2026 ACT Award Recipients

Dr. John DeSesso is a Principal Scientist at Exponent, a scientific and engineering consulting company. He received his A.B. in chemistry from Hamilton College and earned his doctorate in Anatomy and Teratology from the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. DeSesso has 50 years of post-doctoral experience specializing in the areas of developmental and reproductive toxicology, general toxicology, risk assessment, and human health effects of environmental agents and pharmaceuticals. He has published more than 130 papers and chapters in these areas, two of which were selected as the Outstanding Published Paper Demonstrating an Application of Risk Assessment by the Risk Assessment Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology. Dr. DeSesso was elected President of the Teratology Society, MARTA, and the Risk Assessment Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology. He served 9 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB). He has been an ad hoc reviewer for more than 50 toxicology- and medical-related journals and serves on the editorial boards of Reproductive Toxicology and Birth Defects Research. He has trained 4 doctoral and one masters student. He formerly he served as adjunct Professor of Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology at Georgetown University School of Medicine where he taught embryology, teratology and anatomy for 39 years.

He has been honored with numerous awards including Teacher of the Year from the School of Pharmacy, Medical College of Virginia; 5 Golden Apples (best teacher of the year awards) from Georgetown University School of Medicine, as well as the Geza M. Illes award for outstanding teaching in Gross Anatomy. He has been recognized with the Narsingh Agnish Fellowship, the Edward W. Carney Distinguished Service Award, and the Josef Warkany Award and Lectureship from the Teratology Society. He received the Scientific Achievement Award from the Reproductive & Developmental Toxicity Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology, and the Robert L Brent Award and Lecture form the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention. Professionally, he has served in senior scientific roles at Exponent, Noblis, and MITRE Corporation where he mentored young toxicologists and led research on the health effects of environmental chemicals, pharmaceuticals and contributed extensively to studies involving arsenic, glyphosate, trichloroethylene, placental biology, and developmental toxicity mechanisms. As a consultant, he interacts regularly with both EPA and FDA on issues related to developmental toxicology and risk assessment.

Dr. Diann Blanset is a board-certified toxicologist and recognized leader in non-clinical drug development with more than 30 years of experience advancing the safety assessment of biologics, cell and gene therapies and oligonucleotides across a broad range of therapeutic areas. Throughout her career, she has provided scientific and strategic leadership for the development of innovative therapies, helping to bring numerous products from early research through regulatory approval. Dr. Blanset received her B.A. and M.S. degrees from Rutgers University and her Ph.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Currently serving as a Senior Consultant at Akkeri, Dr. Blanset provides regulatory and scientific guidance to clients to progress programs from discovery through regulatory approval. Prior to joining Akkeri, she held leadership positions at Boehringer Ingelheim and Medarex, directing the nonclinical development of more than 50 novel products, including pioneering immunomodulatory therapies for oncology and inflammatory diseases. She has also held leadership positions at Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Roberts Pharmaceuticals, and Huntingdon Life Sciences. Dr. Blanset is widely recognized for her expertise in viral vector–based therapeutics and reproductive and developmental toxicology of biologics. She has contributed extensively to the advancement of toxicological science through leadership roles in international scientific initiatives, including several Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) working groups. She has co-authored influential publications and served as BIO’s representative on the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) S5(R3) Expert Working Group, helping to shape global approaches to reproductive toxicity assessment. She has also served on the BioSafe Leadership Committee and remains an active member of both the Society of Toxicology and the American College of Toxicology.

A passionate mentor and advocate for professional development, Dr. Blanset has dedicated much of her career to fostering the growth of scientists and toxicologists at all stages of their careers. She is known for her collaborative leadership style, commitment to inclusiveness, and willingness to invest in the success of others. Through mentorship, scientific leadership, and service to the profession, she has helped cultivate the next generation of toxicology leaders while advancing the science and practice of toxicology worldwide.

Professor Hayes is a Visiting Professor of Toxicology at Michigan State University and an adjunct Professor at the University of South Florida with over 450 peer-reviewed publications. He edited Hayes’ Principles and Methods of Toxicology (now in its 7th edition) and co-authored Loomis Essentials of Toxicology. He has held leadership roles in IUTOX, ACT, ATS, Toxicology Forum, SOT, and ABT. Professor Hayes is a diplomate of ABT and the American Board of Forensic Medicine, a registered toxicologist in the EU, and a certified nutrition specialist. He has received several awards, including the SOT Merit Award, ACT Distinguished Scientist Award, International Dose-Response Society's Outstanding Leadership Award, and ATS's Mildred S. Christian Career Achievement Award. Dr. Hayes is a distinguished Fellow of the ACT and the AAAS. He has recently stepped down as Editor-in-Chief of Food and Chemical Toxicology and has served as editor for Human and Experimental Toxicology, Toxicology Research and Application and the co-editor of the Target Organ Toxicity Series.

