Spring is a season of transformation. For those of us living in regions that enjoy four unique seasons, spring particularly brings a sense of renewal as flowers, leaves, and grasses (and possibly allergies) bud and grow. Perhaps it is only fitting that for the Society of Toxicology (SOT), spring also brings the start of the new administrative year for the Society. With that, I am both honored and humbled to begin my term as President of the SOT.
The highly integrative nature of toxicology research and risk assessment is one of the attributes that attracted me to this science many years ago. One of the best, most visible examples of the multi-disciplinary nature of our field is the content of our Annual Meeting, and I hope that most of you were able to attend and enjoy our recent meeting in San Antonio. The meeting featured diverse sessions, from outstanding keynote speakers, symposia featuring the latest science, and sessions to enhance career development, along with opportunities to network, mentor, and in that perpetual motion way, begin planning for the next year’s meeting. During the past year, SOT Council considered a variety of ways to continue to improve the Annual Meeting, both scientifically and professionally, and I hope you saw some of those efforts in action in San Antonio. However, this job is not yet finished, and I want to personally thank those of you who took the time to complete several surveys that were distributed after the meeting. We are evaluating your responses to such issues as how to present posters to help ensure that attendees get to see everything they are interested in, to consider the overall meeting length and schedule, and to garner feedback on the overall quality of the sessions. The results of these surveys along with any plans to modify current meeting practices will be shared with you as SOT Council and the Scientific Program Committee complete the review of your feedback.
Before leaving the subject of the Annual Meeting, I am pleased to report that we have confirmed the Plenary Opening Lecturer for the 2014 Annual Meeting. Sir John B. Gurdon, recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his seminal work on pluripotent stem cells, has agreed to join us in Phoenix. The Scientific Program Committee, under the leadership of SOT Vice President, Norbert E. Kaminiski and Vice President-Elect, Peter L. Goering, are now in the active phase of reviewing session proposals and making plans for another outstanding slate of sessions for the 2014 Annual Meeting. The work of this committee is challenging, as it tries to develop a diverse, well-rounded program, and I know we all look forward to learning more about the content of the scientific program for our Annual Meeting in Phoenix next March.
A major accomplishment of the Society in the past several months has been the completion of an issues statement regarding the human and environmental health implications of hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The statement, entitled “The Role of Toxicological Science in Meeting the Challenges and Opportunities of Hydraulic Fracturing” is objective, informative, and succinct, and provides perspective on the needs and challenges for fully understanding both the benefits and potential risks of this enterprise. More importantly, however, the statement defines how toxicology can and should be integrated in ongoing safety and regulatory discussions on this emerging issue, as our collective expertise is essential to protecting human and environmental health. The draft statement was made available for member comments until early May, and the document is undergoing final revisions for release in the near future. The Communications Committee has developed a preliminary plan for disseminating this statement in order to reach audiences in the general public, key regulators, and members of Congress. You can look for the final version of the issues statement on the SOT website, and we certainly hope to bring attention to it through a comprehensive communication strategy.
My final perspective for this message is to briefly describe a major area of focus and strategic planning for the next year, and it follows from the issues statement described above. Our current strategic plan places considerable emphasis on promoting the recognition and communicating the value of toxicology, and our Communications Committee is charged with leading this outreach to external audiences. During this next year, SOT Council will be working closely with the Communications Committee to critically evaluate our efforts in this important area. In a recent editorial on communicating science, Alan Leshner noted that “Public understanding of science not only affects people’s ability to appreciate and make full use of the products of science, it also contributes to the extent of support for scientific research1.” I think that sentiment captures how important an effective external communication strategy is to our entire membership. However, as scientists, we tend to be reluctant and somewhat ineffective at conveying the relevance and significance of our research to the general society. Moreover, effective communication can be hindered by the fact that the diversity of opinions is often directly proportional to the perceived significance of a scientific issue. How then can we establish SOT and the science of toxicology as a credible, valuable resource to effectively engage in scientific communication? During this review, we will be working to: (1) prioritize the external audiences that we need to reach; (2) better understand what information these target audiences want or need to learn about; and (3) define whether and how we can deliver such information. If successful in our efforts, we will have a strategically focused plan to enable proactive, consistent, and sustained communication activities that effectively promote the recognition of toxicology. I hope to share progress with you on this important endeavor in future messages.
In closing, I am looking forward to a busy but exciting and productive term as SOT President. I plan to share progress on the many important activities of SOT over the next year, and I am happy to discuss issues and concerns at any time.
1. Leshner, A. I. Capably communicating science. 2012. Science 337: 777.
Lois D. Lehman-McKeeman, PhD, ATS
2013–2014 SOT President