Dr. Edward Calabrese is a distinguished toxicologist whose pioneering work has transformed fundamental understanding of dose-response relationships in environmental health sciences. He currently serves as Professor of Toxicology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's School of Public Health and Health Sciences, a position he has held since 1976 following his educational journey at Bridgewater State College (B.S., 1968) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (M.A., 1972; Ph.D., 1973). Board Certified in general toxicology by the Academy of Toxicological Sciences since 1982, he has established himself as a leading authority through his extensive research program spanning over four decades. His leadership extends to directing the Northeast Regional Environmental Public Health Center and serving on influential committees including the US National Academy of Sciences Safe Drinking Water committee and the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Dr. Calabrese's groundbreaking research has fundamentally reshaped toxicological paradigms through his championing of hormesis as the most fundamental dose-response model, challenging the long-held assumption that there is no safe threshold for chemical exposure. His seminal 2005 paper Paradigm lost, paradigm found has garnered over 628 citations, establishing hormesis as a critical framework in environmental risk assessment and demonstrating that low-dose exposure to certain toxins can produce beneficial effects. With an extraordinary publication record exceeding 1000 scholarly papers and 26 books, his work has profound implications for environmental regulation, pharmaceutical development, and clinical trial efficiency. This transformative research earned him the prestigious 2009 Marie Curie Prize and recognition as a leading authority whose discoveries are leading to major transformations in drug discovery and risk assessment methodologies.
Beyond his research contributions, Dr. Calabrese has significantly shaped his field through editorial leadership as Founding Editor-in-Chief of both Human and Ecological Risk Assessment and Dose-Response Journal, where he currently serves as editor emeritus. He has advised numerous federal agencies including the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and consulted with major corporations on environmental health issues, translating his research into practical applications that inform public policy. His international influence is evident in his appointment to the Advisory Board for the first graduate training program focused on hormetic mechanisms at Friedrich-Schiller-University in Germany since 2011. Recognized with an honorary Doctor of Science Degree from McMaster University in 2013, Dr. Calabrese continues to advance the scientific foundations for risk assessment and environmental regulation through his ongoing research and mentorship of the next generation of toxicologists.
