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October 31, 2007

ULM toxicology department to celebrate 25th anniversary Nov. 2

The Toxicology Department and the College of Pharmacy at the University of Louisiana at Monroe will host a banquet Friday, Nov. 2 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Toxicology Undergraduate Program.

To date, the Toxicology Program has graduated close to 400 B.S. students trained to make “good decisions” about chemical risks to the environment and human health, said Dr. Kevin Baer, toxicology department head. “Toxicology graduates have made significant contributions in the areas of industrial hygiene, forensics, and industrial, regulatory, and environmental toxicology.”

Dr. Paul W. Ferguson will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Ferguson began the first three years of his academic career as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology in ULM's College of Pharmacy, during which he was instrumental in establishing the Toxicology Program at ULM, the first of its kind in the south.

Following a five-year appointment as Senior Toxicologist for Unocal Corporation in Los Angeles, Dr. Ferguson returned to ULM where he served for the next five years as Professor and Head of the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Director of the Toxicology Program.

In 1993 Dr. Ferguson was appointed Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at ULM and additionally served as Vice Provost from 1995-1999. Currently, Dr. Ferguson is Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a joint appointment as Professor of Pharmacology/Toxicology and Biology. Dr. Ferguson’s talk will focus on the history of the Toxicology Program and end with “Toxicology and the New Millennium: Using Best Practices to Address Recurrent Issues”.

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