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Welcome to the Society of Toxicology
President’s Section
Here you will have access to the
2007–2008 SOT President’s Messages to the Society's members
and miscellaneous issue letters.
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Meet the 2007–2008
Society of Toxicology
President
George B. Corcoran |
President's
Message
Spring Issue 2007
One of the greatest honors one can receive in a lifetime is to be
chosen by one’s peers to lead the largest and most successful
toxicology organization in the world, the SOT. Other incoming Presidents
have said this as well as it can be articulated—leading SOT
as its President is both a privilege without compare, and a daunting
responsibility.
As the 46 Presidents who preceded me, I look forward to the next
12 months with unparalleled excitement, tempered by the somber acknowledgement
of duty. In his 1675 letter to Robert Hooke, Sir Isaac Newton attributed
his seeing further to "standing on the shoulders of giants."
Many are responsible for the striking successes of SOT over its history.
For its considerable progress in the past year, I would like to acknowledge
James Popp for a presidency made outstanding by his
vision and leadership abilities, and the skills and teamwork of outgoing
Past President Kendall
Wallace, Treasurer Norbert Kaminsk, and
Councilors Bruce Fowler and
Michael Holsapple. Each made invaluable contributions
that are remembered by all who served with them. SOT is so very fortunate
to have what may
be the best society management group in this country, AIM, under the
leadership of Shawn Lamb and Clarissa Wilson.
Finally, leaders at the unit level are the ones who make the real
difference by turning vision
into reality, including officers of Specialty Sections, Regional Chapters,
Special Interest Groups, Committees, and Task Forces. They have earned
our thanks. It is comforting to know that our near-term future rests
in expert hands that include existing council members and newcomers
Vice President-elect Cheryl Walker, Secretary-elect Martin
Philbert,
and Councilors Kim Boekelheide and Denise
Robinson Gravatt.
You will read about the success of our Annual Meeting in Charlotte elsewhere
in this Communiqué, but I want to draw your attention to a few
notable points. For the first time, the scientific program included
two Nobel Laureates, Mario Molina speaking on climate change and H.
Robert Horvitz relating his discovery of cell death genes and how they
function. Each added greatly to the meeting experience and to its science.
In 2007, we witnessed the introduction of two new types of sessions—Informational Seminars and the Soapbox Session. Both were highly successful
and are being integrated into our future meeting structure. We hope
to be able to extend the concept of Informational Seminars to include
volunteer abstracts in the future. Finally, the weather, which could
not have been better, was matched by the hospitality of our North Carolina
hosts.
The Annual Meeting is a showcase for many ongoing activities, one
of the most important of which is our Strategic Planning effort
which
is entering it's 2nd full year. Meeting attendees participated actively
in the Town Hall session. They recalled past SOT planning, and made
valuable comments and recommendations to strengthen three Strategy
Committee reports presented by Bernard Goldstein (Communications), Patricia
Ganey
(Member Services), and Cheryl Walker (Science). Strategic
planning continues with the highest priority this year under a packed
calendar that will
culminate in the presentation of a draft of the new Long-Range Plan
at the 2008 Town Hall Meeting in Seattle. Planning activities in 2007–2008
include two Council retreats, several task force meetings, and invitations
of feedback from members and other key stakeholders. You are welcome
to submit your comments and thoughts at any time by contacting me or
another member of council, and we particularly encourage you to make
comments after you are notified in early 2008 that the draft Long-Range
Plan is posted on the SOT Web site.
In the upcoming year, you will have a chance to learn more about
the SOT Endowment. You may have noticed a large poster display in
the Annual Meeting registration area reporting on the exceptional
start enjoyed by this program. It is dedicated to ensuring the long-term
health and success of our Society. For those of us who believe that
the Society makes important contributions to the wellbeing of the
world, or may feel that the Society has made some contribution to
their success as a toxicologist, the Endowment provides an opportunity
to convert those beliefs into enduring support for SOT programs
and activities not addressed with ordinary SOT revenue. The Endowment
Board is under the deft leadership of Roger McClellan.
Feel free to contact him or any other member of the board for
more information.
One of the essential ingredients for the success of SOT as a Society
is its leadership. It is my hope the SOT will continue to move aggressively
in future years to increase its already considerable activities to promote
and develop leadership within all of our members. The Student Advisory
Committee led last year by John Norman and the Postdoctoral Assembly
led by Jennifer Durringer are excellent examples of the great strides
made over the past several years.
Lastly, the Fiftieth Anniversary Task Force is a new group created
during the last year to help the Society organize and plan its 50th
anniversary at our 2011 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
This group is lead by SOT Historian Ernest Hodgson.
If you would like to contribute your recollections, ideas, memorabilia,
or talents to this effort, please contact Ernie or the SOT
Headquarters.
I will close with a belief I stated at the 2007 Business Meeting
that the Society of Toxicology is "Almost Amazing." By
this, I mean that SOT is a remarkable organization that brings together
many
disparate wonders within our discipline of toxicology for professional
fellowship, synergy, and excellence. But, I hold that SOT is not
yet
Amazing—it has not yet reached its zenith. The reason for this
is rather simple. Because of the dedication, ingenuity, and abilities
of you and your colleagues, the best days of SOT lay ahead. It is my
firm belief that SOT will remain "Almost Amazing," largely
due to you. I ask that you challenge yourself in the coming 12 months
and ask if there are ways your Society can become better. Then, consider
if you can help in making SOT "Almost Amazing" a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
You have my warmest regards,
George B. Corcoran,
2007–2008 SOT President
Past Presidents of the Society
Contacting
the President
The
SOT President would like to hear from you on issues related to the
Society of Toxicology and/or toxicological sciences in general.
Send all correspondence to:
Dr. George B. Corcoran
SOT Headquarters
1821 Michael Faraday Drive, Suite 300
Reston, VA 20190-5332
E-mail: corcoran@wayne.edu
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