President’s Message
A Message from José Manautou, November 2023
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Dear Colleagues,
Closing the first year in my role as President of IUTOX and the fourth year on the Executive Committee of IUTOX, I would like to reflect upon the successes of the past year and make you aware of exciting events coming in the near future. The 12th IUTOX Congress of Toxicology in Developing Countries (CTDC12) will be upon us soon as we meet with colleagues across the globe in Santiago, Chile, April 15-18, 2024 and are hosted by the Sociedad de Toxicologia de Chile. I'm pleased to announce that the preliminary scientific program is now finalized. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Scientific Program Committee for their dedication in crafting a program with innovative and timely content, which promises to be highly appealing to both regional and global attendees. Special thanks go to Fernanda Cavieres, CTDC12 Chair, and Martin Wilks, IUTOX President-Elect, for their exceptional leadership in this endeavor.
Held every three years, Congresses on Toxicology in Developing Countries (CTDC) are sponsored by IUTOX. The meetings provide a special forum for discussing toxicological problems facing developing countries in the future and exchanging views with toxicologists from all over the world, especially from developing countries and regions. We welcome you to the 12th IUTOX Congress of Toxicology in Developing Countries and look forward to meeting you in Santiago, Chile, in April 2024 to share and discuss the latest developments and advances of our discipline and their relevance in developing countries.
The 2022-2025 Executive Committee of IUTOX has been very active with a mix of new and returning faces. The Executive Committee meets four times per year via teleconference in addition to face-to-face meetings at the Society of Toxicology, USA, Annual Meetings and IUTOX CTDCs and ICTs. Beginning in 2022, IUTOX has had an official partnership with Current Opinions in Toxicology (COTOX) and within this partnership takes on certain Editorial Board responsibilities. The first IUTOX Special Issue of COTOX is currently under development, with this effort led by our Secretary General Emanuela Corsini. The issue is entitled: “Developmental Toxicology and Future Generation”. Emanuela is also working on a second proposal for an issue with the tentative title “Tackling complex toxicological endpoints with NAMs”. The themes for these special issues in COTOX come from our IUTOX Global Collaboration Coffee sessions held in conjunction with the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting.
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As we close the first year of my Presidency, the mission of IUTOX remains the highest priority: to improve human health through the science and practice of toxicology worldwide. We will continue this important work by doing what we do best: training toxicologists and risk assessors, especially in developing countries by organizing courses under the IUTOX RASS (Risk Assessment Summer School) brand.
The next IUTOX Risk Assessment Summer School (RASS) is scheduled to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in November of 2024 and is organized by Maria Zaidan Dagli of Brazil (IUTOX Developing Countries Committee Chair) and Heather Wallace (IUTOX Education Committee Chair). RASS is a uniquely formulated experience offering advanced training for selected postgraduate and postdoctoral toxicologists in risk assessment. Risk assessment is the ultimate purpose to which toxicological testing and evaluation is directed, providing information for decision making by industry and governments (on behalf of the population at large). The working group format of RASS and direct interaction with speakers and educators is a distinctive and personal training experience, with an average of 40-45 registrants coming from the surrounding region. The RASS courses are held in member countries around the world with the purpose of broadening the geographical base of toxicology as a discipline and a profession. Look for more details as they are available on the IUTOX website. In 2024, CTDC12 in Chile will provide us the opportunity to promote RASS among regional participants.
It was a great pleasure to attend and speak at the 13th Congress of the Serbian Society of Toxicology from May 10-12, 2023. The meeting boasted an attendance of 250-300 toxicologists and was a great opportunity to meet with our colleagues and IUTOX members.
I would like to extend my gratitude to Professor Petar Bulat, President of the Serbian Society of Toxicology for the invitation to participate at their congress that was a truly international congress. The picture on the left shows Professor Bulat delivering the opening remarks of the congress and the picture of the right shows a day of sightseeing in the beautiful city of Belgrade (pictured are from left to right Zorica and Petar Bulat, alongside Danijela Djukic-Cosic, treasurer of the Serbian Society of Toxicology).
This past July, as part of the 2023 Society of Toxicology (SOT) Global Senior Scholar Exchange Program (GSSEP), I had the privilege of visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina. My GSSEP scholar partner, Dr. Carolina Ghanem from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), is a long-term collaborator in the field of drug transporter research. Following Carolina’s three-month research stay in Connecticut, which will culminate with a poster presentation at the 2024 Annual SOT Meeting, I undertook a reciprocal visit to her institution. This visit included meetings with faculty and administrators, further strengthening our collaborative efforts. I not only presented my research work at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) but also had the chance to give a virtual presentation to members of the Argentinian Society of Toxicology (ATA). The presentation was conducted virtually and synchronously to accommodate the widespread geographical distribution of ATA members. Below, you can find both announcements of the seminars along with photos featuring Dr. Ghanem and me in her laboratory and at various social gatherings with various colleagues.
I look forward to hearing from you as Member Societies of IUTOX, to hear what is important to you in terms of IUTOX programs and services, allowing IUTOX to serve as a platform to promote international scientific collaboration and education in toxicology.
