2023 ASPET Elections

The 2023 ASPET election for president-elect, secretary-treasurer elect, and councilor will open on January 10, 2023. Candidate biographies are available online at www.aspet.org/aspet/about-us/aspet-council/2023-aspetelection-candidates. All regular, postdoctoral, emeritus, affiliates, and graduate student members are eligible to vote. Eligible voting members will receive a notification when the election opens.

The following divisions are also holding elections:

■ Division for Behavioral Pharmacology ■ Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology ■ Division for Drug Discovery and Development ■ Division for Drug Metabolism and Disposition ■ Division for Molecular Pharmacology ■ Division for Pharmacology Education ■ Division for Toxicology

Biographical information on division candidates can be found on page 58.

As the ASPET bylaws require, the election will be open for a minimum of 30 days from the day of notification. The election will close on February 10, 2023.

Nominees for President-Elect

Carol L. Beck, PharmD, PhD

Associate Professor, Dept. of

Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer

Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical

College at Thomas Jefferson University Associate Dean for Curriculum and

MS Programs; Program Director, MS-

Pharmacology; Jefferson College of

Life Sciences

Randy Hall, PhD

Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, Emory University

School of Medicine

Carol L. Beck, PharmD, PhD

Candidate’s Statement

I am honored to be nominated to serve as President of ASPET. My involvement in a regional chapter resulted in my ASPET membership. Then I discovered that I could connect with fellow pharmacology educators. I became involved with the Division for Pharmacology Education and was Division Chair (2013-2016). I was elected an ASPET Councilor (2016-2019) and Secretary-Treasurer (current Past Secretary-Treasurer). Through these experiences, I have gained insights into the potential of ASPET to serve the discipline of pharmacology.

I have BS and PharmD degrees from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and a PhD in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University. My current roles are with graduate and medical pharmacology education and higher education administration.

I represent pharmacology in the medical school curriculum (Sidney Kimmel Medical College). I am also the Associate Dean for MS programs (Jefferson College of Life Sciences) and the Program Director for an MS program in Pharmacology. I do not currently have a research program, but Jefferson is a Carnegie R2 doctoral university and I am surrounded by the challenges faced by researchers.

My leadership style is interactive, collaborative, and organized. Groups need structure to make decisions—but inside that structure, the group comes to consensus to make decisions. Not only are the group decisions greater than the individual opinions involved, but the participation of the group in making the decision means a more effective implementation is possible, since buy-in already exists. I try to ensure that transparency, communication, and collaboration are part of all processes. I would apply these same approaches as ASPET President.

ASPET was established in 1908 to be the home for investigators in the disciplines of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics. In 2022, ASPET still strives to be the home for the community of pharmacology. Council started the strategic plan revision process in fall 2022. Promoting and publishing rigorous scientific research through our meetings and journals; developing and encouraging the next generation of pharmacologists; creating a diverse and inclusive community of pharmacologists; and providing mentoring and career development: these are all important parts of the current and future ASPET. We want to be a diverse and inclusive community of pharmacologists and to encourage and connect with pharmacologists throughout their careers, in academic research, education, industry, and government.

ASPET has a strong suite of pharmacology journals. The journals are a venue for publishing pharmacology research, but they also provide training for pharmacologists as reviewers, editorial board members, and editors. Regardless of how the journals are published, these opportunities should be retained.

With the end of the multi-society Experimental Biology meeting in 2022, ASPET is re-imagining our annual meeting from beginning to end. We know that our members value networking and personal connections. The 2023 meeting will be the first of many iterations of our new more intimate annual meeting.

To connect with the next generation of pharmacologists, we need more programs like the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). SURF involves undergraduates in pharmacology research via program and individual grants. Can we add fellowship opportunities for under-represented students and add virtual components?

The Washington Fellows Program for graduate students, post docs and early career scientists is one form of mentoring and career development; however, we need more! The Fellows program gives training in science policy and underscores that advocating for evidence-based science policy is part of being a scientist. Can we develop a science advocacy curriculum for pharmacology trainees?

ASPET has started the quest for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion, but we need more concrete actions. One approach would be greater transparency about pathways to leadership. We can also expand our pharmacology community via partnerships and collaborations. The Partnership Committee is charged with evaluating current and potential collaborations—

regional, national, and international. ASPET has regional chapters that provide leadership training and community-building. We should also consider connections with clinical pharmacology groups.

We will need new programs to accomplish our goals. However, pharmacologists are a creative lot; these ideas will come! ASPET has a talented and dedicated staff to assist with implementation. We need to continue to invest in the people who work with us. The pandemic provided an unusual opportunity to hit the “reset” button. Let’s eliminate things that no longer work and make changes to keep ASPET relevant to you as a member.

I would be honored to serve as President of ASPET and to apply my experiences as a pharmacologist, educator, and administrator to help us move toward our goals of creating and maintaining a strong community of pharmacologists.

Randy Hall, PhD

Candidate’s Statement

I have been an enthusiastic member of ASPET for more than two decades and served the society in many different leadership roles. This experience has positioned me well to serve as an effective President of ASPET.

The last few years have been a very challenging time for our society. A major goal of ASPET is to promote interactions between scientists, but the pandemic has made such interactions more difficult over the past couple of years. As a member of ASPET Council during this time, I’ve been involved in numerous decisions about how ASPET should evolve in the current era. I am proud of the choices we’ve made and the way the society has come together to not only survive but genuinely thrive during this tumultuous period.

There has never been a more important time than right now for ASPET and other scientific societies to continue the work of bringing people together. I know of numerous collaborations that began as conversations at ASPET meetings and also know of many students who found their first positions after graduation because of contacts made at ASPET events. For this reason, it is critical to keep ASPET meetings vibrant, with the goal of facilitating these fruitful interactions in the years to come. My hope as President will be to enhance the many ways in which ASPET brings diverse communities together to promote the advancement of pharmacology research, education, and public outreach.

My efforts as ASPET President will be informed by my deep experience in serving the society. I’ve served on the Board of Publication Trustees, which oversees the ASPET Journals, so I possess a wealth of knowledge about how our journals work as well as many ideas for helping to promote and enhance our journals. I’ve also served on the Program Committee and have many ideas about ways in which the annual meeting (and other ASPET events) can be enhanced. Moreover, at Emory, I’ve directed the Pharmacology graduate program for over a decade, so I feel that I have my finger on the pulse of what students find interesting and engaging. As President, I will bring this knowledge to bear on the crucially important efforts by ASPET to attract and develop the next generation of pharmacology researchers.

I have served shoulder-to-shoulder on ASPET Council for the past few years with Past President Peggy Gnegy, current President Mike Jarvis and PresidentElect Namandjé Bumpus, working closely with these leaders on many key initiatives. Thus, my work as President will benefit from continuity with the actions of previous Presidents, providing strong, stable leadership as opposed to any sort of policy reversals that might slow the positive momentum that ASPET has been building.

I am excited for what the coming years will bring for ASPET. Let’s work together to continue building an amazing, diverse society that brings people together to exchange ideas and promote the field of pharmacology.

Nominees for Secretary/Treasurer-Elect

Pamela Janet Hornby, PhD

Senior Principle & Fellow (retired), CV &

Metabolic (CVM), Janssen R&D, LLC. Spring

House, PA Professor (ADJ), Dept. of Physiology and

Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Drexel

University, Philadelphia, PA

Fadi T. Khasawneh, PhD

Associate Professor and Department Head of

Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rangel School of

Pharmacy, Texas A&M University

Pamela Janet Hornby, PhD

Candidate’s Statement

As Secretary/Treasurer I am excited about helping to build a stand-alone ASPET society that seeks to understand and meet the needs of the early career and trainee pharmacologists. Implementing the ASPET strategic plan by representing diversity of careers for next generation of pharmacologists, by promoting ASPET, and by reimagining the annual meeting experience are my highest priorities.

There is a growing gap of trainees needed to meet the demands of drug discovery, from Government (NCATS) to Academic Centers, Biotechnology to Pharma. There are few opportunities for PhD’s to connect their skills in basic design and interpretation of pharmacology to therapeutic programs moving towards the clinic. One reason for this gap is that the exposure of trainees to many non-academic roles is still relatively limited. As TCPD Chair, and as MCDC member, I have promoted pharmacology as a set of skills applicable to many different careers. I would like to further spread this knowledge through greater involvement in ASPET.

