Terri L. Provost

Terri L. Provost serves as Distinguished Professor of Biology in the School of Arts & Sciences at Utica College, specializing in endocrinology and environmental toxicology. Her research examines how industrial contaminants like PCBs affect endocrine function and inflammatory responses in developing organisms, with particular focus on the Mohawk Valley region's environmental health concerns.

Her educational background includes a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Bowling Green State University. Her doctoral research investigated dietary PCB exposure impacts on endocrine function, neurochemical status, and learning in rat offspring, building on earlier MS work examining maternal PCB exposure effects on growth hormones and liver function in rat pups.

Dr. Provost's research program centers on environmental endocrine disruptors, specifically polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and their developmental impacts on endocrine systems. She employs rodent models to study in utero and lactational toxin exposure effects, while also analyzing field contamination in the Mohawk Valley. A newer research dimension investigates how malnutrition (lipids and micronutrients) interacts with contaminant exposure across the lifespan. Her work bridges laboratory toxicology with real-world environmental health challenges in historically industrialized regions.

Her sole documented publication (1999) demonstrates dose-dependent PCB impacts on neurochemical markers, learning, and thyroid regulation in developing rats. This foundational work established her research trajectory in developmental neurotoxicology and endocrine disruption, highlighting critical windows of vulnerability during early development.

Dr. Provost actively mentors undergraduate researchers in both laboratory and field settings, inviting students to participate in her contaminant exposure studies. Her laboratory investigates physiological responses to environmental toxins using rodent models while conducting parallel field analyses of local ecosystem contamination.

She maintains strong regional relevance through research on Mohawk Valley industrial pollution, connecting academic toxicology with community environmental health concerns in an area historically affected by PCB contamination similar to the Hudson River Valley cleanup efforts.