Cheryl S Watson, PhD
Dr. Watson is a professor in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Dept. at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. She is a PhD graduate of Baylor College of Medicine (Cell Biology) and completed postdoctoral fellowships in steroid actions (National Institute for Medical Research, London England; the Population Council, Rockefeller Univ). She is also a 2004 Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program (Drexel University). Dr. Watson teaches medical and graduate students, and is the Associate Director of the UTMB Toxicology Graduate Program. As a researcher she focuses on the interacting signaling pathways that mediate cellular responses to estrogens and estrogen-like mimics via membrane receptors, with distinct disruptive roles in multiple tissues affecting physiologic, developmental, and cancer-exacerbating actions. She has organized multiple scientific meetings/sessions on the topic of environmental and dietary compounds mimicking steroids by utilizing novel nongenomic signaling pathways. She is founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Endocrine Disruptors. Her unique instructional interests include cross-disciplinary training for synthetic chemists and biologists, and the use of virtual world computer technology to present biological and chemical science information to students and public audiences. She champions the importance of scientist interactions with the press and public media to promote screening out harmful chemicals before they are deployed and expose us to their harmful effects. She is a member of an integrated team of scientists and stake holders who design strategic and efficient testing regimes for new chemicals destined for consumer products and industrial uses (Tiered Protocols for Endocrine Disruptors or TiPED).
