2008 Outstanding Leadership Award: Bobby Scott
Dr. Bobby Scott received a B.S. in physics from the Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a M.S. in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Illinois, and a Ph.D. in biophysics also from the University of Illinois. His research career mainly has focused on developing predictive models for characterizing the risk for deterministic and stochastic radiobiological effects. Dr. Scott’s interest in radiation research originated during high school in connection with conducting an experiment on radiation mutagenic effects in fruit flies at Webster High, Minden, Louisiana. This interest continued through undergraduate and graduate school, leading to a theoretical Ph.D. thesis entitled “A Mechanistic State Vector Model for the Interaction of Ionizing Radiation with Cells” that was achieved under his advisor Professor Howard S. Ducoff. Professor Ducoff was one of the first to conduct experimental studies of radiation hormesis, and as a student Dr. Scott contributed to this work. Dr. Scott conducted his postdoctoral research related to modeling of radiation-induced life shortening at the Biology Division of Argonne National Laboratory. After completing his postdoctoral work he joined Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI, then the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute), where he is now a Senior Scientist. At LRRI, he developed a theoretical hazard-function model for quantifying radiation lethality and morbidity risks after large radiation doses. This model currently is used internationally for radiological incident risk assessment and was recently discussed in a paper in the journal Dose-Response. The paper addressed the nonlinear health risk from ingesting polonium-210, which related to the Litvinenko incident in London. Presently, his research focuses mainly on developing biological-based models that explain radiation hormesis at the molecular, cellular, and organ and/or tissue levels. Dr. Scott has been an active participant in the International Dose-Response Society for several years, both with respect to organizing and moderating conference sessions as well as keeping colleagues around the world informed about new developments in the field. Among his more than 100 scientific publications, over 20 relate to radiation and chemical hormesis.
