November 2000Volume 1, Number1
Women in Toxicology
Special Interest Group
1Women in Toxicology Special Interest Group
Executive Council
President
Carol Auletta, BA DABT
Huntington Life Sciences
Vice-President
Maryka Bhattacharyya, PhD
Argonne National Laboratory
Past President
Mary Ellen Cosenza, PhD, DABT, RAC
Secretary-Treasurer
Melissa Rhodes, PhD
Councilors
Stacie Wild, PhD, DABT
Amgen
Katie Sprugel, PhD, DABT
Amgen
Student Representative
Sharmilee Sawant
Johnson & Johnson
President’s Message
Hello Everyone! It is almost time for the 2007 SOT meeting and there is a lot of ongoing and pending action and news. Here is an update on some of it.
New Designation
As you know, Women in Toxicology is now officially a Special Interest Group (SIG) rather than a Specialty Section (SS). Our by-laws have been approved and can be
found on our web site. What does this mean for us? Other than having a new designation, our mission and activities (reviewing/sponsoring scientific programs, reception at the annual meeting, awards) will continue. We have been an active and high-achieving Specialty Section and look forward to continuing this way. In fact, we are being held up as the “model” SIG for new SIG’s now forming. Let’s keep up our good reputation and take some new steps forward!!
New Officers and Awards
The WiT Executive Council has been busy and we now have new officers for next year and several award winners. Please see page 2-3 announcing their identities. Please plan to join us at our annual reception (Tuesday evening, March 27, 6:00 - 7:30 pm, Room 203B of the Charlotte Convention Center) to meet and congratulate all of them. Thanks to Mary Ellen Cosenza for organizing our election and to Katie Sprugel for coordinating the awards.
Reception
I just said it but I’ll say it again: Please join us for drinks, snacks, enlightenment, entertaining and the chance to meet lots of great women in toxicology! Tuesday evening, March 27, 6:00-7:30 pm, Room 203B of the CharlotteConvention Center.
Mentoring and Monitoring Committees
I had a lot of enthusiastic responses to my suggestions in my December message. Thanks to all of you who volunteered!! I have been a bit slow in getting this organized but am trying to set up at least one organizing conference call in the next 2 weeks and possibly have some discussions at SOT. Preliminary charges to the committees and members who volunteered are below. Stay tuned…. We WILL get this going!
SOT 2007 Program
We are really excited about our program (See description below) and hope you will be able to attend.
SOT 2008 Program
Would you believe??? It’s time to start thinking about programs for 2008.
Would each of you please give some thought to preparing a proposal for a symposium, workshop, continuing education course, roundtable, etc for the 2008 Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA. Sponsoring a scientific session is one of the most important functions that an SOT SIG can do.
The forms for a symposium or workshop are on the SOT Web site (Member Services/Forms and Applications). A proposal should be sufficiently detailed for SOT review and include:
1. A proposed title and forum (e.g., symposium, workshop, continuing education)
2. A brief description of the proposed content (a short paragraph will do)
3. Proposed speakers (3-5)
4. Proposed chairperson
Please feel free to contact me or any of the WiT Executive Council members to discuss your ideas for proposals. The deadline for submission to SOT is April 30, 2007.
Other Breaking SOT News/Requests
Please see below for a special request from Jim Popp, President of SOT:
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) is engaged in a strategic planning activity and has asked SOT and its members to provide input. Comments may be submitted electronically at SOT encourages you and your Specialty Section members to provide input individually. Input is anonymous and can be on any of the NIGMS suggested topics or on other areas. The suggested topics include how NIGMS should:
·set priorities for funding research and research training;
·support emerging scientific fields and technologies;
·encourage diversity in the scientific workforce; and
·enhance communications with the biomedical community and the public.
The deadline for comments is March 20, 2007.In order for SOT to gage member interest, we would appreciate it if members would send a note to indicating that comments have been submitted. If desired, members are also welcome to provide SOT with a copy of their comments at the same address.
Thank you in advance.
James A. Popp, President
That’s it for now. I and the Executive Council are looking forward to an exciting SOT meeting this year … and hoping to see you there.
Carol Auletta
President, Women in Toxicology
WiT Workshop at SOT
Tuesday, March 27, 1:30-4:30pm
Title: Women’s Health Initiative: Lessons Learned and Future Directions
The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was one of the largest research studies devoted entirely to issues of postmenopausal women. Over 160,000 women aged 50-79 were enrolled at 40 clinical sites across the United States. WHI was comprised of two separate trials of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), a diet intervention trial, and a trial of calcium and vitamin supplementation, plus an observational cohort. Issues examined included cardiovascular disease, cancer, bone fractures, and memory/cognition. WHI results have been instrumental in changing clinical practice and provided valuable insights into women’s healthcare. They have also been the source of considerable controversy. This symposium will provide insight into results obtained and directions for future research that have emerged for this exceptional undertaking.
