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Anticipating the 2018 Annual Meeting and Updates on Council Activities

By Patricia Ganey posted 12-14-2017 14:36

  

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Are you excited for the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in San Antonio? If not, let me give you some reasons to start looking forward to attending. First is the excellent scientific program. You can hear about the latest research findings, participate in roundtable discussions and workshops and take a continuing education course to expand your knowledge. Our plenary speaker this year is Matthew Porteus from Stanford University. He is considered one of the pioneers in the field of genome editing. Dr. Porteus will discuss how using the CRISPR-Cas9-gRNA system for homologous recombination in hematopoietic stem cells is translating to the clinic for genetic diseases of the blood and immune system.

Poster Session at the 2017 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpoAnother reason to attend the meeting is the opportunity to share your latest research findings. More than 2,000 abstracts are currently scheduled to be presented. If you recently completed research that you’d like to share, the late-breaking abstract submission phase is from December 5, 2017, to January 12, 2018. Also, I want to draw your attention to something new that we will debut in San Antonio: Posters will be displayed all day. We have not yet mastered being in two places at once, and with all of the fabulous science being presented at the meeting, I am sure that each of us has had to miss a poster to attend a symposium or vice versa. With posters being displayed all day, there is more opportunity to view the posters and still not miss that special talk. Although the posters will be displayed all day, presenters will be given specific times to be available at their posters, and these times will be listed in the Program and SOT Mobile Event App. After the meeting, please let us know whether you think this change improved the meeting experience for you by responding to the Annual Meeting survey. We really do value your input, as the all-day posters this year are a result of member feedback in the survey!

Of course, the Annual Meeting is always a time to renew collaborations and forge new ones, savor time with friends we see infrequently, and establish and strengthen relationships. Finally, let’s not forget the San Antonio Riverwalk. This scenic area offers a wonderful blend of music, food, culture, and history.

I mentioned in my last message that SOT had become a member of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). We now have representatives to nine of the committees and subcommittees as well as the Board of Directors. Our strategic goal in placing members on these committees is to strengthen the impact of toxicology through interaction and integration with scientists from other disciplines. We know that through our participation on these committees we can convey to a broader audience the value and unique perspectives toxicologists bring to the discussion. We will keep you posted as this process matures.

Toxicological Sciences December 2017 CoverSince my last message, Council has focused on two strategic areas. The first one relates to the strength and impact of our society journal, Toxicological Sciences. Our journal is doing well, but like many in this day of journal proliferation, we face challenges. Council discussed some of these challenges and strategic approaches to them. Following that, several members of Council participated in the annual ToxSci strategic review conducted by the Board of Publications (BOP). A variety of tactics to address the challenges were discussed and will be implemented over the coming year. One that you will notice immediately is the addition of regular features in the quarterly Communiqué by Editor-in-Chief Gary Miller and the associate editors. Be sure to read Dr. Miller’s perspective on “Toxicology in Jinan” in this issue of the Communiqué.

The second strategic area Council has begun focusing on is the Annual Meeting. We think ours is the premier toxicology meeting, and we would like it to remain so. Accordingly, we are evaluating ways to enhance the engagement of our members and attendees at the meeting. If you have any ideas, please share them with me or any other member of Council.

You might also be interested to know that Council approved the formation of two new specialty sections. The Computational Toxicology Specialty Section and the Exposure Specialty Section will provide points for interaction for members engaged in these important aspects of toxicology. For more information on the Computational Toxicology Specialty Section, you can visit its new website. For more information on the Exposure Specialty Section, you can contact SOT members John Wambaugh and Barbara Wetmore (website coming soon).

Finally, I know that many of our colleagues have been adversely affected by natural disasters over the last several months. We opened a second period for abstract submissions for those whose work lives were disrupted by these events. We wish you all well, and if there are other ways that SOT can provide assistance, please let us know.

Until the next time,

Patricia E. Ganey Signature

Patricia E. Ganey
SOT President 2017–2018

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