GTA Board of Directors and Committee Chairs

Dr. Cheairs received her M.D. degree from the Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University in Ukraine, and M.S. degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She conducted postdoctoral research at the U.S. FDA National Center for Toxicological Research, investigating epigenetic alterations involved in chemical-induced carcinogenesis.

In 2014, Dr. Cheairs joined the New York Medical College (NYMC) as an Assistant Professor of Pathology. At NYMC she heads an innovative research program focused on the use of non-animal models for the study of hazardous effects of chemicals as a replacement of animals in safety assessment. Due to her active involvement in teaching activities, in 2019 she has been appointed as an Assistant Dean for PhD Programs at the NYMC Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences

Her research thus far has yielded 24 publications and 5 book chapters, and was recognized by several awards from professional societies, including two Travel Awards for Early-Stage Investigators from the Genetic Toxicology Association (GTA). In 2020, she was invited to become a co-editor of the 7th edition of “Hayes’ Principles and Methods of Toxicology” textbook. She is a member of several professional societies, including Society of Toxicology, Toxicology Forum and American College of Toxicology.

Dr. Cheairs has been a part of GTA since 2015, when she joined the society and visited the annual meeting for the first time. Since then, she had served as a member of GTA Board of Directors (2017 – 2020), GTA secretary (2017 – 2022), part of the Scientific Program Committee for the 2024 annual GTA meeting, volunteer and a regular attendee of the annual meetings.

Dr. Robert Foster is a principal scientist at Lhasa Limited. He received his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Sheffield & initially worked in contract synthesis. His move to Lhasa Limited allowed him to apply his chemistry background to structure activity relationships.

In his current role as principal scientist, Rob leads development of Lhasa Limited's Nexus software for in silico risk assessments of genotoxicity. Additionally, he is a scientific consultant for Consult Lhasa, applying his knowledge of developing in silico tools to the assessment of impurities. Rob's research has has contributed to publications & book chapters on the use of in silico systems for the assessment of genotoxicity, including research on assessments of nitrosamine structure activity relationships to support efforts during the recent crisis. Recognised for his proficiency in (Q)SAR & genotoxicity, he is a member of the UK Committee of Mutagenicity.

Rob has been actively volunteering for the GTA since 2022, managing communications & serving as the account executive. As a member of the board of directors, Rob intends to continue helping the GTA community & advocate for the representation of in silico methods in genotoxicity risk assessments, which are increasingly important as industry shifts towards non-animal testing methods.

James Kath is a Principal Scientist in the Genetic Toxicology group at AbbVie. He received his PhD in Biophysics from Harvard University where he studied bacterial translesion DNA polymerases, and was an active participant in the academic communities studying DNA replication, repair, and mutagenesis. In 2017, James joined AbbVie's Chemical Biology group, where he supported small molecule programs through the development of target engagement assays, identification of off-targets, and evaluation of new therapeutic modalities. Over the past six years in AbbVie Discovery, James developed a strong interest in toxicology through a close collaboration with AbbVie's Investigative Toxicology and Pathology group, and leading two cross-functional working groups on new modalities. Since transitioning to the Genetic Toxicology group in 2023, James's focus has been on the implementing new approach modalities and supporting regulatory filings. He is excited to participate the GTA and HESI GTTC committee and build further connections between the genetic toxicology and DNA replication and repair communities.

Steven Nicotra is a Senior Scientist in the Global Toxicology and Safety Pharmacology group at Johnson & Johnson. Steven began his career in the field toxicology in 2008 and started a focus on genetic toxicology in 2011. Steven holds a BSc in Animal Biotechnology and Conservation from Delaware Valley College and a Master of Business Administration from Holy Family University. Steven’s areas of expertise span from performing in vivo studies and in vitro genetic toxicology studies to monitoring and directing genetic toxicology studies supporting all stages of drug development. Moreover, Steven has supported successful regulatory submissions performing the mutagenicity hazard assessment of impurities and authoring/reviewing corresponding dossier sections. Steven has been active volunteer for the Genetic Toxicology Association since 2020. His volunteer responsibilities have focused on meeting preparation with input, collating and reviewing Student/Early Investigator submitted abstracts, and chairing symposia.

Ashley Allemang is a Senior Research Scientist at Procter & Gamble with a Master's degree in Toxicology. She has been actively involved in genetic toxicology research for over a decade, focusing on alternative testing methods and regulatory science.

Ashley has been instrumental in advancing new approach methodologies (NAMs) in genetic toxicology, particularly in the development and validation of reconstructed human tissue models for genotoxicity testing.

She has served in various roles within GTA and is passionate about promoting scientific excellence and fostering collaboration within the genetic toxicology community.

Dr. Stephanie Smith-Roe is a genetic toxicologist in the Division of Translational Toxicology (DTT) at the NIEHS. She designs a wide range of genetic toxicity testing strategies for the DTT and served as the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for the DTT’s Genetic Toxicity Testing Contract. At the DTT, Dr. Smith-Roe has investigated the genotoxic potential of glyphosate (the active herbicide in Roundup products) and several other high-profile substances such as cell phone radiofrequency radiation and botanical dietary supplements and has contributed to more than 50 NTP Technical Reports and Toxicity Reports. She has collaborated with scientists across sectors to assess new approaches for rapid identification of genotoxicants, and that provide information about mechanism-of-action. Altogether, Dr. Smith-Roe has published in the areas of genetic toxicology, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, error-corrected sequencing, DNA replication and repair, DNA damage signaling, and chromatin remodeling. Dr. Smith-Roe is an Editorial Board Member of Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis and Mutation Research – Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis.

Through participation in working groups for the Health and Environmental Sciences Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing, the Botanical Safety Consortium, etc., Dr. Smith-Roe has contributed to cross-sector efforts to continually improve approaches for genetic toxicity testing. Presently, she is serving as the US Technical Lead for an OECD detailed review paper to support the regulatory use of error-corrected sequencing for evaluation of mutagenicity in vivo.

Smith-Roe is an enthusiastic contributor to scientific societies and organizations that focus on research related to genetic toxicology, genomic stability, and carcinogenesis, and that are also committed to supporting early career scientists. She is a Past President of the EMGS and a Past President of the GEMS.

Marc Beal is a Principal Scientist at Merck in the Genetic Toxicology and Mutagenic Impurities group, where his work focuses on the safety assessment of pharmaceuticals, impurities, metabolites, and excipients. To support these assessments, he applies new approach methods as part of an integrated, mechanistic toxicology toolbox. Prior to joining Merck in 2025, Marc accumulated over a decade of experience as a subject matter expert in genotoxicity, working as both a risk assessor and researcher and contributing to over 30 peer reviewed publications. He has held multiple leadership roles within the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EMGS), including service on the council and as an executive board representative, and previously chaired the Germ Cell and Heritable Effects and Genotoxicity Risk Assessment & Public Health special interest groups. He currently serves as co chair of the Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee in vitro working group under the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI). He has also served as a subgroup leader at the 8th International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing, focused on developing strategies for the quantitative interpretation of in vitro genotoxicity data, and as a WHO Temporary Adviser applying his genotoxicity expertise in the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) assessment of titanium dioxide.