Toxicology is a discipline and profession that is dedicated to identifying the adverse effects of chemical, physical or biological agents on living organisms and the ecosystem, and to prevent and ameliorate such adverse effects. As with many other scientific disciplines and professions, toxicology and careers in toxicology are undergoing rapid and dramatic changes as new discoveries, technologies, and hazards advance at a blinding rate. There are new demands on toxicologists to keep pace with expanding global economies, global threats to public health, and ever evolving complex hazards that pose health risks. These demands must be met with new paradigms for multidisciplinary, technologically complex, and collaborative approaches that require advanced and continued education in toxicology and associated disciplines. This requires paradigm shifts in educational programs that both support development and training of the modern toxicologist and allows retraining of the midcareer professional to keep pace sustaining careers in industry, government, and academia. In addition, there is a national need to recruit students into the sciences in general and toxicology specifically to advance the discipline and stimulate innovation in the field. The Society of Toxicology (SOT) is the leading professional association of toxicologists whose mission is to create a safer and healthier world by advancing the science and knowledge of toxicology. Key foundations of this mission are education in toxicology and the recruitment of students and new members into the profession, as well as serving the educational needs of members in a diverse array of professional applications of the discipline. In response to concerns of industry, governmental, and academic leaders, as well as a professional needs assessment of SOT members, the SOT Education Committee, Career Resources and Development Committee and the Professional Needs Assessment Task Force organized a Toxicology Educational Summit. The primary objective of this summit is to conduct a significant discussion of the current state of toxicology education and educational programs with the goal of identifying strategic initiatives for supporting the educational needs of all toxicologists that include cradle-to-grave career development options. These options should insure the strength of the pipeline of future toxicologists, the sustainability of the field of toxicology, and professional careers in toxicology. Developing the modern toxicologist will also provide an immense benefit to public and environmental health, as this will advance innovation and application of the most sophisticated knowledge and expertise that can be brought to bear in protecting society from adverse health risks from exposures to hazards. Further, a mission of the Society of Toxicology is to bridge across disciplines to bring knowledge of toxicology and toxicology training to those in other professions who need to be cognizant of materials design that avoids toxicity, produce policy that reduces health risks from exposures, and need to respond to health impacts of or ameliorate exposure risks. The summit will: 1) identify current needs for toxicological content in curricula from undergraduate through graduate education, as well as professional continuing education and retraining;2) present the state of current cutting-edge advances in toxicology education, such as those that use new technological models;3) examine needs for training in toxicology in other professions (e.g., chemists, engineers, and medical professionals);and 4) identify the parties who should be responsible for toxicology training (e.g., industry/academic responsibility), and the potential resources to support toxicology education and training. The expected outcomes of the Toxicology Education Summit include development of strategic plans for SOT to advance educational programming in toxicology that focuses on the critical needs identified in the summit. These advances should include recommendations to other societies (e.g., American Chemical Society), academia, and government agencies for toxicological curricular content that will advance the understanding and practice of toxicology by those in disciplines and professions outside of toxicology. The summit should identify resources that SOT can provide to support the advancement of education and training in toxicology at all levels. Finally, the findings and recommendations generated from the Toxicology Education Summit should be disseminated through a white paper for publication in the leading SOT publication, Toxicological Sciences, and through other appropriate broader scientific journals (e.g. Science, publications of the American Chemical Society, and FASEB). Public Health Relevance: Toxicology is a discipline and profession that is dedicated to identifying the adverse effects of chemical, physical or biological agents on living organisms and the ecosystem, and to prevent and ameliorate such adverse effects. The Toxicology Education Summit is designed to be a significant discussion of the current state of toxicology education and educational programs with the goal of identifying strategic initiatives for supporting the educational needs in toxicology that include cradle-to-grave career development options. These options should insure the strength of the pipeline of future toxicologists, the sustainability of the field of toxicology, and professional careers in toxicology. Developing the modern toxicologist will also provide an immense benefit to public and environmental health, as this will advance innovation and application of the most sophisticated knowledge and expertise that can be brought to bear in protecting society from adverse health risks from exposures to hazards, in increasing public awareness of health risks from environmental and anthropogenic hazards, and in informing better public health policies.
impact: Toxicology is a discipline and profession that is dedicated to identifying the adverse effects of chemical, physical or biological agents on living organisms and the ecosystem, and to prevent and ameliorate such adverse effects. The Toxicology Education Summit is designed to be a significant discussion of the current state of toxicology education and educational programs with the goal of identifying strategic initiatives for supporting the educational needs in toxicology that include cradle-to-grave career development options. These options should insure the strength of the pipeline of future toxicologists, the sustainability of the field of toxicology, and professional careers in toxicology. Developing the modern toxicologist will also provide an immense benefit to public and environmental health, as this will advance innovation and application of the most sophisticated knowledge and expertise that can be brought to bear in protecting society from adverse health risks from exposures to hazards, in increasing public awareness of health risks from environmental and anthropogenic hazards, and in informing better public health policies.
| Barchowsky, Aaron; Buckley, Lorrene A; Carlson, Gary P et al. (2012) The Toxicology Education Summit: building the future of toxicology through education. Toxicol Sci 127:331-8 |
