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JENIFER ALTMAN AWARDS Created in 2005, the Jenifer Altman Awards are given in honor of outstanding commitment and service to the promoting and protecting of human and ecological health. Each year, a specific theme is chosen for the awards. Jenifer Altman was an environmentalist, an advocate for cancer patients, a photographer, and in her last years, a resident of the small coastal town of Bolinas, California. Jenifer came to Bolinas to participate in the Commonweal Cancer Help Program after her diagnosis with cancer. She died in Bolinas in a house overlooking the Pacific Ocean surrounded by friends on November 15, 1991. Before her death, she established the Jenifer Altman Foundation to support Commonweal and other worthy projects in health and the environment.
2005 AWARD WINNERS This year the Jenifer Altman Awards honor five scientists for their outstanding dedication to scientific integrity in environmental health sciences and the pursuit of science in the public interest. These five scientists were selected by the Board of Directors of the Jenifer Altman Foundation for their determined pursuit of research projects of great importance to public and ecological health, often at great personal and professional cost. Each of these scientists has demonstrated a deep commitment to scientific integrity and to the public's right to know. In some cases, the publication of their research brought these scientists international attention, not only for the importance of their research, but also for the firestorm of criticism that followed. Questioning and debate are a critical part of the scientific process. But each of these scientists faced more than a healthy debate among colleagues. As they remained committed to bringing the best available science to the public, private interests threatened their research, reputations, and livelihoods. We honor these scientists for holding fast to their belief in scientific freedom and dissent, even as these principles, and they themselves, are under fierce attack. Ignacio Chapela, PhD - University of California, Berkeley - His groundbreaking research uncovered the genetic contamination of maize in its center of origin (Oaxaca, Mexico) by genetically modified corn at a time when genetically modified crops were illegal in Mexico. As a result of his work, Dr. Chapela became the target of a corporate public relations campaign that impugned his credibility and sparked an international controversy over the integrity of science in the face of overwhelming corporate influence. Subsequently, Dr. Chapela was denied an anticipated tenure, prompting an international outcry. Dr. Chapela filed suit against the university, and soon after the suit was filed, the university announced a reversal of the tenure decision. (A recent report published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences found transgenes were no longer present in corn in this region, and offered explanation for the change.) Link to biography and contact information Tyrone Hayes, PhD - University of California, Berkeley - His research showed that exposure to extremely low levels of atrazine has devastating health effects for frogs. His findings were repeatedly attacked by industry-funded scientists and public relations specialists, yet Dr. Hayes persisted in his research, confirming and extending his results. He also showed through rigorous analysis that industry-funded studies purporting to contradict his research were highly biased. A brilliant public speaker, Dr. Hayes has appeared in public and scientific meetings around the world. Link to biography and contact information Romeo Quijano, M.D., Professor, University of Philippines - His studies showed how chemicals used at a banana plantation affected the human and ecological health of a neighboring village. The publication and wide dissemination of his findings resulted in a libel suit by the plantation company, the major owner of which was also the head of the Philippines Department of Agriculture. Dr. Quijano was subsequently arrested (and later released) because of his work and has received death threats for his willingness to speak out in defense of the villagers. While the criminal libel case has been dismissed, a $100,000 civil damage suit is still ongoing against Dr. Quijano and his daughter. Link to biography and contact information Shanna Swan, PhD - University of Rochester - Her pioneering epidemiological studies drew scientific and public attention to ways that chemical exposure can affect reproductive health. Her work has provoked attacks from anti-regulatory advocates and industry representatives because her data and analyses sharply challenge the adequacy of public health standards. Her studies of humans have been especially noteworthy because she has developed novel, rigorous approaches that explicitly address predictions emerging from toxicological studies of endocrine disruption in animals. Link to biography and contact information Frederick vom Saal, PhD - University of Missouri, Columbia - His research found that a range of synthetic compounds in common use today interfere with hormone signaling at extremely low levels of exposure, which had previously been considered irrelevant to health. Both he and his work have come under repeated attack by the chemical industry. However, Dr. vom Saal has continued to demonstrate great courage and tenacity in pursuing his research and publishing in this controversial area. He has been willing to engage publicly on these crucial scientific issues, despite repeated attacks on his integrity. Link to biography and contact information
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