Twenty-Five Years of Endocrine Disruption Science: Remembering Theo Colborn

The field of endocrine disruption is widely recognized as having formally begun in 1991 with the historic meeting at the Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, Wisconsin. This year, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) celebrates the 25th anniversary of endocrine disruption science with an open meeting to explore past lessons and future directions (http://tools. niehs.nih.gov/conference/endocrine_2016/index.cfm). This anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on the role of Theo Colborn, the woman who many referred to as “the mother of endocrine disruption.” In 1988, she saw the devastation of wildlife in the form of eggshell thinning, poor chick rearing, and the failure of offspring to thrive, and she feared for the health of humans. Prescient, tenacious, and passionate about the cause, she gathered the science and marched it to Washington, DC. When that was not enough, she rallied the masses with a hugely popular scientific detective story (Colborn et al. 1996). Although the development of the endocrine disruption movement was brought about by the contributions of many people (Schug et al. 2016), Theo Colborn was a seminal leader in the field (Grossman et al. 2015). In this article, we briefly chronicle her unique contribution, visionary leadership, and relentless voice for the health of future generations.