26 issue toxenlaces€¦ · recommendation letter from an hot member should be submitted along with...
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The Hispanic Organization of Toxicologists (HOT) is a Special Interest Group of the Society of Toxicology
ISSUE
Dec-Jan 2013-2014
26 Toxenlaces From the President P.1
HOT Awards 2014 P.2
HOT Sister Organizations P.2 HOT Sponsors P.3
The Government Shutdown and Real Cost to Scientific Progress P.4
News from our members P.5
Announcements P.5 2014 SOT Awards Deadlines P.7
2014 HOT-SOT Annual Meeting Sponsors P.9
From the President
HOT Officers Contact
Betina Lew, Ph.D. President [email protected] Linval DePass, Ph.D. Vice President [email protected] Minerva Mercado-Feliciano, Ph.D., DABT Vice President elected [email protected] Elena Hernández-Ramón, Ph.D. Secretary [email protected] Ranulfo Lemus Olalde, Sc.D. DABT Treasurer [email protected] Betzabet Quintanilla, Ph.D. Councilor [email protected] Maria E. Gonsebatt, Ph.D. Councilor [email protected] Azita Cuevas, Ph.D. Councilor [email protected] René Viñas, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Representative [email protected] Catherine Rondelli, Ph.D. Graduate Student Representative [email protected] Leslie Recio, Ph.D. Past President [email protected]
Dear HOT Members,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
This is that time of the year to focus our attention to the Annual Meeting. I want to take this opportunity to remind you of some important things to add to your "to do” list.
The HOT offers awards for trainees (students and postdoctoral fellows) to attend the Annual Meeting. Also, this year the HOT has a new award being offered to a distinguished toxicologist of Hispanic origin whose work exemplifies the mission of the HOT-SIG by contributing to the advancement of the field of toxicology. For detailed information on the available awards, please follow this link: http://www.toxicology.org/isot/sig/hot/awards.asp. Make sure you nominate yourself or someone that you know that deserve the award before the deadline!
We are preparing a very nice reception for the Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ. A formal invitation will be on the next Toxenlaces issue, don’t miss that; but to make sure you save the date, our reception will be held on Tuesday, March 25th from 6:30 to 9:00 PM, at the Arizona Latino Arts & Cultural Center (ALAC). The reception at the Annual Meeting is a fantastic opportunity to branch out and increase your network, meet new toxicologists and see old friends.
As we announced on the past Toxenlaces issue, the Global Collaboration Group is sponsoring a new event called “SIG-CG Global Initiatives Coffee Break”. It will happen on Monday, March 24th at 5:00 PM. During this exciting event we will have three expert toxicologists from different countries: Brazil, Czech Republic and Ghana. They will talk about the effects of different sources of air pollution in child development.
In addition, I want to remind you that the deadline for the early bird registration for the Annual Meeting is January 31, 2014: don't miss out the opportunity of saving some money :)
Lastly, I would like to encourage you to be
more involved with our organization; participate, bring ideas, fundraise, nominate yourself and your trainees for awards. Remember, the success of our organization depends on each one of us!!!!
Again Happy 2014 and May All Your Dreams Become A Reality!
Warm regards,
Betina Lew, Ph.D. HOT President Building Bridges Through Toxicology
Feliz Año Nuevo
Feliz Ano Novo
Happy New Year
2014
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Section
HOT Awards 2014
The HOT strongly encourages you to apply for the HOT Awards. The deadline for applying is approaching soon. Instructions for these awards are also available at http://www.toxicology.org/isot/sig/hot/awards.asp Come on, enrich your CV, you are still on time to apply!
