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Spring Issue 2005
Mid-Atlantic Chapter Holds Symposium: Children’s
Health, Risk Communication, and Science Education
On April 7, The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of SOT (MASOT)
held a one-day symposium on children’s health,
risk communication, and science education. A key message
of the symposium was that modern science, and particularly
the field of toxicology, has done much to reduce risks
that are beyond the control of the individual. Thus,
now an individual’s health and life span are heavily
dependent on the choices the individual makes. Hence,
whether or not children want to become scientists, it
is important that they learn about health science so
that they can make good decisions about their health
and lifestyles.
Speakers included Kimberly Thompson, Harvard University, who
spoke on “Peril and Promise: Understanding and Managing Children’s
Risk in the Age of Risk Management” and discussed data on actual threats
to children’s health (see also www.kidsrisk.harvard.edu). Larry
Johnson, Texas A&M, presented “Risk Perception and Science
Knowledge” and discussed his extensive experience in presenting toxicology
concepts to tens of thousands of children. This was followed by a talk by Steven
Gilbert, “A Small Dose of Toxicology,” on presenting toxicology
concepts to varied public audiences. Bill Rodriguez, of CDER
FDA, then discussed what we have learned regarding the biological responses of
children versus adults to pharmaceuticals. The last speaker, David Cragin,
of Merck and the University of the Sciences Philadelphia, gave a talk entitled “Risk
Communication: From the Classroom to the Factory Floor,” in which he described
how classrooms offer a superb environment for developing risk communication skills.
This symposium was organized by MASOT’s Risk Communication and Education
Committee. It was the second year in a row that this committee held a meeting
that was in addition to MASOT’s annual Spring and Fall symposia. In addition
to these, the committee also has organized lunchtime breakout sessions during
MASOT’s regular Spring and Fall meetings. The committee is chaired by Carrie
Markgraf and it receives much support and guidance from MASOT’s
President Dave Cragin who has worked to increase MASOT’s activities and
involvement in this area. In addition, through funding available to encourage
efforts in alignment with SOT’s Long-Range Plan, SOT provided seed money
to help support MASOT’s first efforts in this regard.
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