This career development session talked about diverse roles that a toxicologist can play. Each speaker represented a different background. Dr. Raja Mangipudy represented the pharmaceutical industry. He discussed in detail his role in drug development at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He emphasized the importance of interpretation and integration of data. In addition, he revealed multiple toxicology positions in the industry world: such as discovery, general, and specialty toxicologist. Next, Dr. Erica Bruce, Baylor University, represented the academic toxicologist. Dr. Bruce reconfirmed the importance of communication skills. This skill is important for teaching and writing novel manuscripts. However, Dr. Bruce had mentioned that tenured positions are hard to come by. In addition, Dr. Bruce warned the audience of the complications from changing students and student evaluations. A cosmetic toxicologist, Dr. Thomas Re from L’Oreal, described his position as a product safety evaluator. Dr. Re described the cosmetic companies' responsibility of substantiation. Dr. Re is responsible for problem solving and decision making which is dependent on the flexibility and adaption of a product. Next, Dr. Chandramallika Ghosh, an US FDA toxicologist, recounted on the important task to balance risks and benefits in pre- and post-market medical devices and drugs. She also explained the complications of red tape. For example, she was not cleared to give this talk until two days prior. Concluding the talk, Dr. Brinda Mahadevan, a nutrition industry toxicologist from Abbott Laboratories, elaborated on her roles in regulatory affairs for food safety and risk management. In conclusion, a successful toxicologist must acquire basic principles, scientific ethics, and good organization skills.
This blog discusses highlights from the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo Career Development Session "What Toxicologist Do You Wanna Be? The Role of Toxicologists Across Diverse Organizations."