AETOX – http://www.aetox.com Asociación Latinoamericana de Toxicología – http://www.alatox.org/qsomos/index.html Asociación Toxicológica Argentina – http://www.ataonline.org.ar Center of Environmental and Toxicological Research – University of Puerto Rico – http://cetr.rcm.upr.edu PLAGBOL – Salud, Agricultura y Medio Ambiente – http://plagbol.org.bo/noticias/enlaces Ritsq - http://www.ritsq.org Sociedade Brasileira de Toxicologia – http://www.sbtox.org.br/ Sociedad Cubana de Toxicologia Sociedad Mexicana de Toxicolgía Society for Risk Analysis Latin America – http://www.srala.org/ Toxicología Acuática Ambiental, Medicina Veterinaria-Universidad Nacional de Colombia
http://www.docentes.unal.edu.co/jfgonzalezma Universidad de Cartagena – http://reactivos.com
HOT Sister Organizations
The Distinguished Toxicologist Award will be given each year to a toxicologist of Hispanic origin whose work exemplifies the mission of the HOT-SIG by contributing to the advancement of the field of toxicology. Scientific and/or regulatory accomplishments and/or community services will be considered during the review. The award includes a plaque and a stipend.
Award Eligibility Criteria:
Must be actively involved in the field of toxicology in any professional capacity (industry, academia, government, non-profit, consulting, etc) to be eligible for this award.
The applicant must be an associate or full member of the SOT, active or pending acceptance.
Nomination Package: Nominations by peers or self-nominations are both accepted. Comprehensive CV. If nominated by a peer: a nomination/recommendation letter from an HOT member highlighting
nominee’s achievements to date. If self-nomination, a nomination letter by the nominee highlighting achievements to date. An additional
recommendation letter from an HOT member should be submitted along with the nomination letter.
To nominate a colleague or yourself for this award, please submit a complete nomination package by e-mail to the following 2 HOT officers (it is important to send to both people, in case one email gets lost) before or on January 12 2014, 11:59 PM EST:
Jorge G. Muñiz Ortiz, HOT Awards Committee Chair, [email protected] Minerva Mercado-Feliciano, HOT Vice President-elect, [email protected]
HOT Distinguished Toxicologist Award
Continued on following page If your Hispanic Organization is planning a Toxicology meeting or you are organizing a Toxicology event intended for a primarily Hispanic audience, and want to promote it, send an email to Verónica Ramírez (Toxenlaces Editor) at [email protected] for more information for its inclusion in upcoming issues.
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HOT Sponsors 2012-2013
It is time the world knows about you!! We are looking for outstanding Hispanic trainees to be feature in Toxenlaces. If you are that trainee or if you want to nominate somebody, send your/her/his biography and picture to Verónica Ramírez (Toxenlaces Editor) at [email protected] for inclusion in upcoming issues.
Our organization offers Travel Awards for the annual Society of Toxicology meeting for students and postdoctoral fellows of Latino/Hispanic origin. The time to apply is between the moment you know your abstract has been approved for presentation at SOT and January 12 2014, 11:59 PM EST.
The HOT Travel Award is offered to outstanding young scientists to help with associated cost when attending and presenting their research at the SOT Annual Meeting. Applications are judged by a panel of scientists based on the scientific merits of the SOT-approved abstract (rationale and scope, experimental procedures, results, conclusions and advancement of toxicology) and a letter of recommendation from the mentor. HOT offers up to 4 Travel Awards each year, depending on availability of funds from sponsor donations. The Award consists of $750 and a beautiful plaque for your lab or office space.
IMPORTANT: Before applying, please check with your institution that you will be allowed to accept the award money, as some institutions (especially government) may have specific rules for accepting awards, and may not allow their trainees to receive an award funded by a for-profit company.
HOT will give preference to first-time applicants with quality research; previous winners may apply with the understanding that their probability to obtain a second award may be linked to funding availability after first-time applicant winners have been chosen.
To apply, candidates should comply with the following:
Applicant must be undergraduate, graduate or post-graduate (postdoctoral) fellow. Applicant must be SOT and HOT member (or applicant) of Latino/Hispanic origin. Applicant must be first author of the abstract submitted to the SOT Annual Meeting. Applicant must submit a copy of the complete abstract accepted by SOT and a letter of
recommendation from mentor (not to exceed one page). Documents must be received by January 12, 2014.
