Ila Cote
PhD, BA
Risk Assessor, Toxicologist
Country of Residence
Current Professional Activities
Dr. Cote currently advises governments and industry on public health risks posed by chemical exposures, and the use of risk assessment in environmental management. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado, Dept. of Environmental and Occupational Health, where she lectures on environmental health, risk assessment, and public policy. She also teaches risk assessment at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of disease, particularly cancer and respiratory diseases, and risk assessment methods improvements.
Professional Experience
Over the last 35 years, Dr. Cote has worked with international, national, and regional governments; industry; and environmental advocacy groups to evaluate public health risks from chemical exposures and to facilitate environmental management. She currently teaches risk assessment and environmental policy at the University of Colorado School of Public Health and at Rutgers University, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute.
Formerly, at the US Environmental Protection Agency for 27 years, she served as: Senior Science Advisor and acting Division Director, and Associate Laboratory Director in the Office of Research and Development. Earlier at EPA, she was a manager of the Hazardous Air Pollutant assessment group and a staff toxicologist. While at EPA, she conducted, oversaw, and advised on the development of many human health risk assessments, help develop science policies and risk assessment methods. She has broad experience communicating complex information to various audiences, including the White House and Congressional staff, the National Academy of Sciences, industry, and the public. Additionally, she has advised the World Health Organization, the International Agency on Cancer Research, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the White House Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources.
Academia, Publishing, Awards
She has published extensively, and received EPA’s highest awards for excellence in science and leadership.
List of publications in the past ten years:
- Shaffer RM, Wright JM, Cote I, Bateson TF. 2023. Comparative Susceptibility of Children and Adults to Neurological Effects of Inhaled Manganese: A Review of the Published Literature. Environmental Research:115319.
- Allen B, Shao K, Hobbie K, Mendez W Jr, Lee JS, Cote I, Druwe I, Gift JS, Davis JA. Bayesian hierarchical dose-response meta-analysis of epidemiological studies: Modeling and target population prediction methods. Environ Int. 2020 Dec;145:106111.
- Allen B, Shao K, Hobbie K, Mendez W Jr, Lee JS, Cote I, Druwe I, Gift J, Davis JA. Systematic dose-response of environmental epidemiologic studies: Dose and response pre-analysis. Environ Int. 2020 Sep;142:105810.
- Hobbie K, Shao K, Henning C, Mendez W, Lee JS, Cote I, Druwe I, Davis JA, Gift JS. Use of study-specific MOE-like estimates to prioritize health effects from chemical exposure for analysis in human health assessments. Environ Int. 2020 Nov;144.
- Mendez W, Shao K, Lee JS, Cote I, Druwe IL, Davis A, Gift JS. Model averaging methods for the evaluation of dose-response model uncertainty when assessing the suitability of studies for estimating risk. Environ Int. 2020 Oct;143.
- Krewski D, Andersen M, Tyshenko MG, Krishnan K, Hartung KT, Boekelheide K, Wambaugh J, Jones D, Whelan M, Thomas R, Yauk C, Cote I. Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: Progress in the Past Decade and Future Perspectives. Archives of Toxicology 2020 Jan;94(1):1–58.
- Cote I, Vandenberg JJ, Druwe, IL, Angrish M. “Incorporating Epigenomics into a Risk Assessment Framework”, in Toxico-Epigenetics: Core Principles and Applications. McCullough S., and DC Dolinoy (editors). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2019, pp. 289-310.
- Cote IL, McCullough SD, Hines RN, Vandenberg JJ. Application of epigenetic data in human health risk assessment. Curr Opin Toxicol. 2017 Nov 6;6:71-78.
- Malloy T, Zaunbrecher V, Beryt E, Judson R, Tice R, Allard P, Blake A, Cote I, Godwin H, Heine L, Kerzic P, Kostal J, Marchant G, McPartland J, Moran K, Nel A, Ogunseitan O, Rossi M, Thayer K, Tickner J, Whittaker M, Zarker K. Advancing alternatives analysis: The role of predictive toxicology in selecting safer chemical products and processes. Integr Environ Assess Manag. 2017 Sep;13(5):915-925.
- Owens EO, Patel MM, Kirrane E, Long TC, Brown J, Cote I, Ross MA, Dutton SJ. Framework for assessing causality of air pollution-related health effects for reviews of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2017 Aug;88:332-337.
- Cote I, Andersen ME, Ankley GT, Barone S, Birnbaum LS, Boekelheide K, Bois FY, Burgoon LD, Chiu WA, Crawford-Brown D, Crofton KM, DeVito M, Devlin RB, Edwards SW, Guyton KZ, Hattis D, Judson RS, Knight D, Krewski D, Lambert J, Maull EA, Mendrick D, Paoli GM, Patel CJ, Perkins EJ, Poje G, Portier CJ, Rusyn I, Schulte PA, Simeonov A, Smith MT, Thayer KA, Thomas RS, Thomas R, Tice RR, Vandenberg JJ, Villeneuve DL, Wesselkamper S, Whelan M, Whittaker C, White R, Xia M, Yauk C, Zeise L, Zhao J, DeWoskin RS. The Next Generation of Risk Assessment Multi-Year Study-Highlights of Findings, Applications to Risk Assessment, and Future Directions. Environ Health Perspect. 2016 Nov;124(11):1671-1682.
