Meet the 2026 Awardee: Ranu Surolia, PhD, ATSF
Ranu Surolia, PhD, ATSF is a respected Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Alabama, USA. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UAB, AL. She was promoted to Instructor in 2017 and to Assistant Professor in 2019. Her research focuses on chronic lung injury and repair, emphasizing environmental and occupational hazards such as toxicant exposure-related lung diseases. Dr. Surolia has secured multiple NIH grants, including an R01 to study the effects of heavy metal pollutants on lung health in the North Birmingham community, and she is the principal investigator of an R01 on arsenic-based toxicants and systemic inflammation. She has actively participated in NIH-funded programs like CounterACT and Superfund and has served as an NIH Early Career Reviewer since 2022. She has also been serving on the reviewer panels for the NIEHS and the ALA research grants. A dedicated member of the American Thoracic Society since 2012, she has held various leadership roles, received the ATS apprenticeship award, and was named the TID Section Spotlight Member in 2023. Currently, she chairs the EOPH-early career professional working group and co-chairs the Basic and Translational PhD committee for the EOPH assembly. She is also serving on the terrorism and inhalation disaster (TID) section executive committee as the early career professional representative. She also represents the EOPH assembly for the Basic and Translational PhD Working Group (PBTS-WG) at ATS. As a mentor, her non-ATS efforts include mentoring scholars through UAB's CORD Program and the Society of Toxicology, as well as supervising PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and medical fellows in environmental pulmonary toxicology basic and translational research at UAB. Dr. Surolia is committed to fostering collaboration and advancing research. She is a respected leader dedicated to improving the understanding and treatment of environmentally induced lung diseases.
Description
This award is given to a primary EOPH member with exemplary support and commitment to the EOPH mission and with recognized contributions to the assembly in the areas of research, improving public health, teaching, mentoring, and/or service (not necessarily leadership). Individuals eligible for consideration are within 10 years from completion of postdoctoral training. Nominations of diverse candidates (by gender, race/ethnicity, country, area of focus and primary occupation) are highly encouraged.
Criteria
- Within 10 years of having completed postdoctoral or clinical training, excluding time off for personal circumstances (i.e. Assistant Professor or equivalent)
- EOPH Assembly Member (primary)
- Significant contributions to the assembly in the areas of research, improving public health, teaching, mentoring, and/or service (not necessarily leadership).
Note: Award nominations will be carried over for 3 years and the Planning Committee may choose to move nominees to a different award category for optimal review.