At an event held Dec. 5, Jennifer Woo, Ph.D., of the Chronic Disease Epidemiology Group, and Alexandra White, Ph.D., head of the Environment and Cancer Epidemiology Group, were awarded Fellow of the Year and Mentor of the Year honors, respectively.

The prestigious awards, which are presented each year to recipients nominated and chosen by NIEHS scientists, staff, and trainees, celebrate individuals who have made particularly noteworthy contributions to research and service to others.

Fellow of the Year

The Office of Fellows’ Career Development (OFCD) coordinates the selection of Fellow of the Year by creating a committee that chooses the winner. The award recognizes exceptional performance. This year, Woo, an Intramural Research Training Award postdoctoral fellow, was nominated by Dale Sandler, Ph.D., chief of the Epidemiology Branch.

Woo studies the effects of early-life trauma and early-life social environments on the risk for chronic disease later in life, primarily autoimmune disease and breast cancer, along with the epigenetic pathways that may connect exposures to these outcomes. Recently, she began studying the effects of extreme heat and the risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus. This research is funded by the 2024 Office of Autoimmune Disease Research-Office of Research on Women’s Health Fellowship.

“The NIEHS Fellow of the Year Award means the world to me,” said Woo, who started her postdoc fellowship in June 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that she was determined to build a community among the Epidemiology Branch fellows as they navigated the remote workplace.

“I am truly humbled to be recognized for my research and service to NIEHS and greatly appreciate the supportive mentorship by Dr. Sandler, who has facilitated my growth over the past four-and-a-half years.”

Mentor of the Year

Presented by the NIEHS Trainees Assembly, the Mentor of the Year award honors an NIEHS scientist who has made a major impact both scientifically and personally in the training of fellows and students. Beginning in 2015, White started mentoring NIEHS trainees — a passion she holds to this day as an Earl Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator and head of the Environment and Cancer Epidemiology Group. She was nominated by trainees Jennifer Ish, Ph.D., and Che-Jung Chang, Ph.D.

“Mentoring is the best part of my job,” said White, who has served as an advisor to approximately a dozen trainees. “I love working with students, and I've been lucky that I’ve had such great trainees come through my research group.”

White’s research is focused on understanding environmental contributors to cancer development in women. She seeks to learn how exposure to environmental chemicals, such as those from air pollution or personal care products, relates to a woman's risk of developing breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.

“It's my privilege to be able to work with trainees, who bring their own skills and interests, and to build our research together.”