Dr.
Barbara Kaplan, an assistant professor in the Mississippi State University
Center for Veterinary Medicine Department of Basic Sciences Center for
Environmental Health Sciences, has been elected as 2018-2019 councilor for the
Society of Toxicology.
According
to its website, the Society of Toxicology is the largest toxicology society in
the world with over 7,000 members from more than 60 countries. The goal of the
Society is to further toxicological science in order to create “a safer and
healthier world.”
Kaplan,
whose research focuses on autoimmune disorders and environmental toxins, has
been a member of the Society since 1997 and was nominated as councilor last
November. As
councilor, she will act as a liaison for the Society of Toxicology Council—the
organization’s leadership group—and several of its committees, providing them
with guidance.
“I am honored to have been
elected,” Kaplan said. “I’m looking forward to helping the Society achieve its
goals for our members.”
Kaplan ran for councilor on
a platform based on these goals. She said she will use her position to “support
the Society’s efforts for recruitment and retention of students to toxicology
at the undergraduate level, continue to learn about how best to communicate
science and toxicology to the public, and promote the use of mentors at all
career stages.”
Dr. Stephen Pruett,
professor and head of the Department of Basic Sciences, said Kaplan’s new
position will allow to have a positive impact in the advancement of toxicology
and gain deserved prestige in her field.
“Getting elected to this
leadership role in such a large organization is a great honor,” Pruett said.
“It is very rare for someone as early in her career as Dr. Kaplan to be elected
to the Council.”
