19th Biannual Meeting of the International Neurotoxicology Association (INA-19)

The purpose of the International Neurotoxicity Association (INA) is to: (1) foster the science of identifying neurotoxic agents that pose a risk to human and environmental health and determining the neural mechanisms and behavioral consequences of toxicant exposure; and (2) encourage international collaborations in neurotoxicology research. The bi-annual INA meeting (this will be the 19th INA convention) enables the global neurotoxicology community to communicate their latest research findings to their colleagues for critical evaluation and continuing education, and to provide a forum for discussion of future directions for the field of neurotoxicology. We will build upon the most recent INA meetings in Israel (2009), China (2011), The Netherlands (2013), Canada (2015), Brazil (2017), Germany (2019) and Durham, North Carolina, USA (2022). The Arctic Hotel in Norway has experience bringing in people from around the globe to participate in meetings and conferences with a unique coastal scenery, top technical equipment, activities for all seasons, local food and local fishing village culture dating back nearly 1000 years. This venue provides a great opportunity for INA to engage both established neurotoxicology scientists from diverse government, academic and industry centers, as well as students. The theme of the meeting is “Integration Across Biological and Scientific Domains in Neurotoxicology.” Dr. Jason Cannon is counselor and US-based treasurer for INA. Dr. Pamela Lein is president of INA and past-chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee for the 2022 convention. Dr. Aaron Bowman, INA President-elect, is chair of the Scientific Program Committee. Symposia at the INA convention will include: “Challenges and opportunities for using new approach methods data on developmental neurotoxicity for risk assessment and decision making”, “Leveraging functional assays and microphysiological systems for neurotoxicity screening”, “Unveiling the impact: How plastics affect the human brain”, as well as special symposium for postdoctoral and graduate student trainees. At least 11 other symposia are under development across a variety of topics relevant to chronic and acute neurological diseases with environmental etiologies. Two poster sessions are planned, and Dr. Amy Kind, University Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has agreed to provide the plenary Jacob Hoosima presentation, entitled “The power of social exposome research to catalyze real-world change: The case of Milwaukee Water Works lead pipe replacement plan”. Dr. Heidi Aase, head of Child Health and Development Department of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), in Oslo, Norway, has been selected as the Pioneer in Neurotoxicology awardee and will present the other keynote talk. Funding is needed to support travel and accommodations for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees to participate in the meeting. A write-up of the proceedings of the meeting will be submitted to the peer reviewed journal, NeuroToxicology, a leading journal in the field.