To promote pharmacology we must be able to communicate our ideas. My experience with Bridge to Employment high school students and their parents has demonstrated how big this shortfall of communication is. The pandemic has further confounded the ability to share with our communities how they can benefit from what we do. Training in communication skills is essential to reduce barriers and build trust. The Pharmacologist is a great resource for providing historic examples of benefits to health, but I would like to work with members to explore more communication avenues.

Re-imagining the meeting experience is something I am passionate about and have thoroughly enjoyed. Pitch competitions in scientific entrepreneurship (Young Scientists Committee), datablitz, ‘fireside chat’ and panel discussions with active audience participation must take their place beside the traditional discipline-based invited speaker symposia. This will not only engage attendees but will also expand our membership.

Finally, being elected Treasurer/Secretary would help advance my own career goals by enabling me to gain insight into fiscal oversight of ASPET and contribute to strengthening the society for future members.

Fadi T. Khasawneh, PhD

Candidate’s Statement

I am honored and humbled to be nominated for ASPET’s Secretary/Treasurer. I believe that my service and involvement with ASPET since 2006, both at the division (e.g., secretary treasurer of the cardiovascular pharmacology division) and national levels (e.g., member of Partnership Committee), and the experiences I have had throughout my career have not only given me a keen understanding of ASPET’s operations, budgeting process and strategic plan, but also prepared me well to take on this challenge. The unprecedented circumstances we continue to deal with due to a pandemic of global proportions, the decline in Federal funding, and the reimagining of our annual meeting, have also provided us with new challenges we must address and unique opportunities we must seize. Some of my priorities (derived from strategic Goal F; Strengthening ASPET) would be to work collaboratively with the ASPET Chief Financial Officer and Executive Officer, Council, Finance Committee, and Investment Subcommittee to assure good stewardship of ASPET’s assets, and to explore and identify new avenues of income (e.g., expanding/ retaining our membership, engage our members for reimagining the Big Ideas initiative, international chapters, journal structure, amongst others), which will collectively support the fiscal health and stability of ASPET. I also plan to work with Council and engage members in working towards common goals, investing in new and innovative ideas, and implementing projects that align with our shared mission as well as serve our members, especially our junior scientists and trainees (e.g., bridge funding). I welcome the opportunity to serve as ASPET’s Secretary/Treasurer and to work together with our stakeholders to ensure that we continue to meet our financial obligations, and to achieve the ASPET mission of becoming the professional home for entities working to advance the field of pharmacology.

Nominees for Councilor

Amy C. Arnold, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Neural and Behavioral

Sciences, Pennsylvania State

University College of Medicine

Catherine M. Davis, PhD

Assistant Professor, Uniformed

Services University of the

Health Sciences

Amy C. Arnold, PhD

Candidate’s Statement

Jayne S. Reuben, PhD

Instructional Associate Professor and Director of Instructional

Effectiveness at the Texas A &

M University (TAMU) School of

Dentistry (SOD)

I have been actively involved in ASPET since 2006, which has spanned my graduate studies in integrative pharmacology and physiology, postdoctoral fellowship in clinical pharmacology, and current independent faculty position with translational research focused on cardiovascular autonomic regulation. I have been

involved in substantial ASPET service activities over the past 15 years including: Member, SecretaryTreasurer, and Chair of the Recruitment subcommittee for the Division of Cardiovascular Pharmacology Executive Committee; Member of the Division of Pharmacology Education Executive Committee; and member of the Nominating Committee. As part of these committees, I gained experience in leadership, research, education, and strategic planning initiatives related to pharmacology. I have also been effective in organizing symposia at the annual meetings on evolving topics of importance in pharmacology research while ensuring balance in terms of speaker diversity and career stage. I am dedicated, motivated, have strong organizational skills, have led and organized collaborative teams within my division, and have optimized research and career development resources for trainees and investigators at all stages. Of note, I am a translational scientist with expertise and connections spanning preclinical and clinical pharmacology research and thus also bring a unique perspective in terms of enhancing outreach, increasing a diverse membership, and promoting exciting and cutting-edge science. Overall, I have made significant contributions to ASPET that I believe make me an ideal candidate to serve as Councilor.

