title: The Toxicology Education Summit: building the future of toxicology through education.
abstract: Toxicology and careers in toxicology, as well as many other scientific disciplines, are undergoing rapid and dramatic changes as new discoveries, technologies, and hazards advance at a blinding rate. There are new and ever increasing demands on toxicologists to keep pace with expanding global economies, highly fluid policy debates, and increasingly complex global threats to public health. These demands must be met with new paradigms for multidisciplinary, technologically complex, and collaborative approaches that require advanced and continuing education in toxicology and associated disciplines. This requires paradigm shifts in educational programs that support recruitment, development, and training of the modern toxicologist, as well as continued education and retraining of the midcareer professional to keep pace and sustain careers in industry, government, and academia. The Society of Toxicology convened the Toxicology Educational Summit to discuss the state of toxicology education and to strategically address educational needs and the sustained advancement of toxicology as a profession. The Summit focused on core issues of: building for the future of toxicology through educational programs; defining education and training needs; developing the "Total Toxicologist"; continued training and retraining toxicologists to sustain their careers; and, finally, supporting toxicology education and professional development. This report summarizes the outcomes of the Summit, presents examples of successful programs that advance toxicology education, and concludes with strategies that will insure the future of toxicology through advanced educational initiatives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Suite 332, Bridgeside Point, 100 Technology Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA. aab20@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barchowsky
authors.forename: Lorrene A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.forename: Gary P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: Vanessa A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Fitsanakis
authors.forename: Sue M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Genter
authors.forename: Dori R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Germolec
authors.forename: Teresa L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Leavens
authors.forename: Lois D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lehman-McKeeman
authors.forename: Stephen H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Safe
authors.forename: Courtney E W
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Sulentic
authors.forename: Betty J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Eidemiller
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003479:Curriculum / Q000639:trends; D004517:Education, Professional / Q000639:trends*; D005257:Fellowships and Scholarships / Q000639:trends; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000639:trends; D011361:Professional Competence; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000639:trends; D014116:Toxicology / Q000193:education* / Q000639:trends*