Dr. Margaret H. Whittaker has over a decade of experience in both the performance and management of toxicology and human health risk assessment-related projects for the Federal Government and private industry. Dr. Whittaker is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (D.A.B.T.) who earned a Ph.D. in Toxicology from The University of Maryland, Baltimore and an M.P.H. in Environmental Health form The University of Michigan. She is currently the Chief Toxicologist and President of ToxServices, where she serves as the project manager and technical lead of ToxServices projects for products regulated by the U.S. EPA, FDA, and CPSC, and for all U.S. EPA contracts. Dr. Whittaker has built her career on a foundation grounded in leadership and adherence to details and timelines. One of her first career awards (1992) was a United States Coast Guard Commandant's Award for Outstanding Civilian Service, where her "alacrity and tenacity" displayed while working on projects associated with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 were officially recognized. In addition to her extensive program management experience, Dr. Whittaker has extensive technical experience in hazard identification and non-cancer and cancer dose-response assessment, including quantitative risk assessment (e.g., benchmark dose modeling for both carcinogens and non-carcinogens). She has worked at two of the country's leading toxicology and risk assessment consulting firms (The ENVIRON Corporation and The Weinberg Group). Dr. Whittaker has over a decade of experience evaluating health hazards and quantitating human health risks for low-level contaminants in drinking water, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics, and food additives.
Dr. Bonnie Ransom Stern is a Senior Environmental and Public Health Scientist with more than 20 years experience in toxicology, epidemiology, and risk assessment including hazard, dose-response, exposure, risk and uncertainty characterization; toxicokinetic and mode-of-action evaluation; analysis, synthesis and integration of data for regulatory and research objectives; and identification of research needs. She is an expert in the design, conduct, and oversight of primary research studies and the evaluation and use of these data in a regulatory context. Dr. Stern has served as an external peer review panel member for numerous regulatory documents and regulatory processes, and has been active in framing issues associated with human relevance of animal data including assessment of modes of toxic and carcinogenic action; use of toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic data in interspecies extrapolation; bioavailability and internal doses; life-stage differences in chemical sensitivities; and qualitative and quantitative differences in mechanisms of homeostatic control between animals and humans for essential elements. She has a strong, multi-disciplinary technical background in environmental and biomedical sciences, including reproductive endocrinology, neuro- and neurodevelopmental toxicity, carcinogenicity, and multi-media exposure characterization; aggregate and cumulative risk assessment, and solid quantitative skills. Dr. Stern has been a lead scientist in several projects associated with the evaluation and efficacy of alternate strategies for prioritizing chemical substances for regulatory assessment/reassessment. She is experienced in project management and staff supervision, and as a rapporteur/facilitator for expert workshops on a range of scientific and policy issues. Project areas include waterborne contaminants/disinfection byproducts (including microbial pathogens, metals, pesticides, fuel additives, halogenated organics and solvents); endocrine-active compounds; characterization and assessment of health risks of essential trace elements including metals; air toxics, fuels and fuel additives/byproducts; pharmaceuticals; occupational hazards; international public health. Dr. Stern is also experienced in the analysis of public and environmental health issues at the interface of science, regulation and policy. She has excellent oral and written communication abilities, and strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills. Dr. Stern has worked in academia, government, private and public sector consulting; and has been an independent consultant for over 6 years. She is active in professional societies and in preparing, presenting and/or publishing technical work.
Dr. Xueqing Chen is an analytical chemist who has more than 20 years of analytical chemistry experience using a variety of instruments, including ICP/MS, GC/MS, HPLC, and AA. Her specific areas of expertise relate to the analysis of metals and metalloids, as well as laboratory auditing, training, and creation of laboratory Standard Operating Procedures. In 2004, Dr. Chen completed a three-year post doctoral assignment in the laboratory of Dr. Bruce A. Fowler at The University of Maryland School of Medicine investigating the interaction of lead, cadmium, and arsenic mixtures as part of a United States Environmental Protection Agency STAR grant. Dr. Chen is from Beijing, China, and speaks and reads fluent Mandarin. She also speaks and reads Japanese, having lived and worked in Japan for six years. Dr. Chen is well-versed in U.S. EPA test methods for both organics and inorganics, as well as ASTM standards and test methods.
Annette Iannucci is a Toxicologist who has 13 years of experience in the review of toxicological and human health data. She served as a Toxicologist for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) for 8 years. For that project, Ms. Iannucci reviewed and summarized studies addressing reproductive, developmental, systemic, and genetic toxicity in addition to exposure and toxicokinetics. Study summaries were used in the preparation of draft Expert Panel reports. Ms. Iannucci was responsible for managing the work flow of CERHR projects and provided guidance to fellow Sciences International employees working on that contract. In 2007, Ms. Iannucci prepared the toxicology chapter of a Science Assessment for the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA). In 2005, she prepared a draft IRIS file for butyl benzyl phthalate and in 2002 she prepared a draft IRIS file for methanol. For the NCEA and IRIS assignments, she evaluated and summarized toxicity studies, and for one IRIS review, she obtained metabolic data for use in physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models. For a six month period in 1998, Ms. Iannucci was a Principal Author for toxicological profiles prepared for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). In the position of Principal Author, Ms. Iannucci critically reviewed and summarized information from numerous types of animal and human toxicity studies including reproductive, developmental, mutagenicity, pharmacokinetics, and epidemiology. As a Research Toxicologist (1994-1998), Ms. Iannucci obtained four years of experience in the toxicological review and certification of drinking water treatment chemicals and plumbing materials. Her certification responsibilities included the review and evaluation of toxicological data to determine acceptable levels of contaminants in drinking water. In addition, she reviewed chemical formulations of drinking water additives to select contaminants of toxicological concern and converted laboratory testing results to human exposure levels. As a team leader, Ms. Iannucci's responsibilities included management of certification projects, and educating and providing technical assistance to team toxicologists. Ms. Iannucci also spent four years (1989-1993), as a laboratory technician, conducting scientific research in the areas of hypertension and microbiology.
