Günter Oberdörster

Günter Oberdörster
Professor of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester
Keynote Speaker: Setting the scene

Prof. Günter Oberdörster is Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester, where he is head of the Division of Respiratory Biology & Toxicology, and Director of the University of Rochester Ultrafine Particle Center.

He is known for his research on the effects and underlying mechanisms of lung injury induced by inhaled non-fibrous and fibrous particles, including extrapolation modelling and risk assessment. His research on with ultrafine particles influenced the field of inhalation toxicology, raising awareness of their unique toxicological potential. He has extensive expertise in the toxicology and health effects of air pollutants, their risk assessment and toxicokinetics.

Prof. Oberdörster’s research interests focus on the toxicology of Airborne Environmental and Occupational Particles, with more recent activities in nanotoxicology, investigating the unique biokinetics and toxicological potential of engineered nanoparticles, and the propensity of these particles of different shapes (e.g., spheres, tubes, rods), different chemistries (e.g., metals, semiconductors, carbon) and different surface characteristics (coating, charge, porosity) to translocate from the site of deposition in the respiratory tract to extrapulmonary organs such as heart, liver, bone marrow and brain.

Prof. Oberdörster earned his D.V.M. and Ph.D. (Pharmacology) from the University of Giessen in Germany. He has served on national and international committees, among others: NIEHS study sections, EPA’s Science Advisory Board committees, Board of Scientific Counselors of the US National Toxicology Program, NRC’s Committee on Toxicology, TLV Committee of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, several working groups of the Intl. Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO consultancies, IUPAC Commission on Toxicology, ad hoc Expert Group on Chemicals Bureau of the European Commission, and advisory panel of the German Research Association. He has served on EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and on NRC’s Committee on Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter.

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