Chairs:
Maryka H. Bhattacharyya, PhDArgonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA
Ofelia A. Olivero, PhD, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
Titles/Speakers:
Breast and Colorectal Cancer: Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT), a Low-fat Eating Pattern and Dietary Supplements (Ca + Vitamin D)Marcia Stefanick, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
Fracture Prevention: MHT and Dietary Supplements (Ca + Vitamin D)Joan McGowan, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases, Bethesda, MD
Cardiovascular Disease and MHT: reading the fine printDenise Bonds, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Age-associated Cognitive Decline: Effects of MHTClaudine Legault, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
WiT Reception
Join us for the WIT Reception!
When: Tuesday March 27, 6:00-7:30pm
Where:Room 203B of the CharlotteConvention Center
What: Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Panel
Who: Speakers from Afternoon WHI Workshop:
·Marcia Stephanic, Stanford UniversitySchool of Medicine
·Joan McGowan, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases
·Denise Bonds, University of Virginia
·Claudine Legault, WakeForestUniversitySchool of Medicine
Why: Address key questions:
·What lessons were learned from WHI regarding promotion of personal health? What key messages can we translate to other women? How can we better advise women based on the WHI results?
·If the study were conducted again, what changes would you make?
·What insights might you share regarding the politics of working on the WHI
·What central message would you like to communicate regarding your experiences as a woman scientist?
Agenda:
·6:00-6:30 – Socializing
·6:30-6:45 – WIT awards
·6:45-7:05 – Individual messages from each panel member (5 min/member)
·7:05-7:30 – Open discussion
WiT Endorsed Programs at SOT
Safety of Dietary Supplements Used for Weight Reduction: Lessons Learned
Thursday, March 29, 2007
9:00 AM–11:45 AM
Informational Session:
Grantsmanship Forum: Funding Opportunities by NIH
Monday, March 26, 2007
4:30 AM–5:30 PM
WiT New Officers
Please join us in congratulating the winners of our recent Election:
President Elect: Stacie Wild, Ph.D., DABT Stacie is currently a Scientific Director in the Toxicology Department at Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks, CA. Stacie joined Amgen in 1999 and has been involved with toxicology screening for drug candidates as well as conducting regulatory toxicology studies to support clinical development of biological and small molecule new molecular entities. She obtained her doctorate in Pharmacology & Toxicology from the University of Arizona and subsequently joined Colgate-Palmolive Company in their Product Safety Department. Stacie earned her DABT in 1997. Stacie is a member of SOT and ACT. Stacie has been actively involved with SOT, including serving as regional chapter officer and was a previous president of Southern California SOT. Stacie is currently chair of the SOT K-12 Education Committee, is a member of other SOT specialty sections and has been a WIT member since its inception.
Vice-President: Laura Andrews, Ph.D.Laura Andrews is Vice President of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Genzyme where she directs the development programs for therapeutics in Genzyme’s pipeline. She is responsible for the preclinical development programs for therapeutic biologics, gene therapy products, and cell based therapies. Laura oversees the design, implementation and interpretation of the in vivo GLP studies and the in vitro assays to support product development. Laura has authored the pharmacology and toxicology section for several Genzyme INDs and marketing applications in several different territories. Dr. Andrews received a BS (1983) in Biology and Chemistry from DickinsonCollege, and a Ph.D. (1987) in Pathology and Cell Biology from ThomasJeffersonUniversity and MedicalCollege in Philadelphia, PA. She holds memberships in the Society of Toxicology (SOT), Society for Toxicologic Pathology and the AmericanCollege for Toxicology. She was Board Certified in General Toxicology in1998.
Councilor: Kristina Chadwick, Ph.D.Kristina is currently working at Bristol-Myers Squibb in New Jersey as a Drug Safety Representative for Development Programs and a study director. Prior to joining BMS, Kristina worked at Roche Palo Alto, Targeted Genetics, and the University of Washington after getting her Ph.D. at DukeUniversity. Kristina has been a member of SOT since 1998 and WIT since 2002, serving as Secretary/Treasurer from 2002-2004.
Honors and Awards
From a field of strong nominees, the WiT Council has selected two student award recipients and three women to honor for their science, mentoring and service contributions.
Our two student awards go to Jennifer D. Cohen, a Ph.D. student in Serrine Lau’s laboratory at the University of Arizona and to Dr. Julie A. Gosse, a postdoctoral fellow in Joshua Hamilton’s laboratory at DartmouthUniversity.
