Donald Tillitt, PhD
Dr. Don Tillitt is a Research Toxicologist at the Columbia Environmental Research Center.
Don has been at the Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) since 1989, then part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He leads research on the effects of chemicals on fish and wildlife, with an emphasis on reproduction and development in fish. His research interests focus on developmental effects of persistent chemicals in fish. Multiple levels of biological organization are generally evaluated in his research efforts, with endpoints consisting of molecular, biochemical, histology, and behavioral-level effects. Recent research projects in his laboratory include: 1) effects of PCBs and dioxins on development in sturgeon species; 2) causes and effects of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiencies on Great Lakes salmonines; 3) effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on sexual differentiation and gonad development in fish; and 4) transgenerational epigenetic effects on endocrine disrupting chemicals across vertebrate taxa. Don has served in a variety of capacities for the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, currently serves as an Editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Don has adjunct professor appointments in the Biological Sciences and the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. He serves on graduate student advisory committees, offers guest lectures, and has taught Environmental Toxicology since 1992.
Professional Experience
2013-present Senior Scientist, USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO
1989-2012 Research Chemist, USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO
1983-1989 Graduate Assistant, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Environmental Toxicology, Michigan State University, 1989
M.S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 1986
B.S. Ag. Biochemistry, Michigan State University, 1981
B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 1981
Affiliations and Memberships*
2010-present Adjunct Professor, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
1991-present Adjunct Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
1991-2010 Adjunct Professor, Biochemistry Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
1983-present Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
American Fisheries Society (lifetime member)
International Association of Great Lakes Research (lifetime member)
Science and Products
A method for measuring total thiaminase activity in fish tissues
Thiamine content and thiaminase activity of ten freshwater stocks and one marine stock of alewives
Changes in productivity and contaminants in bald eagles nesting along the lower Columbia River, USA
Thiamine status in adult salmonines in the Great Lakes
Effectiveness of egg immersion in aqueous solutions of thiamine and thiamine analogs for reducing early mortality syndrome
Can diet-dependent factors help explain fish-to-fish variation in thiamine-dependent early mortality syndrome?
The H4IIE cell bioassay as an indicator of dioxin-like chemicals in wildlife and the environment
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Environmental contaminants and their effects on fish in the Columbia River Basin
2,3,7,8-TCDD effects on visual structure and function in swim-up rainbow trout
Biochemical, histological and behavioural aspects of visual function during early development of rainbow trout
Intra-strain dioxin sensitivity and morphometric effects in swim-up rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Bioenergetics-based modeling of individual PCB congeners in nestling tree swallows from two contaminated sites on the Upper Hudson River, New York
Science and Products
A method for measuring total thiaminase activity in fish tissues
Thiamine content and thiaminase activity of ten freshwater stocks and one marine stock of alewives
Changes in productivity and contaminants in bald eagles nesting along the lower Columbia River, USA
Thiamine status in adult salmonines in the Great Lakes
Effectiveness of egg immersion in aqueous solutions of thiamine and thiamine analogs for reducing early mortality syndrome
Can diet-dependent factors help explain fish-to-fish variation in thiamine-dependent early mortality syndrome?
The H4IIE cell bioassay as an indicator of dioxin-like chemicals in wildlife and the environment
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Environmental contaminants and their effects on fish in the Columbia River Basin
2,3,7,8-TCDD effects on visual structure and function in swim-up rainbow trout
Biochemical, histological and behavioural aspects of visual function during early development of rainbow trout
Intra-strain dioxin sensitivity and morphometric effects in swim-up rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Bioenergetics-based modeling of individual PCB congeners in nestling tree swallows from two contaminated sites on the Upper Hudson River, New York
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government