Below are three webinars that may be of interest to you. For addition information, please refer to the websites of the sponsoring organizations.
Considerations for the Determination of Adversity in Food Chemical Safety Evaluations, March 27, 2017
The next SOT FDA Colloquia on Emerging Toxicological Science: Challenges in Food and Ingredient Safety will be held on Monday, March 27, 2017, 8:30 am–2:00 pm at the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), Wiley Auditorium, College Park, Maryland. This is the eleventh colloquium of a series presented by the Society of Toxicology (SOT) in conjunction with the US FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The series presents scientific information that is high-quality, cutting-edge, future-oriented toxicological science to provide a well-grounded foundation to inform the work of US FDA employees. This colloquium will begin by introducing current concepts underlying determinations of adversity from food compounds utilizing chemical characterization, in vitro or in silico assays, as well as animal and human toxicology studies. Second, the definitions of adversity (harm) will be considered in the context of the laws and regulations that apply to foods and food ingredients. Third, a case study on low calorie sweeteners will be provided to illustrate determinations of adversity by describing what data were used in the assessment of safety. Fourth, alternatives to the current frameworks for adversity determinations will be discussed in terms of their strengths and weaknesses considering a toxicological, decision-making, and public perspective. Finally, the colloquium will conclude with a panel discussion addressing the key issues brought up by the speakers and questions from participants. For more information and to register for the webcast, please visit the SOT website.
SLC Webinar on Epidemiology of Vaccine Refusal, March 28
The next Scientific Liaison Coalition (SLC) webinar on the Epidemiology of Vaccine Refusal will be held on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, 11:00 am–12:30 pm ET. This webinar will be presented by Saad B. Omer, MBBS, MPH, PhD, FIDSA, William H. Foege Professor of Global Health and Professor of Epidemiology & Pediatrics at Emory University, Schools of Public Health and Medicine. He also is a faculty member at the Emory Vaccine Center. This webinar will be moderated by Susan Emeigh Hart, the SLC Representative from the Society of Toxicologic Pathology. As Dr. Omer notes in his abstract “Vaccines are among the most efficacious and cost-effective prevention tools. However, the success of an immunization program depends on high acceptance and coverage. There is evidence of an increase in vaccine refusal in the United States and of geographical clustering of vaccine refusers resulting in outbreaks…. There is a need for development of a robust evidence base of effective interventions for reducing vaccine hesitancy. Potential interventions include effective provider-parent communication tools, rational administrative requirements for granting exemptions, and informed declination. Given the geographic clustering of refusers, theses interventions must be locally relevant." The webinar is open only to members of the partnering societies of SLC, which are listed on the SLC website. Registration for this webinar is required. The Society of Toxicology is a founding member of this coalition, the mission of which is to serve as a partnership of scientific societies with the goal of improving public health through a collaborative interdisciplinary approach.
NABR Webinar: USDA Animal Search Tool—Deactivated: The Impact on the Research Community, April 11
Because the Society of Toxicology is a member of the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR), we are informing you of an upcoming webinar that is accessible to you. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) removed from its website inspection reports, regulatory correspondence, research facility annual reports, and enforcement records and now has restored some of the data online. According to NABR, USDA’s action will certainly impact registered research facilities and licensed dealers who supply animals to research facilities. To learn more about this issue, you can join this webinar, USDA Animal Search Tool–Deactivated: The Impact on the Research Community, on April 11 from 12:30 pm–1:30 pm ET by registering. This webinar will examine the current status of the database and how it may affect your institution and animal rights activity. NABR’s staff will share expert analysis including examples of how NABR uses information in the database to provide advice and support.