Sam Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., the Havlik-Wall Professor of Oncology in the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Pathology and Microbiology, has been named to the National Institute of Environmental Health Services (NIEHS) Board of Scientific Counselors.
The NIEHS, which is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims to improve health care by understanding how environmental factors contribute to disease.
The board of scientific counselors provides advice to NIEHS leaders and evaluates the institute’s intramural and collaborative programs.
“It’s a nice honor and it’s a lot of work,” Dr. Cohen said of being named to the NIEHS board. “It’s also a nice recognition for the work that I’ve been doing in toxicology and cancer research.”
In his research, Dr. Cohen focuses on mechanisms of carcinogenesis. His research was key in the federal government’s 2000 decision to drop saccharin from its list of cancer-causing chemicals.
In 2001, he received the prestigious Arnold J. Lehman Award from the Society of Toxicology for more than 35 years of work in carcinogenesis and toxicology research, primarily utilizing the urinary bladder as a model system. In 1990, he received the University of Nebraska’s Outstanding Research and Creativity Award.
From 2002 to 2004, Dr. Cohen served on the board of scientific counselors for the National Toxicology Program, which is affiliated with the NIEHS. Dr. Cohen will start work on the NIEHS board on July 1.
Dr. Cohen joins Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, as medical center faculty who serve on NIH boards. Dr. Cowan currently serves on the National Cancer Institute’s National Cancer Advisory Board.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.