We are also delighted to be honoring three women who have excelled in their scientific contributions, provided strong service to their institutions and/or communities, and are recognized by women they have taught and worked with as extraordinary mentors. They are Dr. Paige Lawrence of RochesterUniversity, Dr. Miriam Poirier of the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Katherine Squibb of the University of Maryland.
Please join us at our reception, as we introduce and honor our 2007 award recipients.
WiT Website
The WiT website is accessible following log on to the main SOT website and clicking on the “Special Interest Groups” tab in the members area and then selecting the “Women in Toxicology” section.
We are always looking for
information to share with members,
such as meetings, announcements,
job openings, postdoctoral positions, etc. that can be posted on
the website or included in the
newsletter. For more information
contact Stacie Wild at
WiT Mentoring Committee
Charge: This committee will design and maintain a mentoring network that will foster scientific and professional collaboration between women toxicologists at all stages of their careers.
Term: This committee has been appointed by the President of Women in Toxicology (WiT) to serve through April 30, 2007. On May 1, 2007 the incoming WiT President will review and renew these appointments as appropriate for an additional term of one year.
Activities: (to be refined and implemented by the committee):
1) Work within SOT to establish formal and informal mentoring programs. Encourage participation by WiT members in “Lunch with an Expert” at the annual meeting. Work with the Career Resource and Development Committee to provide career information and mentoring opportunities. Work with the Committee on Diversity Initiatives as appropriate in establishing mentoring programs.
2)Work with the Graduate Student and Post-Doctoral Assemblies to identify students in search of mentors and to define the mentoring needs of this group. Help match mentors with students.
3)Set up a database that will serve as a networking resource and a resource for those seeking mentors.
4)Foster and encourage women to serve as role models in toxicology and as mentors to women entering the field. Identify role models in various areas of toxicology and encourage mentoring opportunities. Propose programs and/or awards to identify and honor women role models. Publicize.
5)Identify and work with other organizations to provide mentoring opportunities. Suggested Contacts: Association for Women in Science, MentorNet (the e-mentoring network for diversity in engineering and science - ), COACH (a web site addressing issues related to women in chemistry, Sally Ride Science Festivals for girls (
6)Work with other WiT committees (e.g. Monitoring and Visibility Committee) to achieve goals.
Members: Jane Allen, Anne Chappelle, Frances Crofts, Brinda Mahadevan, Ginger Moser, Syril Pettit, Laurie Roszell, Heather Persson
Student Member: Rae Benedict
WiT Monitoring and Visibility Committee
Charge: This committee will keep track of progress (or lack of progress) in receipt of SOT awards by women and appointment/election of women to leadership positions in SOT. It will promote visibility of women in leadership positions and encourage women to seek such positions and serve as role models for women entering the field.
Term: This committee has been appointed by the President of Women in Toxicology (WiT) to serve throughApril 30, 2007. On May 1, 2007 the incoming WiT President will review and renew these appointments as appropriate for an additional term of one year.
Activities: (to be refined and implemented by the committee):
1)Establish and maintain a database of the number/percentage of women receiving SOT awards and serving in leadership positions in SOT (SOT officers, committee chairs, specialty section officers, others as appropriate) over past years and evaluate progress. Provide a report to the WiT Executive Council annually (at the annual officers’ meeting during the annual SOT meeting). Make recommendations for increasing the number of women award recipients and improving representation of women in leadership positions.
2)Work actively with WiT Executive Council and membership to increase the visibility of women within SOT and the scientific community by encouraging, supporting and recognizing the participation of women in all activities sponsored by SOT, as well as encouraging women to become members of the SOT. Provide the opportunity for members to gain leadership experience within SOT by encouraging them to participate at all levels (serving as SOT Council members, scientific sessions chairs, and participating in various other SOT activities). Support and encourage members to serve as leaders within their respective disciplines.
3)Work with the SOT Education Committee on the K-12 education initiatives to increase the visibility of women role models in toxicology and to encourage young women to consider a career in the toxicological sciences. Encourage WiT members to participate in leadership roles in scientific/outreach programs, including campus visits sponsored, with full or partial funding support, by the SOT Education Committee.
4)Work with the SOT Committee on Diversity Initiatives to develop guidelines for assuring that women are represented appropriately in leadership positions and positions of high visibility in SOT (keynote and other invited speakers, editorial boards, etc.).
5)Actively encourage application and nomination of women for SOT leadership positions and awards.
6)Work with other WiT committees (e.g. Mentoring Committee) to achieve goals.
Members: Maryka Bhattacharyya, Linda Burnbaum, Michelle Hooth, Eva Oberdorster, Ofelia Olivero, Melissa Rhodes, Sharmilee Sawant
Student Member: Lisa Domico
1Women in Toxicology Special Interest Group