Media Advisory

Friday, March 13, 2009

Hear About Emerging Trends in Toxicology Research

NIEHS and NTP Research Showcased at SOT Annual Meeting in Baltimore.

What: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will have a major presence at the annual Society of Toxicology (SOT) meeting in Baltimore, Md. Scientists from the NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program (NTP), which NIEHS administers, as well as their grantees and collaborators, will share the newest advances, applications and thinking in the field of toxicology.

Why: The SOT Annual Meeting is the largest toxicology meeting and exhibition in the world, attracting approximately 6,500 scientists from industry, academia and government. Toxicology plays an important role in understanding the effects that chemical agents have in our environment. Attending or arranging phone interviews will allow reporters to meet Linda Birnbaum, the new NIEHS/NTP director; hear about the new criteria NTP will be using to evaluate non-cancer studies; learn about new research funding opportunities including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; and hear about cutting-edge science.

When: March 15-19, 2009

Where: Society for Toxicology Annual Meeting
Baltimore Convention Center 
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
For more information about the SOT annual meeting, visithttp://www.toxicology.org/AI/MEET/AM2009/am.asp   To arrange an interview with NIEHS or NTP scientists, please contact Robin Mackar at 919-541-0073 or e-mail your request to rmackar@niehs.nih.gov.

Event Highlights: 

All events will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center.

NTP Criteria for Hazard Identification in Non-Cancer Studies
Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m., Room 337
The NTP uses specific criteria, to describe the strength of the evidence for conclusions, for substances tested in its cancer bioassay. The program has now developed similar criteria for reaching conclusions from NTP immunotoxicology, reproductive toxicology, and developmental toxicology studies.

NIH Brown Bag Lunch — Review and Grant Opportunities at NIEHS 
Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 12:00 p.m., Room 301
Bring your lunch and join staff from the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR), and Program Officers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), for informal discussions about the grant review process and NIEHS grant opportunities, including the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/recovery/). Time will be allotted for questions and discussion.

The Grants Room
Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. or by appointment, Room 304Meet with NIEHS Program Officers to discuss grant opportunities.

Meet the NIEHS/NTP Director - Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S. 
Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 12:00 p.m., Room 316
Dr. Birnbaum joined NIEHS/NTP as director in January 2009. She is a former SOT president. Dr. Birnbaum will discuss the Institute’s research portfolio and her plans to lead the agency. She, and other federal leaders, will also hear suggestions and answer questions.

For a full listing of NIEHS and NTP activities at SOT, please visithttp://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/events/highlight/sot-mtg/

The NIEHS supports research to understand the effects of the environment on human health and is part of the NIH. For more information on environmental health topics, visit our website at http://www.niehs.nih.gov.

The NTP is an interagency program established in 1978. The program was created as a cooperative effort to coordinate toxicology testing programs within the federal government, strengthen the science base in toxicology, develop and validate improved testing methods, and provide information about potentially toxic chemicals to health, regulatory, and research agencies, scientific and medical communities, and the public. The NTP is headquartered at the NIEHS. For more information about the NTP, visithttp://ntp.niehs.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

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