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Celebrating 25 Years of the Immunotoxicology Specialty Section
Submitted by Jean Regal, President, Immunotoxicology Specialty Section
At the SOT Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, the Immunotoxicology Specialty Section will celebrate 25 years since its establishment! The field of immunotoxicology had its origins in the 1970s with the first publications describing increased susceptibility to infection after environmental exposures, including immunosuppression with TCDD exposure. Immunotoxicology encompasses all forms of chemically induced immune dysfunction including allergy, autoimmunity, inflammation, and immunosuppression.
After an assortment of meeting venues in the late 1970s and early 1980s, immunotoxicology found its home with SOT in 1985 with Jack Dean serving as the first President of the Immunotoxicology Specialty Section. Since its inception, this Specialty Section has grown to over 250 dedicated members who actively participate scientifically at each SOT Annual Meeting. Membership is broadly represented internationally and in academia, government, and industry.
The Health and Environmental Science Institute (HESI) Immunotoxicology Young Investigator Travel Award Endowment Fund was established for the Immunotoxicology Specialty Section in 2009, and the first award will be presented at Salt Lake City. Outreach programs of the Specialty Section include an international exchange program with the Japanese Society of Immunotoxicology as well as a Traveling Lecturers program to enhance delivery of Immunotoxicology course content in training the next generation of toxicologists. Within SOT, immunotoxicology has grown and matured to a respected discipline, globally recognized for its importance and for the contributions made to understanding the health consequences of perturbing the immune system.
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