A Message from the President of IUTOX, Ali Esat Karakaya (November 2006)

Dear IUTOX Member,

Since my previous message dated April 2006, IUTOX has gone through a period of intensive activity. The 6th Congress of Toxicology in Developing Congress (6th CTDC) was successfully held in Croatia with the laudable partnership of EUROTOX and the Croatian Toxicological Society as an integrated meeting with the 43rd Congress of the European Societies of Toxicology. On behalf of the IUTOX, I would like to thank both societies for their cooperation in organizing this exceptional toxicological event and our Croatian colleagues for their warm hospitality.

CTDCs, which have become an official IUTOX activity ever since the constitutional amendment made at the 2004 IUTOX Tampere General Assembly meeting, will henceforth be held in accordance with the “Standard Operational Procedures for the IUTOX Congresses”. Meanwhile, Sun City, South Africa has been selected by vote of the member societies as the venue for 7th CDTC to be held in 2009. Our South African colleagues have already started preparations for this meeting.   

Another recent and successful IUTOX organization, the Eleventh Risk Assessment Summer School (RASS), was held in Germany in September 2006. This summer school, which has an important function, has once again successfully fulfilled its mission.   

Let me note that the eleventh meeting of the most prominent scientific activity of IUTOX, namely the International Congresses of Toxicology, shall convene in Montreal in June 2007.  Traditionally, the ICTs have been a platform for highlighting scientific advances and have provided toxicologists with an opportunity for interdisciplinary interaction among the various branches of toxicology. The scientific program for ICT XI continues in this tradition. The newsletter contains detailed information about the developments in this context.  We are looking forward to this important meeting of the World Toxicology Community.

I am pleased to report that IUTOX is continuing to expand its membership and its activities and that in parallels to this, its influence and its significance in the world of toxicology is on the rise. Recently, the Austrian Society of Toxicology has joined the IUTOX family as the 48th member society. As you know, the constitutional amendment ratified at the 2004 Tampere IUTOX General Assembly, has opened the way for Institutional membership in IUTOX. Since then, 7 institutional members have joined us, namely, AMGEN Inc., Cantox Health Science International, Chevron Phillips Chemical Co., Environ International, Pfizer Global Research and Development, L'Oreal, and TAP Pharmaceutical Products. On behalf of IUTOX, I welcome our new members and would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my belief that, working together, we shall continue to make significant contributions to the toxicological dimensions of the all-important fields of human health and environmental protection.

The forthcoming IUTOX General Assembly is scheduled to meet during the ICT IX in Montreal. The preparations for the General Assembly are continuing at present, as are the communications between the IUTOX headquarters and the member societies regarding the subjects that the General Assembly shall discuss and decide. The evaluation of IUTOX activities, the election of the new executive committee and the selection of the venues for ICT XIII and the 8th CTDC are prominent among these subjects.

As IUTOX we expect that your society will consider nominating your distinguished members to serve as IUTOX officers for the term of 2007-2010 and to submit bids for ICT XIII and 8th CTDC Congresses. Let me remind you that February 1st 2007 is the deadline for the receipt of bids for ICT XIII and 8th CTDC Congresses and January 15, 2007 is the deadline for nominations of IUTOX executive committee members.

With my best regards,

Ali Esat Karakaya,  Ph.D., ATS
IUTOX President  (2004-2007)