President’s Message

Dear SoCal SOT Members,

I am honored and excited to be stepping into the role of President for our Southern California Regional Chapter of the Society of Toxicology for the upcoming term. It is a true honor to lead this community and to work alongside such a talented, generous, and committed group of colleagues.

Meet your 2026–2027 SoCal SOT Executive Board

• Christine Hoffmaster, President
• Patrick Allard, Vice President
• Courtni Newsome, Vice President-Elect
• Amy Tran-Guzman, Secretary
• Heather Estrella, Treasurer
• Tejas Lahoti, Past President, Councilor
• Elana Elkin, Councilor
• Kristen Holbrook, Councilor
• Rajat Gupta, Postdoctoral Representative
• Jocelyn Castellanos, Graduate Student Representative
• Allen Louie, Graduate Student Representative

Having already served on the Board, I’ve seen firsthand just how passionate and creative this team is. I’m continually inspired by how willing everyone is to roll up their sleeves, share ideas, and push together toward our shared goals: growing our chapter, hosting impactful scientific sessions, and—of course—continuing our legendary mixers at the SOT Annual Meeting. These moments of connection and collaboration are what make SoCal SOT feel like a true home for toxicologists across our region.

Over the past several years, your Board has placed special emphasis on two key areas that I am eager to build on this year:

• Sustainable fundraising, ensuring we remain the only dues-free SOT chapter while continuing to deliver high-quality scientific and networking events.
• Mentoring and professional development for trainees, including students and postdoctoral fellows, so we can nurture the next generation of toxicology leaders and help them find their path in our field.

This focus has enabled us to expand opportunities for engagement across all career levels—whether you are a trainee presenting your first abstract, an early or mid-career toxicologist looking to broaden your network, or a seasoned member eager to give back through mentoring, leadership, and sponsorship. As we look ahead, I am more than excited to see what this new year will bring and what our new Board can accomplish together. We will be working hard to:

• Curate scientifically rich meetings and webinars that showcases the true breadth and diversity of toxicology in Southern California.
• Create welcoming spaces for trainees, with mentoring events, career panels, and award opportunities.
• Host dynamic networking events and mixers that make it easy and fun to connect across sectors, institutions, and career stages.

You will hear more from us soon about our Annual Fall Meeting and other chapter activities. I encourage you to get involved however you can: attend events, submit abstracts, volunteer to mentor, or simply help spread the word about SoCal SOT to colleagues and trainees who may not yet be members. Your enthusiasm, ideas and participation are what make this chapter vibrant and welcoming community.

Finally, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our outgoing President and Board members for their leadership and hard work over the past year, as well as to our sponsors & partners whose generous support makes it possible for us to remain dues-free and still deliver outstanding programming. We truly could not accomplish all that we do without you.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you and incredibly excited for the year ahead. Let’s make this a year of growth, connection, and memorable science—together.

Warmly,