Donald Tillitt, PhD
Dr. Don Tillitt is a Research Toxicologist at the Columbia Environmental Research Center.
Don has been at the Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) since 1989, then part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He leads research on the effects of chemicals on fish and wildlife, with an emphasis on reproduction and development in fish. His research interests focus on developmental effects of persistent chemicals in fish. Multiple levels of biological organization are generally evaluated in his research efforts, with endpoints consisting of molecular, biochemical, histology, and behavioral-level effects. Recent research projects in his laboratory include: 1) effects of PCBs and dioxins on development in sturgeon species; 2) causes and effects of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiencies on Great Lakes salmonines; 3) effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on sexual differentiation and gonad development in fish; and 4) transgenerational epigenetic effects on endocrine disrupting chemicals across vertebrate taxa. Don has served in a variety of capacities for the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, currently serves as an Editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Don has adjunct professor appointments in the Biological Sciences and the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. He serves on graduate student advisory committees, offers guest lectures, and has taught Environmental Toxicology since 1992.
Professional Experience
2013-present Senior Scientist, USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO
1989-2012 Research Chemist, USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO
1983-1989 Graduate Assistant, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Environmental Toxicology, Michigan State University, 1989
M.S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 1986
B.S. Ag. Biochemistry, Michigan State University, 1981
B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 1981
Affiliations and Memberships*
2010-present Adjunct Professor, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
1991-present Adjunct Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
1991-2010 Adjunct Professor, Biochemistry Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
1983-present Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
American Fisheries Society (lifetime member)
International Association of Great Lakes Research (lifetime member)
Science and Products
Toxic responses of medaka, D-rR strain, to polychlorinatednaphthalene mixtures after embryonic exposure by in ovo nanoinjection: A partial life-cycle assessment
Polychlorinated biphenyls and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents in tree swallows from the upper Hudson River, New York State, USA
Embryotoxicity of Great Lakes lake trout extracts to developing rainbow trout
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Field procedures for assessing the exposure of fish to environmental contaminants
The toxic equivalents approach for fish and wildlife
Cytochrome P4501A induction, benzo[a]pyrene metabolism, and nucleotide adduct formation in fish hepatoma cells: Effect of preexposure to 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Field Procedures for Assessing the Exposure of Fish to Environmental Contaminants
Overview of a workshop on screening methods for detecting potential (anti-) estrogenic/androgenic chemicals in wildlife
Estimation of uptake rate constants for PCB congeners accumulated by semipermeable membrane devices and brown treat (Salmo trutta)
Effects of 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin injected into the yolks of double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) eggs prior to incubation
Aryl hydrocarbon receptor function in early vertebrates:Inducibility of cytochrome P450 1A in agnathan and elasmobranch fish
Toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) for PCBs, PCDDs, PCDFs for humans and wildlife
Science and Products
Toxic responses of medaka, D-rR strain, to polychlorinatednaphthalene mixtures after embryonic exposure by in ovo nanoinjection: A partial life-cycle assessment
Polychlorinated biphenyls and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents in tree swallows from the upper Hudson River, New York State, USA
Embryotoxicity of Great Lakes lake trout extracts to developing rainbow trout
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Field procedures for assessing the exposure of fish to environmental contaminants
The toxic equivalents approach for fish and wildlife
Cytochrome P4501A induction, benzo[a]pyrene metabolism, and nucleotide adduct formation in fish hepatoma cells: Effect of preexposure to 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Field Procedures for Assessing the Exposure of Fish to Environmental Contaminants
Overview of a workshop on screening methods for detecting potential (anti-) estrogenic/androgenic chemicals in wildlife
Estimation of uptake rate constants for PCB congeners accumulated by semipermeable membrane devices and brown treat (Salmo trutta)
Effects of 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin injected into the yolks of double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) eggs prior to incubation
Aryl hydrocarbon receptor function in early vertebrates:Inducibility of cytochrome P450 1A in agnathan and elasmobranch fish
Toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) for PCBs, PCDDs, PCDFs for humans and wildlife
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government