Message from the President—September 2026
Dear RASS Members and Colleagues,
It is a great honor and privilege to serve as President of the Risk Assessment Specialty Section for the 2026–2027 term. I am grateful to our past leaders, volunteers, and members whose dedication has built RASS into a strong and engaged scientific community. I look forward to working with all of you to build on that foundation and further strengthen the value that RASS provides to its members.
Our central priority this year is straightforward: to create tangible, lasting value for all RASS members. For us, this means providing timely scientific programming, creating opportunities for members to share their work, fostering professional connections, and ensuring that RASS remains a welcoming forum for thoughtful discussion of important developments in risk assessment.
The RASS webinar on “EPA’s IRIS Transition and Its Implications” is one example of this commitment. By bringing together experts and members to examine a timely and consequential development, the webinar provided an opportunity not only to learn, but also to exchange perspectives and consider the broader implications for the risk assessment community. We will continue to organize the RASS Webinar Series throughout the coming year. An important goal of the series will be to provide our members with a platform to present their research findings, share new methods and applications, discuss emerging challenges, and learn from colleagues across disciplines, sectors, career stages, and geographic regions. I encourage members to suggest webinar topics, propose speakers, volunteer to present or moderate a session, and share ideas about how the series can best serve our community.
I am fortunate to be joined by an outstanding Executive Committee: Kathryn Page (Vice President), Katy Goyak (Vice President-Elect), Nikolaos Georgiadis (Secretary/Treasurer), Anne E. Loccisano (Past President), Alexandra Cordova and Belinda Cridge (Councilors), Paul Kruse (Postdoctoral Representative), and Disha Gupta (Student Representative). This is a truly international Executive Committee, bringing together a valuable range of scientific, professional, and geographic perspectives. This diversity will help us better understand the needs of our membership, identify topics of broad relevance, and strengthen connections within the global risk assessment community.
Creating value for members cannot be a one-way activity. RASS is strongest when its programs are informed and supported by the expertise, ideas, and participation of its members. I therefore invite you to become actively involved—by sharing your research, proposing a webinar, volunteering for a RASS activity, mentoring an early-career colleague, or simply letting the Executive Committee know what resources and opportunities would be most useful to you. Your feedback will help us direct our efforts toward activities that make a meaningful difference.
Thank you for your continued support of RASS. Together, we can make RASS an even more valuable scientific and professional community: one in which knowledge is shared, connections are strengthened, members at every career stage are supported, and the science and practice of risk assessment continue to advance.
I look forward to working with our Executive Committee and with all of you during the year ahead.
Warm regards,
Kan Shao, PhD, DABT, Fellow ATS
President, Risk Assessment Specialty Section 2026–2027