dourson is board-certified by the american board of toxicology and a fellow of the academy of toxicological sciences and the society for risk analysis. he joined the environmental protection agency after earning his doctorate in toxicology at the university of cincinnati college of medicine. during his time at the epa, dourson was one of the founders of the agency’s integrated risk information system (iris), a program that identifies and characterizes the health hazards of chemicals in the environment. dourson was awarded a total of four bronze medals for his work on iris, ambient water criteria, sewage sludge rulemaking, and developing risk methodology during his 15-year tenure with the agency. he also served as a member of epa’s science advisory board for six years.