Dr. Aramandla Ramesh is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience & Pharmacology at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. He also serves as an Associate Vice President for Research & Innovation at Meharry. Dr. Ramesh earned his first Ph.D. in Marine Microbiology from Annamalai University, India in 1986. He earned his second Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from Ehime University, Japan in 1992. His areas of expertise are bioavailability, toxicokinetics, and biotransformation, acute and subchronic toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Current research in Dr. Ramesh’s laboratory focuses on colon cancer caused by benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a fat-soluble, widely distributed environmental chemical that belongs to the PAH family of compounds. Studies in his laboratory have shown that exposure of rats and mice to BaP and other PAHs through saturated fat cause induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of enzymes resulting in the formation and distribution of reactive metabolites which stay in target tissues for a longer time and cause enhanced DNA damage. Ongoing research in his laboratory will eventually address the issue of how environmental factors (exposure to toxicants) and dietary practices (excessive intake of animal meat and fat products tainted with BaP) contribute to colorectal cancer in African Americans (third leading cause of cancer related mortalities) relative to other racial/ethnic groups. His research is funded by DOE, NIH, NSF, and EPA. Dr. Ramesh serves on the editorial boards of Toxicology Mechanisms & Methods, Archives of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology, Journal of Toxicology & Environmental Health, Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology, Journal of Applied Toxicology, Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology, and Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds.