Annual Meeting Program - Society of Toxicology

Society of Toxicology 2008
Program Description (Continued)
Abstract #
Wednesday Morning, March 19
7:30 AM to 8:50 AM
Room 602
Abstract #
Wednesday Morning, March 19
7:30 AM to 8:50 AM
Room 605
INFORMATIONAL SESSION: CROSS-CULTURAL
UNDERSTANDING OF ASIAN AND WESTERN CULTURAL
VALUES IN THE WORKPLACE
Chairperson(s): Thomas Kawabata, Pfizer Global Research and
Development, Groton, CT and Diana J. Auyeung-Kim, Charles River
Laboratories Preclinical Services Nevada, Sparks, NV.
Endorsed by:
Association of Scientists of Indian Origin Special Interest Group
Career Resource and Development Committee
Korean Toxicologists Association in America Special Interest
Group*
The competition in developing your career as a scientist can be daunting at
times. It is clear that being productive through hard work alone is not the
answer. In order to meet your career goals, scientists must also develop leadership
and people skills. The mastering of these skills may be particularly
challenging for those scientists reared with cultural values that differ from
their western workplace culture. The differences in cultural values may be
manifested in misunderstanding and barriers or “glass ceilings” in the development
of one’s career. Asian scientists and their co-workers and managers
need to better understand how Asian and Western cultural values differ and
how such cultural values are directly connected to behavior and practices in
the workplace. Many Asians for example, are taught to respect authority, not
to toot their own horn and value harmony of the team. It is also important
to understand of how different behaviors are perceived by their non-Asian
managers and co-workers in the Western workplace and the potential
impact that may ensue when behaviors are misunderstood. For instance, not
speaking up in team meetings may be perceived as being not interested or
having nothing valuable to add to the discussion. These misperceptions may
result in organizations underutilizing their Asian employees and decreased
team effectiveness. In addition, Asian scientists may experience limited
upward mobility and lower job satisfaction. This background information
will be covered by Sally Huang-Nissen, a consultant and trainer with
extensive experience in the area of cross-cultural effectiveness and diversity
training. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion by a panel of
SOT members from different backgrounds and with different career paths
(academia, industry, government). The roundtable discussion will focus on
their personal experiences and how these scientists addressed these cultural
differences in their careers.
#1329 7:30 CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING OF
ASIAN AND WESTERN VALUES IN THE
WORKPLACE. T. Kawabata 1 and D. Auyeung-
Kim 2 . 1 Pfizer, Groton, CT and 2 Charles River
Laboratories, Sparks, NV.
7:35 INDIAN PERSPECTIVE. Madhu Soni
7:45 UNDERSTANDING ASIAN CULTURAL
VALUES AND POTENTIAL IMPACT IN THE
WESTERN WORKPLACE. Sally Huang-Nissen
7:55 KOREAN PERSPECTIVE. Byong Han Chin
8:05 CHINESE PERSPECTIVE. Fengju Bai
8:15 PERSPECTIVES FROM A NON-ASIAN THAT
WORKED IN ASIA. Karen Blackburn
8:25 PANEL DISCUSSION.
INFORMATIONAL SESSION: TOXICOLOGICAL AND PUBLIC
HEALTH CHALLENGES IN AFRICA
Chairperson(s): Sanmi Areola, Nashville Metro Public Health
Department, Nashville, TN and Abdel Razak Kadry, U.S. EPA,
Washington, DC.
Endorsed by:
Food Safety Specialty Section
Risk Assessment Specialty Section*
Paucity of data and lack of information exchange present major challenges
to identifying feasible risk management options for toxicological challenges
in Africa. The associated consequences are typified by current global health
initiatives that are unintentionally excluding toxicological and public health
concerns pertinent to the African continent. For example, concerns about
nanoproducts may not be as relevant to Africans as would exposure to
cyanide from widespread consumption of cassava as a staple food source.
Two-thirds of the 900 million sub-Saharan Africans live in rural areas
and rely on agriculture and other natural resources for sustenance causing
shrinkage in the environmental resource base of the region. The resultant
decline in biodiversity imposes an enormous strain on food safety, which
frequently leads to dependence on food sources tainted with toxicants. In
addition, large volumes of industrial chemicals associated with growth in
the petro-chemical, agro-chemical, textile, mining, and food preservation
industries raise concerns on their short- and long-term effects. Oil pollution
is an important and controversial subject of discussion in Africa. The
public health impacts of new pharmaceuticals such as anti-retroviral drugs,
new classes of anti-malarial drugs, and the growing problems of illicit drug
dumping in Africa are largely unknown. Most countries lack the resources
needed to conduct relevant human health risk assessment and for making
environmental risk management decisions. This session provides a platform
to bridge the gaps by highlighting some specific toxicological problems
facing the continent, engaging scientists conducting global health researches,
and bringing to the table individuals who have been part of risk management
practices in the developed countries. It is hoped that feasible approaches
that take into consideration Africa’s geopolitical and cultural divides will be
identified, discussed and prioritized to guide future interventions.
#1330 7:30 TOXICOLOGICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH
CHALLENGES IN AFRICA. S. Areola. Metro
Public Health Department, Nashville, TN.
7:32 TOXICOLOGY IN THE AFRICAN CONTEXT.
Peter Spencer
7:42 MYCOTOXINS IN AFRICA: WHAT DO WE
KNOW? Edmond Creppy
7:52 EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION AND RAPID
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ON HEAVY
METAL LEVELS IN WATER, PLANT, AND
FISH AROUND GREATER CAIRO, EGYPT.
Osama El-Tawil
8:02 THE ENVIRONMENTAL, POLITICAL, AND
SOCIOECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF
OIL PRODUCTION IN THE NIGER DELTA
REGION OF NIGERIA. Chuck Okereke
8:12 IDENTIFYING AND PRIORITIZING
OPTIONS FOR ADDRESSING
TOXICOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN
AFRICA. Sanmi Areola
Wednesday
up-to-date information at www.toxicology.org 205