Saurabh G. Vispute, PhD, DABT, RAC, is a Senior Principal Scientist in Drug Safety Research and Development at Pfizer, where he leads nonclinical safety strategies supporting the development of novel small molecules and biologics across multiple therapeutic areas. A board-certified toxicologist and regulatory affairs professional, Dr. Vispute has contributed to the advancement of several drug development programs and regulatory toxicology studies over the last few years. His work on the nonclinical safety assessment of nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid®) contributed to the publication that received the 2023 ACT Best Paper Award.

Dr. Vispute has been an active leader within both the American College of Toxicology and the Society of Toxicology, serving on ACT Communications Committee, Early Career Professional, and eLearning sub-committees, SOT Continuing Education Committee as well as in elected leadership positions within several SOT component groups, including the Northeast Regional Chapter, Association of Scientists of Indian Origin, Drug Discovery Toxicology, and Biotechnology Specialty Section.

His contributions to science, professional service, and mentorship have been recognized through multiple early-career awards, including the Comparative Toxicology, Pathology, and Veterinary Specialty Section Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award, Biotechnology Specialty Section Outstanding Young Investigator Award, Association of Scientists of Indian Origin Young Investigator Award, and SOT ToxScholar outreach grants. He is passionate about mentoring and scientific outreach and continues to serve as a mentor through NIH and NIEHS-funded TOXMSDT and MSDT-OneHealth toxicology mentoring initiatives while supporting the development of future leaders in toxicology.

Dr. Ray Zhang is Senior Director of Toxicology at GondolaBio and a board-certified toxicologist with experience spanning discovery through clinical development. His expertise includes nonclinical safety strategy, inhalation toxicology, and discovery-to-regulatory toxicology across small-molecule programs. In senior toxicology roles, he has worked across scientific strategy, study execution, regulatory submissions, diligence, and cross-functional governance to support development decisions, manage risk, and create value for therapeutic programs.

Prior to joining GondolaBio, Dr. Zhang served as Director of Toxicology at Neuron23, where he led nonclinical safety strategy for CNS-focused small-molecule programs and supported the advancement of multiple candidates from discovery into first-in-human clinical trials. He previously worked at Theravance Biopharma in Translational Safety Sciences, supporting inhaled therapeutic programs from lead optimization through regulatory submissions and health authority interactions. Earlier in his career, he was a Safety Pharmacology Research Associate at Roche, where he contributed to cardiovascular safety screening and model development.

Dr. Zhang received his PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of California, Davis, and his BS in Bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He has been a member of the American College of Toxicology since 2017 and has contributed actively through service on the Early Career Professional Subcommittee, the Outreach Committee, ACT Annual Meeting programming, and ACT governance-related working groups. Beyond ACT, he has held leadership roles within the Northern California Regional Chapter of the Society of Toxicology, including Treasurer and the full four-year presidential track. Across his professional and volunteer activities, Dr. Zhang is committed to advancing toxicology through thoughtful leadership, practical mentorship, and sustained service to the scientific community.

Katie Sokolowski, PhD, DABT, DSP, Laura Erwin, PhD, Judy Liu, MD, PhD, Simon Authier, DVM, MSc, MBA, PhD, DSP, Owen McMaster, PhD, Brandon Pressly, MBA, PhD, DABT, Brad Bolon, DVM, MS, PhD, Marcus S. Delatte, PhD. Identifying and Understanding Seizure Liability in Drug Development. Int J Toxicol. 2025;44(2): 99–124

Debasree Bhadra, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Mia Sands, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abu Eabrahim Siddique, University of Iowa

Manisha Thakur, Southern University and A&M College

Olawale, Ajisafe, Mississippi State University

Brianna Ames, Rutgers University

Sindhu Varshini Bai, Southern University and A&M College

Sherilyn Hulugalla, University of Mississippi

Bright Obeng, University of Florida

Ademola Oyagbemi, Morgan State University

Velma Shang, North Carolina State University

BreAnna Smith, Texas Tech University

Reeya Tanwar, Purdue University

Cynthia Ikeji, University of Ibadan

Sapana Kushwaha, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)

Artur Rodrigues, Leiden University

Godswill Udom, Federal University Oye-Ekiti