The President

Dear ASPET Members,

I am excited to write my first message as president of ASPET. I feel fortunate to serve in this role with talented and dedicated staff, council members and membership. ASPET has been my professional home since I was a trainee. During my time in ASPET, I have served on the public affairs committee, awards committee, as an officer in the Division for Drug Metabolism and Disposition, as a councilor and now as president. Through these service opportunities, ASPET has nurtured my growth as both a pharmacologist and a member of our pharmacology community.

A primary goal for me as president is to strengthen our sense of community and collaboration. As part of this goal, I aim to widen the circle of people who consider ASPET their professional home and who see an opportunity for themselves as future leaders of ASPET. We will continue to provide meaningful space and platforms for those early in their careers to showcase their work and to grow both professionally and scientifically. Additionally, volunteerism is key to ASPET and a strong partnership between our staff and members. We will continue to call for volunteers for various opportunities and encourage you to let us know how you would like to volunteer with ASPET.

What a wonderful ASPET 2023 Annual Meeting we had in May! Many thanks to the ASPET staff for making it such a special experience for all of us. The venue was outstanding and unique, second only to the scholarly work presented at the meeting including sessions focused on science, policy, education and other topics. The breadth of symposia and commensurate discussions were unparalleled and I’m already excited for ASPET 2024.

A particular highlight for me at ASPET 2023 was the innovative and reimagined approach taken to presenting the ASPET awards. The videos recognizing recipients were fantastic, and I greatly enjoyed the chance to chat with and learn from the panel of esteemed awardees in a special session. We are going to keep this momentum going! Please plan to join us for the ASPET 2024 meeting, which will bring new and exciting experiences.

Among the many ASPET programs and initiatives, I want to bring special attention to recent efforts under way to expand our plans for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA). ASPET has embarked on a partnership with Nova Collective to learn more about what our membership thinks about IDEA at ASPET and expectations moving forward. Thank you to all members who provided input during the initial survey phase as well as those participating in the focus groups to further explore members’ experiences.

I also want to call attention to a few highlights of this month’s issue of The Pharmacologist. In addition to all of the ASPET updates you usually receive, new ASPET IDEA Chair Ashim Malhotra, PhD provides his background and views in our Leadership Profile column. Please note that this will be the last issue of the quarterly format of The Pharmacologist. In January 2024, we will begin issuing an electronic monthly version of the magazine. We hope you enjoy the new format and everything that comes with 2024!

Sincerely,

Namandjé N. Bumpus, PhD ASPET President