Risk Assessment Syllabus
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Risk assessment is a multidisciplinary approach which underpins decision-making processes in protecting human and environmental health. In the risk assessment paradigm, risk management decisions are informed via a risk characterization which uses scientific knowledge to identify potential hazards, determine dose-response relationships, and evaluate exposure potential. While this fundamental paradigm has not changed since first defined in the 1970s, the discipline is evolving in scope and methodology, with an increased need to effectively communicate potential risks (risk communication) to an increasingly skeptical public. Unlike other scientific disciplines, risk assessment is not strictly technical in nature due to its location at the interface between science and regulation/policy. Current developments affecting risk assessment are exemplified by the adoption of systematic review techniques into evidence integration strategies, as well as new legislation promoting the use of novel data streams, such as New Approach Methods (NAMs), to support decision-making.
Given its inherent complexity and often specific focus, key concepts in risk assessment are frequently not comprehensively addressed in educational programs for individual disciplines such as exposure sciences, toxicology, and epidemiology. As a result, current trainees and post-graduate professionals can benefit from educational opportunities that convey both fundamental concepts of risk assessment, and how these concepts are applied in health evaluations. The Society of Toxicology Risk Assessment Specialty Section (SOT/ RASS) has developed a dedicated “Risk Assessment Syllabus” series of educational events to convey key concepts and enhance the understanding of contemporary topics in the risk assessment sciences to members of the SOT. This training series complements both the existing RASS webinar series on contemporary topics in the science, and other RASS-related mentoring initiatives. The objectives of the syllabus are to provide participants with an introduction to the fundamental concepts and terminology associated with chemical risk assessment, and to offer perspectives on the application of risk assessment principles to inform decision-making practices. Trainees are provided with valuable insights of the potential importance of risk assessment in their sector-specific professional careers as well as a knowledge of the skills which would enhance their potential transition into a risk assessment career track. Instructors and panelists are experts and leading practitioners in their fields from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies such as US EPA. For current professionals, the syllabus provides an opportunity to refresh and advance their understanding of risk assessment principles while allowing an opportunity to develop sector-specific perspectives on contemporary topics in human and environmental health sciences. Much of the curriculum being used in the Syllabus comes from the Risk Assessment Training and Experience (RATE) catalog of courses which was designed for training US EPA staff.