Dr. Allard receives prestigious International ToxScholar Award
As part of the honor, UCLA FSPH professor Dr. Patrick Allard will visit and present at the University of Botswana and the University of Johannesburg.
Dr. Patrick Allard, FSPH Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, has been awarded the prestigious 2015 International ToxScholar Grant from the Society of Toxicology (SOT). As part of the honor, Dr. Allard will visit the Gaborone campus of the University of Botswana and the Doornfontein campus of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa during April 2015. In cooperation with faculty at both institutions, Dr. Allard will speak with undergraduates, graduate students and faculty on local environmental health and toxicology issues, introductory toxicology concepts, and opportunities available through international professional organizations.
Allard also will work to set up regular communication between the Environmental Health Departments at these two schools, which are 230 miles apart. His goals include promoting local interactions among toxicologists, promoting international collaborations, increasing research capacity and ensuring continuity by using working groups in his UCLA courses to communicate with students at the African campuses about ways to address identified environmental health issues.
The Allard Laboratory, led by Dr. Allard, is part of the department of Environmental Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics, and is also affiliated with the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and the Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental Graduate Program.
Founded in 1961, the Society of Toxicology (SOT) is a professional and scholarly organization of more than 7,800 scientists from academic institutions, government, and industry representing the great variety of individuals who practice toxicology in the US and abroad. The SOT strategically supports programs worldwide in alignment with the Society’s mission to create a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology. As part of the SOT, the International ToxScholar program seeks to increase the impact of toxicology on public health with direct efforts to connect with scientists from developing countries, encouraging them to share research and engage with a global audience. ToxScholar funds support visits to campuses in developing countries to increase awareness of educational and career opportunities in toxicology.