Ann Michelle Morrison, Sc.D.

Dr. Morrison has over a decade of experience in marine science, including developing an alternative indicator system for alerting beach bathers of bacteria contamination at Boston Harbor beaches, determining the susceptibility of fish enzymes to environmental chemicals, and assisting the Bermuda government assess the health of their near shore environment.

Dr. Morrison has a background in environmental toxicology, specifically the effects of marine pollution on fish and invertebrates. Dr. Morrison has studied Cytochrome P450 family enzymes, including CYP51 and CYP1, examining their sensitivity to environmental chemicals and their evolution through molecular biology and biochemistry approaches. She has developed decision management products for beach water quality stakeholders using statistical data analysis tools such as receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Bayesian networks, with results that substantially improved public advisories of beach water quality.

Dr. Morrison worked in the Benthic Ecology Research Program in Bermuda assisting in the assessment of Bermuda’s near shore environment by assessing the health of seagrass beds, coral reefs, and mangrove swamps. Dr. Morrison helped monitor water quality in Bermuda through measurements of trace metals in water, sediment, and coral tissue.

Goldstone JV, Goldstone H.M.H, Morrison AM, Tarrant AM, Kern SE, Woodin BR, Stegeman JJ. Cytochrome P450 1 genes in early deuterostomes (tunicates and sea urchins) and vertebrates (chicken and frog): Origin and diversification of the CYP1 gene family. Molecular Biology and Evolution; in press. MBE Advance Access published on-line October 4, 2007.

Morrison AM. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of antecedent rainfall and the Alewife/Mystic River receiving waters. Boston, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Report ENQUAD 2005-04, 26 p., 2004.

Morrison AM, Coughlin K. Results of Intensive Monitoring at Boston Harbor Beaches, 1996–2004. Boston, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Report ENQUAD 2005-05, 76 pp., 2004.

Morrison AM, Coughlin K, Shine JP, Coull BA, Rex AC. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of beach water quality indicator variables. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2003; 69:6405–6411.

Coughlin K, Stanley AM. Boston Harbor beach study suggests a change in beach management. Coastlines 2001; Issue 11.6.

Coughlin K, Stanley AM. Water quality at four Boston Harbor beaches: Results of intensive monitoring 1996–2000. Boston, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Report ENQUAD 2001-18, 46 pp., 2001.

Published Abstracts

Stegeman J, Handley-Goldstone H, Goldstone J, Tarrant A, Morrison A, Wilson J, Kern S. Pantomic studies in environmental toxicology answers, questions and extrapolation. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part a-Comparative Experimental Biology 2006; 305A:181–181.

Goldstone JV, Goldstone HMH, Morrison AM, Tarrant A, Kern SE, Woodin BR, Stegeman JJ. Functional evolution of the cytochrome P450I gene family: Evidence of a pre-vertebrate origin. Marine Environmental Research 2006; 62:S47–S47.

Handley HH, Goldstone JV, Morrison AM, Tarrant, Wilson JY, Godard CA, Woodin BR, Stegeman JJ. Abstracts from the 12th International Symposium on Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms (PRIMO 12)—Receptors and Regulation of Cytochrome P450. Marine Environmental Research 2004; 58:131+.

Morrison AM, Stegeman JJ. Abstracts from the Twelfth International Symposium on Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms (PRIMO 12)—Cloning, Expression and Characterization of Cytochrome P450 51: An investigation of CYP51 azole sensitivity in aquatic animals. Marine Environmental Research 2004; 58:131+.

Morrison AM, Stegeman JJ. CYP51 azole sensitivity in lower vertebrates and invertebrate. Drug Metabolism Reviews: Biotransformation and Disposition of Xenobiotics 2003; 35(2):179.

Presentations

Stegeman J, Handley-Goldstone H, Goldstone J, Tarrant A, Morrison A, Wilson J, Kern S. Pantomic studies in environmental toxicology answers, questions and extrapolation. 15th International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology, Boston, MA, 2005.

Goldstone JV, Goldstone HMH, Morrison AM, Tarrant A, Kern SE, Woodin BR, Stegeman JJ. Functional evolution of the cytochrome P450I gene family: Evidence of a pre-vertebrate origin. 13th International Symposium on Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms (PRIMO 13), Alessandria, Italy, June 2005.

Morrison AM, Stegeman JJ. CYP51 azole sensitivity in lower vertebrates and invertebrate. 12th North American Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics, Providence, RI, October 12–16, 2003.

Morrison AM, Stegeman JJ. Cloning, expression and characterization of Cytochrome P450 51: An investigation of CYP51 azole sensitivity in aquatic animals. 12th International Symposium, Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms, Tampa, FL, May 2003.

Handley HH, Goldstone JV, Morrison AM, Tarrant AM, Wilson JY, Godard CA, Woodin BR, Stegeman JJ. 12th International Symposium, Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms, Tampa, FL, May 2003.

Morrison AM, Coughlin KA, Shine JP, Coull BA, Rex AC. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of beach water quality indicator variables. Pathogens, Bacterial Indicators, and Watersheds: Treatment, Analysis, Source Tracking, and Phase II Stormwater Issues. New England Watershed Association, Milford, MA, May 14, 2003.

Stanley AM, Coughlin KA, Shine JP, Coull BA, Rex AC. Receiver operating characteristic analysis is a simple and effective tool for using rainfall data to predict bathing beach bacterial water quality. 102nd General Meeting, American Society for Microbiology, Salt Lake City, UT. May 2002.

Coughlin K, Stanley AM. Five years of intensive monitoring at Boston harbor beaches: Overview of beach water quality and use of the Enterococcus standard to predict water quality. Massachusetts Coastal Zone Marine Monitoring Symposium, Boston, MA, May, 2001.

• Senior Scientist, Sole Proprietor, Morrison Environmental Data Services, 2004–2007
• Data Analyst, ETI Professionals, 2005
• Scientist, NIH Toxicology Training Grant, Harvard School of Public Health, 2000–2004
• Guest Student, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Stegeman Lab, 2001–2004
• Science Intern, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, 03–05/2000, 10/2000–10/2001
• Research technician, Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc., Benthic Ecology Research Program (BERP), Bermuda, 01/1998–09/1999, 06–08/2000
• NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellowship, Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc., Benthic Ecology Research Program (BERP), Bermuda, 08–11/1996