President’s Message
A Message from Peter Di Marco, April 2021
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Dear Colleagues,
It is my sincere hope that we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel as many across the globe continue to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As much of normal life has ground to a halt, the IUTOX Executive Committee continues to meet every quarter via teleconference to discuss crucial matters for IUTOX management and growth to remain active and productive in bringing programming and education where needed most to improve human health through the science and practice of toxicology.
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We again look to our partner in the World Health Organization (WHO) and urge you to look here for the latest COVID-19 updates as well. IUTOX is a Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) in official relations with WHO and continues to work with regional committees and representatives to gather and disseminate critical information to our members relating to global health. Most recently, WHO hosted World Immunization Week from April 24-30, 2021, providing key messaging and tools to spread awareness that “Vaccines bring us closer to a healthier, more prosperous world.”
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The 11th Congress of Toxicology in Developing Countries (CTDC11), co-hosted by the Malaysian Society of Toxicology (MySOT), in Kuala Lumpur from 13–16 June 2021, will be held in an entirely virtual format. Register now to access an exciting slate of sessions and pressing topics of the day. The Scientific Program Committee has worked diligently to bring you an exciting and relevant scientific program under the theme of Multidisciplinary Approaches in Toxicology Towards Supporting Sustainable Development Goals. The program reflects the commitment of Malaysia and the South East Asia (SEA) region to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. See the full program on the CTDC11 website.
IUTOX is delighted to offer virtual travel awards providing registration to deserving scientists around the world to experience this one-of-a-kind meeting. The first eight awardees are listed below:
- Seth-Frerich Fobian
- Dragana Javorac
- Nur Azra Mohamad Pauzi
- Siti Zaleha Raduan
- Salfarina Ramli
- Mengting Shang
- Oeung Sokunvary
- Katarina Živančević
In March, IUTOX Secretary-General Emanuela Corsini chaired the 2021 Global Collaboration Coffee, offered as a session within the Society of Toxicology, USA (SOT) Virtual Annual Meeting. This session and others can be viewed through the virtual platform until the end of May.
The Global Collaboration Coffee featured an expert panel with diverse perspectives, spurring animated discussion on this important topic. More than 200 attendees gathered to learn from our panelists as well as to network and share their questions and viewpoints. This annual event, organized by IUTOX and hosted by SOT helps IUTOX Member Societies and other international attendees, put ideas into action to advance information sharing and to solve common problems with available resources. We hope to bring more content of this nature to our Member Societies on an ongoing basis through a webinar platform.
During the most recent meetings of the Executive Committee, a series of webinars sponsored by IUTOX has neem discussed to provide updated issues of interest to Member Societies. The proposal is to provide one seminar per month and build a program over the course of one year. Each seminar will be a duration is 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes of Q & A. Speakers will include Officers and Directors of IUTOX as well as esteemed friends and colleagues in the IUTOX network. Tentative course topics include:
- Biomonitoring in Agricultural Communities: Using Exposome-Based Approaches,
- Environmental Metagenomic Approaches for Tracking Antibiotic Resistance,
- Exposure Models and Scenarios Implemented for Pesticides,
- Immunotoxicity Assessment in the Era of Non-Animal Testing,
- Management of Hazardous Chemicals through Product Stewardship,
- Non-Animal Models for Skin Sensitization, An Update on the Missing Link to Potency Assessment,
- Risk Assessment of Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity,
- Toxicology in Drug Development,
- Using One Health Models for Stopping Virus Spillover
Please let us know which topics you would like to see covered this year!
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As we look toward returning to in-person meetings to once again enjoy the exchange of science and networking that make our collaborations successful around the globe, save the date for the XVIth International Congress of Toxicology (ICTXVI) jointly organized by IUTOX and EUROTOX and hosted by the Netherlands Society of Toxicology. Submit session proposals by June 1, 2021 and be a part of the scientific program of this auspicious international meeting. We hope that this meeting, themed Uniting in Toxicology will indeed be an opportunity next year to reconnect with our peers in a safer world to continue work together to improve public health.
I wish you good health for yourselves, your families, and your communities. Please feel free to contact me through the IUTOX Secretariat at any time to discuss your needs with IUTOX or how we may work better together to achieve our respective objectives. IUTOX will also continue to receive your news and events for distribution to the IUTOX community.
Stay safe
Best regards,
Peter Di Marco
2019–2022 IUTOX President