Catherine M. Davis, PhD

Candidate’s Statement

I am delighted and honored to be a candidate for ASPET Councilor. Since becoming an ASPET member in 2008, I have been actively involved in the society, including at the division level as the Postdoc Representative on the Executive Committee for the Behavioral Pharmacology Division, and Communications Director for the Division for Pharmacology Education, and most recently at the society level as the Chair of the Science Policy Committee and ASPET’s representative to the FASEB Board of Directors. In this last role, I also serve as an Ex Officio member of the ASPET Council. Through these activities, I have gained experience in several areas essential to ASPET’s continued growth, success, and service to its members, most importantly, in policy and advocacy areas where current and upcoming changes to things like open access publishing, big data management and open science initiatives, drug scheduling, and animal research regulations could significantly impact how our members complete their research, educate students, and provide a high quality research environment for their trainees. These changes are occurring in an evolving scientific landscape, where recent public health and economic challenges have highlighted the importance of forward-thinking policies regarding the best use of our resources, including virtual meeting spaces, events throughout the year, and other activities that allow our members to remain engaged with the society. With these challenges come exciting growth opportunities for ASPET and I am interested in being a Councilor to work with the ASPET staff and other volunteer leaders to develop creative solutions to move ASPET forward as the definitive home for members in all areas of pharmacology. I am confident that my previous experience and past roles within ASPET have prepared me well for the position of Councilor.

Jayne S. Reuben, PhD

Candidate’s Statement

I have been a dedicated member of ASPET since joining in 1998 as a graduate student. The guidance and mentorship that I have received through my interactions with ASPET members, participation in various ASPET committees and attendance at ASPET annual meetings has had a significant impact on my career. In more recent years, I have been thrilled to see that ASPET has strived to provide more programming and support to facilitate the success of pharmacology educators like me and to provide information on novel and impactful educational methodologies.

As Chair of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Division of Pharmacology Education (DPE), I helped to increase the diversity, overall membership and visibility of our

division so that we now have representatives from pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, and nursing schools on the DPE executive committee. I would use the same strategies to help ASPET grow as a society. As an ASPET Council member, I will work diligently to build the membership and assist in other strategic initiatives of the organization because we have a better chance of ensuring the perpetuity of our organization by actively engaging all of our members as early as possible in their careers. Furthermore, I have valuable experience from my service as a member of several award, admissions, search, curriculum, journal review (Academic Medicine) and trustee board committees. The opportunity to serve on the ASPET Council will provide me with more insight into our professional organization and if elected, I pledge to continue to support the outstanding members who comprise this exceptional society. As a member of the ASPET Council, I welcome the chance to build on the excellent work that previous leaders have begun.

The ASPET 2023 election will open on January 10, 2023. All eligible voters will be sent notification with your login credentials to vote. If you have any questions, please contact membership@aspet.org.

ASPET Council Approves Revised Bylaws

On November 10, 2022, the Council approved a full revision of the ASPET Bylaws. Following approval by Council, the revised ASPET Bylaws will now go before the voting members of the Society for its consideration and approval.

The revised ASPET Bylaws are the result of nearly 18 months of time and effort from the ASPET Bylaws Task Force, chaired by Dr. Mary-Ann Bjornsti. Established in June 2021, the task force was charged with reviewing the feedback on the existing Bylaws from ASPET legal counsel, Council or Task Force members and proposing revisions to the Bylaws to address recommendations. The task force approached the work with the goals of ensuring ASPET is fully compliant with nonprofit incorporation regulations in the state of Maryland (where ASPET was incorporated in 1933) as well as providing flexibility for the organization to update its processes quickly in the future, as needed.

All regular, postdoctoral, emeritus, affiliate, and graduate student members are eligible to vote for the revised Bylaws. Voting will begin on January 10, 2023, and end on February 10, 2023, as part of the 2023 ASPET Elections.