President's Message

Summer/Fall Issue 2008

President Kenneth S. Ramos

In my first message I highlighted several areas of priority as we activate our Strategic Plan over the next year and use it as a roadmap to: 1) Reaffirm and emphasize our core values; 2) Strengthen scientific and professional competitiveness; 3) Promote new partnerships; and 4) Define the frontiers of 21st century science.

This message focuses on the second of these priorities and what it means to me as a member of the Society working to strengthen our scientific and professional competitiveness. The Strategic Plan calls for concerted efforts to create a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology. This is best exemplified by our efforts to engage in various aspects of the practice of toxicology; for instance, the discovery of the inner workings of biological systems that define the nature, the extent and severity of toxicity; elucidation of the connections that exist between toxicity and disease in humans; and, perhaps most importantly, the application of this knowledge to hazard assessment, to environmental regulation, to pharmaceutical safety assessment; and to the discovery of novel treatments and modalities that can improve the quality of life of those impacted by toxicities. The accessibility of our scientific and professional expertise to society is essential for us to continue to position toxicology as one of the central basic and applied sciences for advancement of the biomedical enterprise in the U.S. and beyond.

An issue of special interest to our members, within this context, is the response of the scientific and non-scientific communities to the 2007 National Research Council (NRC) report from the National Academy of Sciences on Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy. This report summarizes the recommendations of a panel of experts convened to provide a vision and strategy for advancing the practice of toxicity testing and human health assessment for environmental contaminants. In general terms, the expectation is that data acquired using genomics and computational methodologies will in the not so distant future make it possible to predict pathways of toxicity that reflect mechanisms or modes of toxicity. Two important and notable factors guiding the recommendations are the differences that exist between human and animal biology that may alter the nature of a particular toxic response and the need to find “better ways” to define human risk to drugs and chemicals. One need only to review the executive summary to appreciate the importance of the messages contained within it as to the future of toxicology as well as the divergence of opinions that will likely emerge as the report is discussed and distilled by the scientific community, government officials, and the public.

The NRC report was introduced to the membership at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Seattle and a follow-up session designed for discussion and deliberation of it has been scheduled for the 2009 Annual Meeting in Baltimore. Is the Society interested in and ready to present an evaluation of this report? Do SOT members believe that alternative methods have evolved to the point where they can replace the animal models used today in toxicity testing? How do we as a community of scientists contribute to future developments in this area of debate? Of particular interest to me is that these topics have so penetrated the scientific enterprise of this country that many professionals not directly involved in toxicology are now deeply immersed in this debate. I challenge you to consider these issues and to contact me with your ideas of how the Society should lend its expertise and weigh in on this issue affecting the way we do business today and the safety and health of our world in the years to come.

Since we last communicated, several meetings have been held to further align SOT activities with the Strategic Plan. On May 28, 2008, SOT Council and Staff held an Operational Strategy Session to align the highest priorities for the Society with resource allocations. On July 24–25, 2008, the foundation and spirit of the Society, the Regional Chapters, Specialty Sections, and Special Interest Groups, held its Leadership Meeting to align their activities and programs with areas identified as most important to increasing the impact and future vitality of toxicology. On August 20, 2008, a meeting of Society leaders was held to brainstorm about issues important to the future of toxicology and SOT. On August 20–21, 2008, a Committee and Task Force Leadership Meeting was held in Washington to align a large constituency with the overarching goals of the Society. These sessions provided outstanding opportunities for knowledge exchange and helped to solidify vehicles for strengthening and improving internal and external communications of relevance to our discipline and our scientific and professional competitiveness.

On a different note, I want to congratulate the Scientific Program Committee for the development of an outstanding scientific program that will feature some of the most significant scientific advances in the field and emphasizes discoveries and seminal contributions in all areas of toxicology. Five themes were identified this year for programmatic development to feature discoveries in the areas of:

• Biomarkers
• Epigenetics
• Inflammation and Disease
• Nanotechnology (repeated from 2008)
• Neurodegenerative Disease

I look forward to receiving your recommendations on future themes for the SOT Annual Meeting, as well as your thoughts on the view that animal testing can be replaced in the near term. Contact me via SOT Headquarters. As in all facets of life, the achievement of our goals calls for the utmost determination and focus on desired outcomes.

Kenneth S. Ramos,
2008–2009 SOT President

Reminder—SOT Awards Deadline: October 9

You know who the rising and established stars are in Toxicology. You should nominate them for an SOT Award. SOT presents several prestigious awards to members and non-members. Information regarding the individual awards and the application requirements is available on the SOT Web site. Do you know a candidate who is deserving of an SOT award but has not been nominated? Award recipients are honored at the special Awards Ceremony at the SOT Annual Meeting, receive a plaque and a generous stipend, and are listed in the annual Membership Directory and on the SOT Web site. The on-line awards nominating process only takes a few minutes to complete. Whether recognizing career achievements or contributions in specific areas, we need you to make nominations.

Please note that most SOT student awards require that the applicant is a student member or has completed an application for membership, so research mentors should encourage students to apply immediately.

Two New SOT Awards Announced

As part of the implementation of the Society’s revised strategic plan, two new science awards have been established.

Leading Edge in Basic Science Award

The Leading Edge Award will recognize a scientist who has made a recent (within the last 5 years) seminal scientific research contribution/advance to understanding fundamental mechanisms of toxicity. The recipient will be a respected basic scientist whose research findings are likely to have a pervasive impact on the field of toxicology. The scientist may be an SOT member or non-member, a toxicologist or a scientist who may or may not identify him or herself with the discipline of toxicology but whose research finding(s), nevertheless, are likely to impact the discipline in a major way.

Translational Impact Award

The Translational Impact Award will recognize a scientist whose recent (last 10 years) clinical, environmental health, and/or translational research has improved human and/or public health in an area of toxicologic concern. Scientists who are leaders in multidisciplinary team efforts that have contributed to alleviating toxicity-related health problems are particularly attractive candidates. The scientist might have any background (clinicians, basic scientists, epidemiologists, engineers, etc.) but their research findings have had clinical, public health, or translational impact to improve the health of individuals exposed to toxic agents.

Those honored with these awards will be recognized at the SOT Awards Ceremony March 15 and will receive a plaque and cash stipend. As with the scientists who receive the Distinguished Toxicology Scholar and the Merit Awards, the recipients will be invited to present a special lecture at the SOT Annual Meeting. They may also write a review for Toxicological Sciences that relates to the research for which the award was given.

The applications include a letter of nomination and a seconding letter from Full members of the Society, as well as the nominee’s curriculum vitae. The letters should provide specific detail of how the scientific contributions of the nominee relate to the criteria for the award. Award nomination deadline is October 9, 2008.

Access the on-line Award Nomination.