Dr. Thea Clipson is a Toxicologist who earned her Ph.D. in Toxicology/Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. Since joining ToxServices, Dr. Clipson has developed numerous human health risk assessments of direct and indirect additives extracting from drinking water distribution systems. She also assisted in the development of an IRIS risk assessment for formaldehyde. As an academic researcher at the University of Michigan, Dr. Clipson investigated mechanisms of contaminant-induced uterine smooth muscle contractility, including the role of sodium channels in o,p'-DDT-induced uterine contractility. After completing her doctoral work, she was the recipient of a NCI Training Grant in Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis for a post-doctoral training position at the University of Texas M.D. Cancer Center, where she studied potential signaling pathways involved in the development of uterine leiomyoma. Dr. Clipson's graduate and post-doctoral studies have provided much needed insight into reproductive risks that may arise from contaminant exposures.
Dr. Leslie Patton is an Exposure Assessor and Environmental Toxicologist who received her Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from Cornell University. Dr. Patton specializes in the toxicological evaluation and health risk assessment of chemicals used in consumer products. Dr. Patton performs multi-route exposure assessments and safety assessments for new or existing consumer products and recommends modifications to current and proposed formulations to minimize potential adverse human health risks. Dr. Patton critically evaluates in vivo and in vitro toxicity studies performed on consumer products including personal care products, fragrances, and chemical ingredients to identify potential health hazards, sensitive subpopulations, and critical health effects endpoints to develop appropriate use instructions, cautionary statements and other protective measures to mitigate hazards to the consumer. Dr. Patton has experience using a variety of software applications (OncoLogic, BMD software, PBT Profiler, ECOSAR) in the assessment of human health risks and environmental hazards.
Ms. Joanna Shoenfelt is an Associate Toxicologist who earned her M.S. in Toxicology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine. Ms. Shoenfelt has developed numerous human health risk assessments of direct and indirect additives extracting from drinking water distribution systems and drinking water treatment units. She has also performed initial and final toxicological reviews for products being evaluated under various NSF standards. Ms. Shoenfelt has extensive laboratory experience in both in vivo and in vitro investigational techniques, and has over a decade of experience performing toxicity studies on mammalian and non-mammalian species. Ms. Shoenfelt performs literature searches for EPA risk assessments and technical guidance documents, ATSDR Toxicological Profiles, and international toxicological evaluations, including NICNAS, BUA, WHO (INCHEM, JECFA, IPCS), BIBRA, and Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare reports. She excels in searching online databases such as ChemIDplus, HSDB, MEDLINE, BIOSIS, TOXLINE, GENETOX, CCRIS, IARC, HPV, TSCATS, and DIALOG for epidemiological and toxicological data and reports. Ms. Shoenfelt also is proficient at using NEMI to select appropriate test methods for analyzing contaminants in water media. Ms. Shoenfelt is proficient in the use of spreadsheet and database applications (Excel, Access, OncoLogic, PBT Profiler, ECOSAR) to organize and analyze health effects, ecological data, and environmental data.
Ms. Elizabeth Engimann is an Associate Toxicologist who earned her M.H.S. in Environmental Health Sciences from the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, Bloomberg School of Public Health. Since joining ToxServices, Ms. Engimann has performed numerous human health risk assessments of direct and indirect additives extracting from drinking water distribution systems and drinking water treatment units. Ms. Engimann reviews and evaluates the formulations of municipal drinking water system components, drinking water treatment units, and drinking water treatment chemicals and designs chemical extraction test systems to evaluate the materials safety of these products. She also evaluates the results of chemical extraction testing performed on these products and has experience in the evaluation of pharmaceutical excipients for the creation of novel drug formulations. Ms. Engimann performs literature searches for EPA risk assessments and technical guidance documents, ATSDR Toxicological Profiles, and international toxicological evaluations, including NICNAS, BUA, WHO (INCHEM, JECFA, IPCS), BIBRA, and Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare reports. She excels in searching online databases such as ChemIDplus, HSDB, MEDLINE, BIOSIS, TOXLINE, GENETOX, CCRIS, IARC, HPV, TSCATS, and DIALOG for epidemiological and toxicological data and reports. Ms. Engimann is proficient in the use of statistical software (e.g., Stata, SPSS), as well as spreadsheet software (e.g., Excel).
Ms. Lisa Egner is a Research Scientist who received her Bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Illinois. Ms. Egner performs comprehensive literature searches in databases specializing in environmental quality or sustainability issues, such as Dialog's ENVIROLINE, INSIDE CONFERENCES, SCISEARCH, and WASTEINFO databases. Ms. Egner also assists ToxServices with her technical skills using graphics in AutoCAD and AutoDesk Inventor, statistical and numerical methods in MATLAB and EXCEL, and programming in C and MATLAB.
