SETAC Asia-Pacific Partners With Shanghai Society of Toxicology
Zuzanna Neziri, SETAC Asia-Pacific Executive Director
SETAC Asia-Pacific and the Shanghai Society of Toxicology (SHSOT) formalized their partnership on 22 September with the signing of a memorandum of understanding at the SETAC Asia-Pacific 15th Biennial Meeting in Tsukuba, Japan. The agreement sets out how the two societies will cooperate on training, capacity building and scientific exchange in environmental toxicology and chemistry.
The Signing Ceremony
Held on Tuesday, 22 September, at the Tsukuba International Congress Center, the ceremony brought together leaders of both societies. Wang Hui, President of SHSOT and Dean of the School of Public Health at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, represented SHSOT at the signing ceremony alongside Hiroshi Yamamoto, President of SETAC Asia-Pacific. Secretary General Chen Bin had signed the memorandum in advance on behalf of SHSOT, and the Tsukuba ceremony marked the start of the partnership between the two societies.
They were joined by Darren Koppel, Vice President of SETAC Asia-Pacific, and Bart Bosveld, SETAC Global Executive Director, with SETAC Global President Nile Kemble also in attendance.
Wang led a delegation that included Chen Bin; Vice Secretaries General Mu Wei and Chen Shun; council member Rainbow Zhang (Zhang Xia) of Intertek Assuris; and Ge Yang and Zhao Yueliang of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Other distinguished guests and members of the SETAC community also attended the ceremony. To mark the occasion, Wang presented Yamamoto with a framed peony artwork, a traditional Chinese symbol of prosperity and goodwill.
“As president of SETAC Asia-Pacific, I am very happy to see this relationship established and to mark the start of our cooperation with the Shanghai Society of Toxicology. We look forward to working together in the years ahead,” said Yamamoto.
What the Partnership Covers
The memorandum provides a framework for cooperation in environmental chemistry, toxicology, ecotoxicology, environmental and human health risk assessment, and water quality management, with a focus on training, capacity building and professional development.
The agreement provides for training and professional development activities in China, led locally by SHSOT with support from SETAC Asia-Pacific, including preparatory training aligned with the competencies of the International Board of Environmental Risk Assessors (IBERA). IBERA, an independent organization, retains sole authority over its certification.
It also covers workshops, seminars and joint sessions at SETAC Asia-Pacific meetings and SHSOT events; expert exchanges; and scientific exchange between SETAC journals and SHSOT’s journal, Future Medicine, with each journal’s editorial independence maintained. The two societies will decide on individual activities together as the partnership develops.
Why It Matters
Strengthening professional capability in environmental risk assessment is an important part of the partnership. By bringing together SHSOT’s scientific network and reach in China with SETAC Asia-Pacific’s regional and international community, the agreement creates a platform for sustained training, knowledge exchange and professional development.
Interest in this area was evident at the meeting itself. On Monday, 21 September, an IBERA information session led by IBERA Diplomates Bin-Le Lin and Biyao Han attracted approximately 60 participants. Lin, a senior research scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, presented an overview of IBERA and its certification process, and Han, an ecotoxicologist with ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Research and Development in Shanghai, spoke about her experience of preparing for and achieving certification. The session generated active discussion, with many participants remaining afterward to continue the conversation.
For SHSOT, the partnership creates new opportunities for its members to engage with SETAC’s international scientific network, meetings and publications. For SETAC Asia-Pacific, it establishes a formal partnership in China that can encourage more Chinese scientists and students to participate in SETAC at both the regional and global levels.
Building the Partnership
The agreement signed in Tsukuba builds on a relationship developed over time between members of the two societies. Kuan-Chun Lee, former President of SETAC Asia-Pacific and a long-standing SETAC member, played an instrumental role in establishing the connection between SETAC Asia-Pacific and SHSOT and in developing the relationship that led to the agreement.
Zhang served as SHSOT’s main contact throughout the process, coordinating closely with SETAC Asia-Pacific and supporting the delegation’s participation in Tsukuba and the arrangements for the signing.
Their work helped turn the initial relationship between the two organizations into the formal partnership established in Tsukuba.
Next Steps
Designated contacts from both societies will now coordinate joint activities under the three-year agreement. Members interested in getting involved can contact the SETAC Asia-Pacific office.
Author contact: [email protected]