Battelle is pleased to announce that Dr. David Houchens has returned to Battelle to manage the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. The program is a new contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Science Coordination and Policy, an office within the agency’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances. The primary activity under the contract is to develop and validate toxicology test protocols for evaluating the effects of suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The contract will heavily involve toxicology groups at Battelle facilities in Sequim and Richland, Wash., and Columbus, Ohio. A number of subcontractors will also be involved.

Dr. Houchens led Battelle’s major efforts in developmental cancer therapy for the National Cancer Institute for 14 years. In 1990, he joined Neoprobe Corporation, a biotech firm involved in surgical oncology. He served in various capacities there, including Vice President of Clinical Development, Vice President of Corporate Development, and Vice President of Pre-clinical Studies. He received his bachelor of science in biology from Stetson University and his master’s of science in biology and Ph.D. in microbiology/immunology from The George Washington University. Dr. Houchens may be reached at (614)424-3564, houchensd@battelle.org.

Dr. Gregory Douglas has rejoined Battelle Duxbury as Senior Research Leader and a member of the Environmental Forensic Investigation Group. Dr. Douglas is an internationally recognized expert in Hydrocarbon Fingerprinting and has over 20 years of experience in the field of environmental and forensic chemistry. He has designed, implemented, managed, and audited hydrocarbon site assessment and fingerprinting projects concerning complex petroleum and combustion/carbonization product contamination/allocation issues in marine and soil/ground water/tissue samples for government and industry.

Over his 20-year career, he has pioneered the development and application of new highly sensitive analytical tools for the evaluation of bioremediation effectiveness, and detection of organic compounds in complex matrices. As a member of the Exxon Valdez Oil spill damage assessment team, he was Principal Investigator of the Exxon Subtidal Point Source Study to evaluate the sources of hydrocarbon contamination in Prince William Sound.

Dr. Douglas received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in chemical oceanography from the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, and his B.S. degree in chemical oceanography from the Florida Institute of Technology.