Please send your documents via e-mail to the following 2 HOT officers (it is important to send to both
people, in case one email gets lost):
Jorge G. Muñiz Ortiz, HOT Awards Committee Chair, [email protected] Minerva Mercado-Feliciano, HOT Vice President-elect, [email protected]
HOT Travel Awards
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Article The Government Shutdown
and Real Costs to Scientific Progress by Maureen McConnell Diaz, M.S., B.S.
HOT member and Research Biologist at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Bioeffects Division, San Antonio, TX; [email protected]
On October 1, 2013, the United States Government went into a shutdown because of a lack of congressional consensus on a national budget and deficit reduction plan. This topic hit close to home for me as it did for my fellow HOT members who also work for our federal government. As a Department of Defense employee, I was furloughed 6 days this past summer and a potential reduction in force (RIF) is looming on the horizon for many military service civilian employees like myself. In this article I will present facts and figures from the shutdown as well as possible future outcomes as a result.
According to independent forecasters, the shutdown will likely cost $2-6 billion in lost output. During the 16 day shutdown, federal employees were furloughed for approximately 6.6 million days (Impacts and Costs of the October 2013 Federal Government Shutdown, Nov 2013).
The shutdown impacted many areas including: delayed U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of medical products, devices, and drugs; prevention of hundreds of patients from enrolling in National Institute of Health (NIH) clinical trials, forced cutbacks in Centers for Disease Control (CDC) flu season surveillance and monitoring, and halted inspections of food safety and hazardous waste facilities. Closer to home for us in SOT, the shutdown resulted in 98% of National Science Foundation (NSF) employees, 3/4 of NIH employees, and 2/3 of CDC employees being furloughed (Impacts and Costs of the October 2013 Federal Government Shutdown, Nov 2013).
Moreover, the shutdown put on hold most federal government support for new basic research. No new NSF grants or grants continuations were issued during the shutdowns. This could be a big hit since the NSF on averages issues 765 grants and continuations in a two-week period (Impacts and Costs of the October 2013 Federal Government Shutdown, Nov 2013).
At the NIH in particular, the shutdown forced the cancellation of over 200 peer-review meetings involving thousands of scientists and more than 11,000 grant applications. The NIH is trying to reschedule
meetings to discuss grant applications in time for the January funding councils but the shutdown presented many hurdles to them (www.ninds.nih.gov, 10/28/13). Additionally, seven clinical trials at NIH were delayed (Impacts and Costs of the October 2013 Federal Government Shutdown, Nov 2013). What do you tell the cancer patient who couldn’t enroll for a study thereby possibly reducing their long-term health outcome? Or the patients who were waiting for a drug which might delay the progression of their Alzheimer’s disease?
Due to the shutdown, the NIH lost $1.5 billion in spending cuts impacting hundreds of projects, which would not be funded. Another $600 million may have been lost between the shutdown’s start (1 Oct) and end (18 Oct). In terms of sciences, the consequences were catastrophic. NIH dependencies were mostly closed during the shutdown with a furlough of 80% of employees that translated to less manpower to investigate disease outbreaks and potential severe consequences, not to mention the lack of staff available to toss outdated reagents, care for animals designated for experiments, and collect data at specific times for unique protocols. Thus, many believe that months and years of work and planning may have been for naught as a result of these trickledown effects. Unfortunately, as most of us know all too well, when something stalls and then resumes it doesn’t always mean you can pick up right where you left off. Things can fall through the cracks that are not so easy or even available to return (www.americablog.com, 10/23/13).
I haven’t addressed the impact on the Affordable Healthcare Act now publicly known as Obamacare. That’s a topic for a separate discussion. However, it’s important to address it briefly now. More Americans are gaining access to covered healthcare as a result of that law, an estimated 1.1 million by Jan 1, 2014. This will most likely translate into a higher demand and need for medicines. And thus, more research will be needed for testing drug safety, efficacy, etc. Hence, it all circles back to the need for full research manpower, something impacted during a funding shutdown.
I wish I had comforting words such as “it will get better” or “things will work themselves out”. But the mmmm
Continued on following page
If you want to collaborate with short articles, news or notes related with Toxicology, send it to Verónica Ramírez (Toxenlaces Editor) at [email protected] for inclusion in upcoming issues.
