Debra L. Laskin, PhD, is the recipient of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) Education Award. Dr. Laskin has made outstanding contributions to toxicology education, significantly impacting the careers of many students, postdoctoral trainees, and junior faculty. She joined the faculty of the Rutgers University School of Pharmacy in 1982. In 2000, she achieved the status of distinguished professor and in 2007 was awarded the Roy Bowers Endowed Chair in Pharmacy because of her exceptional accomplishments.
At Rutgers, Dr. Laskin has played a key role in the development of the highly successful Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology, from which has graduated more than 100 doctoral students, and she was instrumental in the program obtaining one of the first US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) T32 training grants at Rutgers, which is now in its 30th year of funding.
She has mentored 23 doctoral students and 13 postdoctoral trainees in her laboratory, as well as numerous undergraduates, honors students, and PharmD students. Her trainees consistently receive research awards from SOT and other societies, and most have gone on to successful careers in academia, government, and industry. Dr. Laskin is an enthusiastic and passionate teacher both in the classroom and in the laboratory, instilling in her students an excitement and curiosity about research and the desire to learn more and succeed.
Furthermore, Dr. Laskin’s commitment to strengthening the science education pipeline is evident through her development and participation in highly successful summer programs for the scientific training of high school and college students. These hands-on programs, including the Rutgers Toxicology Health and Environmental Disease Program and the Partners in Science Program at Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, provide students with an opportunity to conduct full-time research in toxicology and related areas, as well as participate in career development workshops and give oral presentations about their research.
Moreover, Dr. Laskin’s contributions to education go beyond Rutgers, as she has served on the SOT Continuing Education Committee and has presented talks and posters at SOT and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) and other meetings about educating students and young scientists.
In addition to her role as an educator, Dr. Laskin is very active in research and service. As a researcher, she has contributed to the understanding of the role of inflammation in chemically induced tissue injury. Her work has been funded continuously for more than 30 years through multiple US National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards. Her laboratory has a reputation for exceptionally high scientific standards, as well as a nurturing environment, which encourages trainees to grow and develop a personal responsibility towards their research. She also is active in ASPET, serving as the recent chair of the Toxicology Division, and is a permanent member of the NIH Systemic Injury by Environmental Exposures Review Panel.
Dr. Laskin is considered a role model for young scientists and a champion for women in science. She received the 2014 Mentoring Award from the SOT Women in Toxicology Special Interest Group, and at Rutgers, she serves as an advisor to the Office for the Promotion of Women in Science and the Douglas Project for Women in STEM. She also is the director of career development for the Rutgers P30 NIEHS Center of Excellence and the director of the education and training core for the UMDNJ-Rutgers University CounterACT Research Center of Excellence funded by the NIH.
She has been an active member of SOT during her career, serving on SOT Council, the Awards Committee, and Nominating Committee and as secretary/treasurer of the Mechanisms Specialty Section, Dermal Toxicology Specialty Section councilor, and, currently, vice president-elect of the Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section. She was the recipient of the SOT Frank R. Blood Publications Award in 1988, the SOT Achievement Award in 1991, the Burroughs Wellcome Toxicology Scholar Award in 1993, and the 2015 Career Investigator Award from the SOT Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section.