Rationale
Academia, industry, contract laboratories, governmental and non-governmental organizations all share the same responsibility in the ethical generation and/or use of data. In the exercise of their functions toxicologists constantly face a number of situations that may have direct or indirect ethical, legal and social ramifications. Results from toxicological research are widely used by policy makers, regulatory agencies, lawyers, non-governmental organizations and the public to establish legal rules and public policy.
The new Specialty Section will provide a forum in which to discuss the ethical
implications of results from our science as well as the resulting legal
and social implications. In addition, this Specialty Section can serve
as a forum for discussing issues related to research integrity and the
conduct of research with animals and humans.
The Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues Specialty Section will be of interest
to toxicologists concerned about the broader impact of our research on
bioethical and societal decision-making as well as the conduct and application
of toxicology based research.
Objectives
The objectives of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues Specialty Section are:
- To explore the contributions and implications of toxicological based research on bioethical thinking and public policy.
- To serve as the focal point for interaction of members of the Society of Toxicology interested in Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues related to toxicology.
- To develop, propose, and conduct programs and educational activities that emphasize the latest developments in Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues related to toxicology.
- To relate developments in the field of ethics to the activities of the Society of Toxicology and to stimulate interest and growth in Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues as it relates to the science of toxicology.
- To act as a resource to the Society in the area of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues related to the science of toxicology with a particular emphasis on the bioethical issues raised by advances in the toxicological sciences.
Please send comments or expression of interest to:
Steven G. Gilbert, Ph.D., DABT
Tel: 206.527.0926 Fax: 206.525.5102
Officers 2011–2012
John P. Norman,
President
Sol M. Bobst, Vice
President
Gary E. Marchant, Vice President-Elect
Cindy M. Hoorn, Secretary/Treasurer
Phil Wexler, Past President and Councilor
Robert C. MacPhail, Councilor
Raymond M. Singer, Councilor
Sarah Elizabeth Lacher, Student Representative
Annual Meeting
Information to come…
Annual Reports
Awards
| Award Title | Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues SS Student Awards |
| Award Description | Eligibility The purpose of the ELSI student award is to encourage consideration of the ethical, legal, and social implications of toxicologically based research. All current Pre- or Post-Doctoral students presenting a poster or platform presentation at the Annual Meeting are eligible to compete for the ELSI Student Awards membership in the ELSI SS is NOT required. Submission requirements include: 1. the presentation abstract 2. a brief discussion of the ELSI aspects of the research (not to exceed 1 page) 3. a letter of support from the advisor outlining the student's role in the research as it relates to ELSI considerations Principles and Criteria Each submission will be evaluated from a number of points of view: First, the applicant should adhere to the principle that credible science is fundamental to all toxicology research. Credible science implies that the study is of excellent quality and is based on scientific principles. Factual data should support the conclusions and should be fully disclosed (including data that do not fit), as should any personal biases that can influence the design, implementation and conclusions of the study. Animals in research should be treated responsibly and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations and with SOTs position on the ethical treatment of animals. Topics such as the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) and prevention of data duplication can be cited as examples. Studies in humans must adhere to the highest standards and comply with all applicable laws, regulations and ethical principles. Communication of scientific information is also an important aspect of science. Scientific findings and interpretations should be communicated to the appropriate parties in a timely and responsible manner, and statements potentially leading to misinterpretation, misguidance or misapprehension should be avoided. Hypothesis-generating studies should not be presented as hypothesis-testing studies. Given that all toxicological research can be looked at from an ethical, legal or social point of view, human and animal, behavioral and molecular studies with natural or synthetic chemicals will be equally considered. Under no circumstances, will the end justify the means. All studies will be evaluated according to the criteria stated above. Examples Below are several examples of ELSI topics that could be addressed in the award application. This is only a limited selection of possible topics. Implications of Research Results: What are the potential adverse or beneficial impacts of the research results on individuals or society and what measures could be taken to prevent, mitigate, or encourage those impacts? For example: Will the results have specific policy implications? If so, will the data have previously been peer-reviewed and available for examination before being disseminated? What results would stakeholders be particularly interested in and why? Implementation of Research: What are the ethical, legal, or social issues associated with conducting this research project (e.g., animal or human subject welfare) and what measures were taken to address these concerns? Special consideration should be given to the implementation relative to the SOT Code of Ethics. For example: Attempts to address the bias inherent to the expectation associated with any scientific study Responsible use of animals in research (e.g., application of the 3Rs) Publications that also consider and cite literature that favors the rival hypothesis Publications that make a particular effort to fully disclose everything that has happened during the research that might affect the overall conclusion of the paper Discussion of less toxic, practical solutions as a replacement for a chemical with expected adverse consequences in humans under conditions of intended use Conflict of Interest: Discuss potential effects of conflicts of interest associated with financial as well as non-financial interests. What measures can or should be taken to mitigate these conflicts? How can conflicts of interest be used to exclude scientists who present a different point of view? For example: If you were collaborating with or working for an organization where restrictions were imposed on publication of some results, how was this issue discussed and resolved? Was consideration given to the source of support as a factor influencing the design, conduct, analysis and report of scientific studies? For example, how can funding from industry, academia, governmental and non-governmental organizations to conduct research affect the integrity of the data and/or their full disclosure? How can grant-funded salary and/or research support from governmental or non-governmental institutions entice the scientist to report publishable positive findings important for future funding of salaries and research programs? How can the nature of findings lead industry, academia, governmental and/or non-governmental organizations to commit outright fraud or partially report the data? How much consideration should be given to the source of support (industry, academia, governmental, non-governmental organizations) vs. the unassailability of the data? Environmental Justice or Community-Based Research Issues: Discuss potential implications of study design, study conduct, or dissemination of results with regard to the fair presentation of results (i.e., avoiding under- and over-interpretation) to the community involved. For example: What measures were taken to disseminate fair interpretation of the results from the study and to which stakeholders? How did the design take into consideration the varied interests of the stakeholders? Were the findings peer-reviewed before being communicated more widely? Prizes In addition to a recognition plaque, the winner will receive a $500 cash prize. The award will either be presented at the ELSI meeting or at another Specialty Section meeting selected by the award recipient. A pre- or post-doctoral student can only win the ELSI Student Award once. Application Instructions To apply for this award, the following items should be sent by email to the current ELSI Vice President, Sol Bobst: 1. the presentation abstract 2. a brief discussion of the ELSI aspects of the research (not to exceed 1 page) 3. a letter of support from the advisor outlining the student's role in the research as it relates to ELSI considerations Students may be contacted by the review committee for a brief discussion of the submission. For additional information, please contact the current ELSI Vice President. |
| Deadline | February 1 |
| Applicable Documents | |
Newsletter
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