, and depleted uranium target specific organ systems, and her work continues to be widely read and cited. Most metals toxicologists would agree that metallothionein cannot be discussed without mentioning one of her seminal publications on the topic!
She was a brilliant academic mentor and advisor, and led by example, showing University of Maryland graduate students that it was possible to be a world-class toxicologist and still have time for family and friends. I remember her Toxicology 601 and 602 lectures from my graduate school years as if they were just yesterday. Her academic oversight and instruction deftly transformed fledgling toxicologists into competent toxicologists (including myself), many of whom advanced to serve key positions at US Environmental Protection Agency, US Food and Drug Administration, academia, and the private sector.
Kathy was loved and respected by many SOT members. A service to celebrate Kathy’s life will be held Saturday, September 1, 2018, at 10:00 am, at Crosswalk Lutheran Church, 8940 Old Annapolis Road, Suite D, Columbia, Maryland. Kathy’s family asked that in lieu of flowers, that friends consider a donation to the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida. Your memory and kindness live on Kathy, and you will never be forgotten.
Margaret H. Whittaker, PhD, MPH, CBiol, FRSB, ERT, DABT, Managing Director and Chief Toxicologist
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