- Krewski D, Westphal M, Andersen ME, Paoli G, Chiu W, Al-Zoughool M, Croteau M, Burgoon L, Cote I. A Framework for the Next Generation of Risk Science. Environ Health Perspect. 2014 Aug;122(8):796-805.
- McConnell ER, Bell SM, Cote I, Wang RL, Perkins EJ, Garcia-Reyero N, Gong P, Burgoon LD. Systematic Omics Analysis Review (SOAR) tool to support risk assessment. PLoS One. 2014 Dec 22;9(12):e110379.
- Meek ME, Boobis A, Cote I, Dellarco V, Fotakis G, Munn S, Seed J, Vickers C. New developments in the evolution and application of the WHO/IPCS framework on mode of action/species concordance analysis.J Appl Toxicol. 2014 Jan;34(1):1-18.
- Krewski D, Westphal M, Andersen ME, Paoli G, Chiu W, Al-Zoughool M, Croteau M, Burgoon L, Cote I. A Framework for the Next Generation of Risk Science. Environ Health Perspect. 2014 Aug;122(8):796-805.
- Simon TW, Simons SS Jr, Preston RJ, Boobis AR, Cohen SM, Doerrer NG, Fenner-Crisp PA, McMullin TS, McQueen CA, Rowlands JC, etc.; RISK21 Dose-Response Subteam. The use of mode of action information in risk assessment: quantitative key events/dose-response framework for modeling the dose-response for key events. Crit Rev Toxicol. 2014 Aug;44 Suppl 3:17-43.
- Gift J, Caldwell J, Jinot J, Evans M, Cote IL, Vandenberg JM. Evaluating Cancer Bioassays Conducted by the Ramazzini Institute. Environ Health Perspect. 2013 Nov-Dec;121(11-12):1253-63.
- Thomas RS, Philbert MA, Auerbach SS, Wetmore BA, Devito MJ, Cote I, Rowlands JC, Whelan MP, Hays SM, Andersen ME, Meek ME, Reiter LW, Lambert JC, Clewell HJ 3rd, Stephens ML, Zhao QJ, Wesselkamper SC, Flowers L, Carney EW, Pastoor TP, Petersen DD, Yauk CL, Nong A. Incorporating New Technologies into Toxicity Testing and Risk Assessment: Moving from 21st Century Vision to a Data-Driven Framework. Toxicol Sci. 2013 Nov;136(1):4-18. Society of Toxicology Award for the Best Paper in Toxicological Sciences.
- Thomas RS, Wesselkamper SC, Wang NC, Zhao QJ, Petersen DD, Lambert JC, Cote I, Yang L, Healy E, Black MB, Clewell HJ 3rd, Allen BC, Andersen ME. Temporal concordance between apical and transcriptional points-of-departure for chemical risk assessment. Toxicol Sci. 2013 Jul;134(1):180-94.
- Cote I, Anastas P, Birnbaum L, Clark B, Dix D, Edwards S, Preuss P. Advancing the Next Generation of Risk Assessment. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Nov;120(11):1499-502.
- Boekelheide K, Blumberg B, Chapin RE, Cote I, Graziano JH, Janesick A, et al. Predicting later-life outcomes of early-life exposures. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Oct;120:1353-1361.
US Government Reports (co-author, manager, or clearance review)( last 10 years)
Assessments
- Assessment Toxicological Review of Arsenic (pending release)
- Toxicological Review of Manganese (pending release)
- Toxicological Review Libby Amphibole Asbestos, EPA/635/R-11/002F, December 2014
- Toxicological Review of Methanol, EPA/635/R-11/001Fa, September 2013
- Toxicological Review of 1,4 Dioxane, EPA/635/R-11/003F September 2013
- Toxicological Review Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), EPA 635/R-03/009, September 2013
- Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to Dioxin Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments, EPA/600/R-10/038F, February 2012
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Tetrachloroethylene, EPA/635/R-08/011F, February 2012
Methods and Database Development, Strategic Plans
- Dose-Response Model Development - Technical Documents: Benchmark Dose Software Concentration x Time Model; Multistage Weibull Time-to-Tumor Model, https://www.epa.gov/bmds -utilized throughout the federal government
- Health and EnvironmentalResearch Online (HERO) database - identifies all literature considered used in ORD health assessments and documents systematic review,
- Next Generation Risk Assessment: Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology. EPA/600/R-14/004 | September 2014. Cote I, Andersen ME, Ankley GT, Barone S, Birnbaum LS, Boekelheide K, Bois FY, Burgoon LD, Chiu WA, Crawford-Brown D, Crofton KM, DeVito M, Devlin RB, Edwards SW, Guyton KZ, Hattis D, Judson RS, Knight D, Krewski D, Lambert J, Maull EA, Mendrick D, Paoli GM, Patel CJ, Perkins EJ, Poje G, Portier CJ, Rusyn I, Schulte PA, Simeonov A, Smith MT, Thayer KA, Thomas RS, Thomas R, Tice RR, Vandenberg JJ, Villeneuve DL, Wesselkamper S, Whelan M, Whittaker C, White R, Xia M, Yauk C, Zeise L, Zhao J, DeWoskin RS. (2019). Cote I, L Burgoon, and R DeWoskin (editors).
- EPA Strategic Research Action Plans - 2016-2019. October 2015, Washington, DC, EPA-190-R-18-003.
Role at RSI
Dr. Ila Cote is an Associate Expert with Risk Sciences International, working as an independent consultant in environmental risk assessment, risk management and public policy.
