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Anne Fairbrother, D.V.M, Ph.D.

Senior Managing Scientist

EcoSciences

Professional Profile


Dr. Fairbrother has more than 30 years of experience in ecotoxicology, wildlife toxicology, contaminated site assessment, and regulatory science for existing and emerging chemicals in the U.S. and Europe. She recently served on a Science Advisory Panel to the state of Utah and as a consultant to the British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Environment to set site-specific water quality standards for selenium that protect fish and wildlife. She has conducted large-area (>100 sq mile) risk assessments at mines in tropical, desert, and mountain ecosystems, determining risk thresholds for plants and wildlife. She provided consultation on future development of mine pit lakes, assessed the risk to livestock from use of wastewater on irrigated pasture during mine closure operations, and conducted an assessment of risk to terrestrial and aquatic organisms from an abandoned mercury mine. Dr. Fairbrother conducted an assessment of the potential ecological risks to aquatic life in San Francisco Bay and coastal southern California posed by use of copper pipes. She also assessed risks to wildlife at sites contaminated with organic chemicals, including DDT, PCBs, dioxins, and petroleum hydrocarbons in Delaware, Texas, Oregon, and California, integrating ecological risks with human health risk assessments.

As a consultant, Dr. Fairbrother has supported various chemical industry groups in compiling and reviewing data from the literature in support of both U.S. and European regulatory processes. Historically, this included preparation of screening information data sets (SIDs) for submission through EPA to the OECD’s High Production Volume (HPV) data call-in program. More recently, she also has input the data into the IUCLID database for Europe-wide risk assessments and the REACH chemical registration program.

Dr. Fairbrother has participated in or led the development of guidance documents for ecological risk assessments. For example, she was co-author of the EPA’s Framework for Metals Risk Assessment and for BC Ministry of Environment guidance for implementing Tier 1 ecological risk assessments of contaminated sites and for setting soil clean-up values, and participated in the development of Ecological Soil Screening Levels (Eco-SSLs) for EPA.

While a scientist at the EPA, Dr. Fairbrother led research into the ecological risks of bioengineered crops, methods for assessing risks of nanomaterials, and some of the early guidance for field assessments of Superfund sites and effects of pesticides on birds. She researched and developed methods for assessment of chemical effects on bird immune and endocrine systems.

Dr. Fairbrother has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters that reflect her expertise in wildlife toxicology, immunotoxicology, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and ecological risk assessment. She serves on numerous scientific boards, expert panels, and editorial boards in support of scientific and regulator y issues. A veterinarian and Certified Wildlife Biologist, Dr. Fairbrother served as President of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, and Wildlife Disease Association (WDA). She is the recipient of the WDA Distinguished Service Award (2002), and a gold medal for Commendable Service from EPA. Dr. Fairbrother holds an adjunct professorship at Oregon State University, Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology.

  • Ph.D., Veterinary Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1985
  • DVM, Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 1980
  • M.S., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1982
  • B.S., Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, University of California, Davis, 1976
  • Distinguished Service Award, Wildlife Disease Association, 2002
  • Gold Medal for Commendable Service, EPA, 2005
  • Bronze Medal for Commendable Service, EPA, 2006, 2008

    • Certified Wildlife Biologist, The Wildlife Society, 1995
    • 40-hour Hazwoper Training and Certification