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If you are interested in being interviewed for the section When I Grow Up, please contact Azita Cuevas at [email protected]
Announcements
The HOT is making noise! Last December the SOT Nominating Committee presented the 2014-2015 nominees for SOT officers and members of SOT-elected committees. We are proud to inform that three of our members are part of the nominees. They are:
News From Our Members
There is no doubt the hard and active work of these three HOT members in the scientific community, their accomplishments, and their involvement on SOT activities, were the main factors that made them notorious to be eligible for these elections. Just on the past issue of Toxenlaces (August-November 2013 issue) you read about the recognition that Dr. Ofelia Olivero obtained for the Argentine government with the award RAICES (Red de Argentinos Investigadores y Cientificos en el Exterior) to the International Cooperation in Sciences, Technology and Innovation.
The results of this election will be announced in the Special Issue of the Communiqué Newsletter in late February. We want to congratulate our nominees and wish them good luck!
Braulio Jiménez-Velez, Ph.D. HOT President, 2009-2010. Nominated as a candidate for the Membership Committee.
Pedro Del Valle, Ph.D. HOT President, 2010-2011. Nominated as a candidate for the Nominating Committee.
Ofelia Olivero, Ph.D., ATS. HOT President, 2011-2012. Nominated as a candidate for Councilor.
As the day for the SOT Meeting is getting closer, the HOT is also is getting ready. With that Toxenlaces wants to ask you for your cooperation. We are sure that all the HOT members submitted an abstract and, because we know that the good quality and impact of your research will be recognized, Toxenlaces wants to ask you that, as soon as you know the assigned information (day, time, session, board number) for your poster or oral presentation, send that information plus abstract title and complete list of authors to Verónica Ramírez Alcántara (Toxenlaces Editor) at [email protected] to be included in the next issue.
sad truth is none of us may fully realize the entirety of impact on health care and research for years to come as a result of the shutdown. As I wrote this (12/30/13), a final budget has yet to be approved or business as
usual resumed for our government. I’m left wondering, as many of you do, how much longer will science and technology suffer as a result of political divide and the sagging economy?
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HOT wants you to be part of the organization! To make it available to everyone, HOT accepts applications from non-SOT members to become HOT members. Yes, that is right!! You only have to have the desire to collaborate with and be part of our great organization.
Your HOT membership provides you with valuable resources throughout your scientific career as for networking through the largest Hispanic toxicologist community, giving you opportunity for Travel Awards or serving as a mentor to the young Hispanic toxicologists; besides you receive the Toxenlaces newsletter every two months.
Application and more information can be found at Non-SOT Member Application. So, what are you waiting for? We are looking forward to receiving your application today!!
Toxenlaces is the newsletter that informs Hispanic toxicologists in the United States and the international Spanish and Portuguese-speaking scientific communities about important toxicological events and issues occurring in our countries. It is electronically published and distributed to our membership and Sister Organizations in Ibero-America. Toxenlaces disseminates critical dates for events, health perspectives, and funding and training opportunities. It serves as a toxicology forum for our members and other partner organizations, engages in educational outreach to the Hispanic communities and provides the essential elements to support networking among Hispanic toxicologists.
Toxenlaces is open to receive collaborations from HOT and SOT members, and Sister Organizations. You can collaborate with short scientific articles, news or notes related with toxicology. Other ways to collaborate is by nominate your peers or yourself for the sections Featured Trainee and When I Grow Up. For more information about collaborating with Toxenlaces send an email to Verónica Ramírez Alcántara (Toxenlaces Editor) at [email protected].
