The Scientific Liaison Coalition (SLC) held its fifth face-to-face meeting on November 14, 2012, in Washington, DC. In the interim between meetings, the SLC has convened monthly conference calls and several work groups that have developed scientific sessions and free-standing meetings (i.e., SOT Contemporary Concepts in Toxicology (CCT) Conferences, “Future Tox II: In Vitro Data and In Silico Models for Predictive Toxicology” and another on “Metabolic Syndrome”). The SLC meeting provided an opportunity to update the SLC representatives on the activities and accomplishments of this ad hoc coalition and to prepare for the future of this group.
SLC Chair Tom Knudsen (US EPA-ORD, Society of Toxicology, SOT) led the meeting of assembled representatives, including Sally Darney via phone (US EPA-ORD, Society for the Study of Reproduction, SSR); Kenneth Hastings (Sanofi, Society of Toxicology, SOT); Mary Jeanne Kallman (Covance Inc., Safety Pharmacology Society, SPS); David Kaufman (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, SOT); Shawn D. Lamb (Executive Director, SOT); Lois Lehman-McKeeman via phone (SOT Council Contact); James Madsen (US Army-MRICD, American College of Medical Toxicology, ACMT); Tonia Masson (Executive Director, Teratology Society, Teratology and Environmental Mutagen Society, EMS); Kevin McDorman (Charles River Laboratories; Society of Toxicologic Pathology, STP); Donna Mendrick (US FDA-NCTR; SOT Disease Prevention Task Force); John Miller (American Chemical Society, ACS); Ofelia Olivero (NIH-NCI, EMS); Sue Pitsch (Executive Director, STP); S. Rutherfoord Rose (Medical College of Virginia; American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, AACT), Paul Watkins via phone (Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, SOT); Clarissa Russell Wilson (Interim Executive Director SPS); and Marcia Lawson (SLC Administrator). SLC Representatives from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), The Endocrine Society (ENDO), International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX), Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), and Society of Risk Analysis (SRA) were not in attendance at this meeting.
The mission of the SLC is directed toward: Improving the ability of societies to partner with other domestic and international organizations that have objectives consistent with the goal of increasing the impact of the science of toxicology to improve public health by:
- Strengthening partnerships among scientific and health-based organizations to increase awareness of the impact of toxicology and related subjects on human health, and
- Functioning as a means to enhance cooperation among societies as equals with the goal of accomplishing tasks benefiting human health and disease prevention through joint and shared activities.
Established in 2010, the SLC was the constituted through the efforts of the Scientific Liaison Task Force under the auspices of SOT. With this fall 2012 meeting, a multi-society SLC Governance Committee has been comprised that includes Dr. McDorman to serve as the 2013-2014 Chair of the SLC with the term to begin April 1, 2013. Also on this group are Incoming Chair Dr. Kallman, Immediate Past Chair Dr. Knudsen, Coalition Representatives Drs. Olivero, Hastings, and Ken McMartin (ACCT), and SLC Administrator Ms. Lawson. A fourth SLC representative also will serve on this committee.
The next SLC face-to-face meeting will be held from 8:00 am–12:00 noon, Sunday, March 10, 2012, San Antonio, Texas, in conjunction with the 2013 SOT Annual Meeting. For further information, please contact Marcia Lawson.