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
Automated HPLC fractionation of PCDDs and PCDFs and planar and nonplanar PCBs on C18-dispersed PX-21 carbon
Deformities in birds of the Great Lakes region. Assigning causality
Accumulation of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents by double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus, Pelicaniformes) chicks in the North American Great Lakes
A toxic equivalency factor scale for polychlorinated dibenzofurans
Large-scale dialysis of sample lipids
Dioxin-like toxic potency in Forster's tern eggs from Green Bay, Lake Michigan, North America
Determination of mono- and non-o,o′-chlorine substituted polychlorinated biphenyls in Aroclors and environmental samples
A comparison of water quality criteria for the Great Lakes based on human and wildlife health
Caspian tern reproduction in the Saginaw Bay ecosystem following a 100-year flood event
Uptake of planar polychlorinated biphenyls and 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzofurans and dibenzo-p-dioxins by birds nesting in the lower Fox River and Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
Biomagnification of bioassay derived 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents in tissues of birds at Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
Science and Products
Automated HPLC fractionation of PCDDs and PCDFs and planar and nonplanar PCBs on C18-dispersed PX-21 carbon
Deformities in birds of the Great Lakes region. Assigning causality
Accumulation of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents by double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus, Pelicaniformes) chicks in the North American Great Lakes
A toxic equivalency factor scale for polychlorinated dibenzofurans
Large-scale dialysis of sample lipids
Dioxin-like toxic potency in Forster's tern eggs from Green Bay, Lake Michigan, North America
Determination of mono- and non-o,o′-chlorine substituted polychlorinated biphenyls in Aroclors and environmental samples
A comparison of water quality criteria for the Great Lakes based on human and wildlife health
Caspian tern reproduction in the Saginaw Bay ecosystem following a 100-year flood event
Uptake of planar polychlorinated biphenyls and 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzofurans and dibenzo-p-dioxins by birds nesting in the lower Fox River and Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
Biomagnification of bioassay derived 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents in tissues of birds at Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
*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