Follow us 24/7 on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/hispanicorganizationoftoxicologists. Don’t forget to visit also the SOT Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Society-of-Toxicology-SOT/163627880427831?fref=ts
The Sociedad Mexicana de Toxicología (SOMTOX), in combination with IUTOX, is holding the XIV International Congress of Toxicology in October 2016. This is the first time that an International Congress of Toxicology will be held in Mexico, and in Latin America, so what a better way to celebrate such event that having it in the beautiful city of Mérida, Yucatán, the gateway to the Mayan World. The Congress will be a “green” event with the theme: “Toxicology and Global Sustainability”. You can found more information on page 8 or at http://www.ict-mexico2016.org
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) offers competitive
scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research. The program offers:
Scholarship support. Paid research training at the NIH during the summer. Paid employment and training at the NIH after graduation. The NIH UGSP will pay up to $20,000 per academic year in tuition, educational expenses, and reasonable
living expenses to scholarship recipients. Scholarships are awarded for 1 year, and can be renewed up to 4 years. For complete information visit: https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/ugsp. Deadline for online application is March 3, 2014. For other opportunities see: http://www.fatomei.com/minority-scholarships-medical.html
Regional Chapter Award Deadline
Allegheny-Erie Student Travel Award January 31
National Capital Area Bern Schwetz Student Travel Award January 31
Northeast Student Travel Award January 31
Northern California Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Achievement /Undergraduate Student Travel
Awards January 31
South Central Student Travel Award February 1
North Carolina Graduate and Undergraduate Student Poster Competition / Graduate Student Platform Presentation Awards February 6
Special Interest Group Award Deadline
HOT Distinguished Toxicologist / Travel Awards January 12
KTAA Best Presentations by Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Trainee Awards January 31
TAO TAO Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Travel Awards / TAO Graduate Student Research Awards January 31
Specialty Section Award Deadline
Mechanisms Gabriel L. Plaa Education Award* January 13
Occupational and Public Health Paper of the Year Award January 14 Toxicologic and Exploratory
Pathology Travel Award January 14
Biotechnology Best Paper / Career Achievement in Biotechnology / Outstanding Young
Investigator / Student Achievement Awards January 15
Inhalation and Respiratory Mary Amdur Student Award* January 15
Inhalation and Respiratory Student / Postdoctoral / Young Investigator Awards January 15
Nanotoxicology Best Publication / Outstanding Graduate Student / Outstanding Postdoctoral Awards January 15
Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues Student Awards January 17
Immunotoxicology Best Paper of the Year / Best Presentation by a Postdoctoral Trainee / Best
Presentation by a Student / Outstanding Senior Immunotoxicologist / Outstanding Young Immunotoxicologist Awards
January 18
Immunotoxicology HESI Immunotoxicology Young Investigator Travel Award* January 18
Inhalation and Respiratory Paper of the Year Award January 18
Cardiovascular Toxicology Trainee Travel Award January 20
Medical Device Best Overall Abstract / Student Travel / Best Published Paper Regarding Medical Devices Awards January 20
In Vitro and Alternative Methods Student Award January 23
Food Safety Frank C. Lu Student Award* January 27
Dermal Toxicology Annual “Paper of the Year” / Battelle Student Research / Informa Healthcare /
Student and Postdoctoral Awards January 31
Metals Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Awards January 31 Reproductive and
Developmental Toxicology Best Reproductive/Developmental Toxicology Paper in Toxicological Sciences /
Scientific Achievement Award January 31
Stem Cells Excellence in Research Awards January 31
Biological Modeling Perry J. Gehring Student Award* February 7
Drug Discovery Toxicology Emil A. Pfitzer Student Award* February 7 Reproductive and
Developmental Toxicology Student/Postdoc Award February 15
Food Safety Burdock Group Travel Awards February 24
Neurotoxicology Graduate Student / Postdoctoral Fellow/Associate Poster Award February 28
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2014 SOT Regional Chapters, Special Interest Groups, and Specialty Sections Awards Deadlines
All awards and full details to apply may be found at http://www.toxicology.org/ai/af/awards.aspx.
*, Award funded through the SOT Endowment Fund. Full details can be found on the http://www.toxicology.org/AI/CSOT/contribute.asp.
