Developmental Neurotoxicology Society

Awards & Distinguished Speakers

The 50th Annual Meeting of the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS)

June 14-17, 2026

Elsevier Distinguished Lecturer

Nathan A. Fox, PhD

University of Maryland
Nathan Fox, University of Maryland
Monday, June 15 1:35-2:40 pm

Nathan A. Fox is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland. He conducts research on the effects of early experience on brain and behavioral development in infants and children. He has studied the biological bases of social and emotional behavior developing methods for assessing brain activity in infants and young children during tasks designed to elicit a range of emotions. His work is funded by the National Institutes of Health where he was awarded a MERIT award for excellence of his research program. He is one of three Principal Investigators on the Bucharest Early Intervention Project. Dr. Fox was awarded the Distinguished Scientific Investigator Award from the National Association for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) and was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Psychological Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Richard Butcher New Investigator Award

Cumulative Childhood Lead Exposure Estimation and School-Age IQ in a Prospective Birth Cohort

Aimée Vester, MD, PhD
Cincinnati Children’s Environmental Health and Lead Clinic and Fairfield Primary Care Clinic.

Each year, DNTS offers our Richard Butcher New Investigator Research Award to the best paper by a new investigator in the field. The paper must be published or in press in any peer-reviewed journal during the particular calendar year. The applicant must be first author of the paper and either a current student or have completed their degree within the last 3 years.

Sunday, June 14 2:15-3:00 pm

Patricia Rodier Mid-Career Award for Research and Mentoring

Epidemiology of Congenital Heart Defects: Differences in Burden Across Communities and Population Groups

Wendy Nembhard, PhD, MPH
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

This award honors the legacy of Dr. Patricia Rodier, a past President of the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society and a Council member of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention. The award is presented during the annual meetings of the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society and Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention. The awardee will give a presentation related to his/her research at a jointly sponsored session at the annual meetings. It is intended that the presentation will serve as a demonstration of independent mid-career research in neurobehavioral teratology, birth defects, or other related fields.

Monday, June 15 2:45-3:15 p.m.