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2014 HOT-SOT Annual Meeting Sponsors
The Hispanic Organization for Toxicologists (HOT) is a Special Interest Group (SIG) within the Society of Toxicology integrated by professionals of Hispanic origin with expertise in scientific areas associated with Toxicology. HOT membership is diverse representing industrial, academic, governmental, and commercial organizations from the USA and Ibero-American countries. It serves as a focal point for interaction, fellowship, networking, and professional development among Hispanic Toxicologists in the United States and the international Spanish and Portuguese-speaking scientific communities with emphasis on outreach to the Hispanic population and it operates in compliance with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Please visit our web site at http://www.toxicology.org/isot/sig/hot. Corporate sponsorship will help HOT bring together Hispanic Toxicologists in the United States and international Spanish and Portuguese-speaking Toxicologists attending the 2014 SOT Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, March 23-27 for interaction, networking, mentoring, and expanding the SOT outreach efforts in global toxicology. Your organization’s sponsorship will help sustain HOT’s effort to promote scientific excellence in toxicology. HOT offers Travel Awards to support Students and Postdocs in the United States and other countries to offset the cost for presenting their research at the SOT Annual Meeting. HOT activities also include the evening reception and dinner sponsorship and bimonthly publication of our newsletter Toxenlaces. Your sponsorship also helps increase your organization visibility to SOT and HOT members, annual meeting attendees, and the international Spanish and Portuguese-speaking scientific communities, and provides opportunities for recruiting young scientist and experienced toxicologists to your company. There are four levels of sponsorship available, as follows: HOT Distinction Level 1: Evening Reception Sponsorship, $1,700 or more HOT Distinction Level 2: Distinguished Hispanic Toxicologist Lecture & Luncheon Sponsorship, $1,200 HOT Distinction Level 3: Student & Postdoctoral Travel Awards Sponsorship, $800 HOT Distinction Level 4: Toxenlances Publicity Sponsorship, $500 If you would like to sponsor any of these events of HOT at the 2014 SOT meeting, please send your check payable to “Society of Toxicology Fund for HOT-SIG” and mail to Society of Toxicology Fund, 1821 Michael Faraday Drive, Suite 300, Reston, VA 20190. If you have any further questions or need clarification, please email your inquires to Ranulfo Lemus-Olalde, Ph.D, DABT, Treasurer, [email protected]
2014 HOT-SOT Annual Meeting Sponsorship Opportunities
HOT Distinction Level 1: HOT Evening Reception Sponsorship Benefits ($1,700 or more) • Prize drawing box in your booth for a HOT drawing – two prizes awarded. Attendees will drop their business cards at your booth. • Special front-page sponsorship acknowledgement in the February-March 2014 HOT Newsletter, Toxenlaces, copies available at the Annual Meeting HOT stand. • Acknowledgment of your sponsorship and participation in the HOT Reception Night in a special report about the event in the
April-May 2014 Toxenlaces, including pictures. • Special sponsorship acknowledgement in the HOT Web site and Toxenlaces Newsletter (June 2014 through May 2015). • Five invitations to the HOT Reception Night.
HOT Distinction Level 2: Distinguished Hispanic Toxicologist Lecture or Lunch & Learn Sponsorship Benefits ($1,200)
• Special sponsorship acknowledgement in the February-March 2014 HOT Newsletter, Toxenlaces, copies available at the Annual Meeting HOT stand. • Acknowledgment of your sponsorship and participation in the HOT Reception Night in a special report about the event in the April-May 2014 Toxenlaces, including pictures. • Special sponsorship acknowledgement in the HOT Web site and Toxenlaces Newsletter (June 2014 through May 2015). • Four invitations to the HOT Reception Night.
HOT Distinction Level 3: Student & Postdoctoral Travel Awards Benefits ($800)
• Recognition in the February-March 2014 HOT Newsletter, Toxenlaces, copies available at the Annual Meeting HOT stand. • Acknowledgment of your sponsorship and participation in the HOT Reception Night in a special report about the event in the April- May 2014 Toxenlaces, including pictures. • Special sponsorship acknowledgement in the HOT Web site and Toxenlaces Newsletter (June 2014 through May 2015). • Three invitations to the HOT Reception Night. •
HOT Distinction Level 4: Toxenlances Publicity Sponsor Benefits ($500)
• Recognition in the HOT Web site and Toxenlaces Newsletter (June 2014 through May 2015). • Two invitations to the HOT Reception Night.
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