Dear Colleagues,

At the 13th International Conference on Environmental Mutagens (ICEM), which took place in Ottawa, Canada in August/September 2022, I was formally inaugurated as the incoming president of the International Association of Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Societies (IAEMGS). I am deeply honoured to accept the presidency of this prestigious organization. I am extremely grateful to the outgoing president, Dr Paul White, for his dedicated service between the 2017 and 2022. He has worked tirelessly to support the principles of the IAEMGS and in particular, has raised significant funds to support early career researchers to attend meetings of regional societies and the ICEM in Canada.

The IAEMGS includes thousands of global members from 10 regional EMGS’s worldwide. The mission of the IAEMGS, as stated in the most recent (2013) version of the constitution, is “to generate and communicate globally scientific information based upon current research and best scientific practice”. More specifically, the organization is expected to “(1) develop an understanding of the mutational basis of human disease, environmental effects, and human risk for genetic-related disease resulting from induced mutational events; (2) promote science-based risk assessment activities and regulatory policies on issues of environmental and human health; (3) facilitate international agreement on acceptable methodologies and technologies in these fields; (4) provide education and training to scientists towards these ends, and promote informed public awareness on issues of the mutational basis of human disease and risk; and (5) promote collaborative research at the international level on the mutational basis of human disease, new methodologies and technologies in the field, and the application of new information to the risk assessment process”.

The IAEMGS principally oversees the organisation of the 4-yearly ICEM meeting as well as supporting regional meetings. It is also involved in supporting the organisation of the IWGT workshops that traditionally sit alongside the ICEM meetings. A distinct lack of funding of IAEMGS in recent years has curtailed its ability to fully address aspects outlined in its own constitution. IAEMGS remains relevant to the global genotoxicity field through its organisation of the 4-yearly ICEM. However, we must consider how IAEMGS can make an impact between these 4-yearly meetings. I would like to see IAEMGS helping young researchers attend regional meetings as well as ICEM meetings and we need to work with regional societies to support the next generation of genetic toxicologists. This is particularly needed in those regional societies based in countries with low and middle income economies. We should focus our efforts to level-up the genetic toxicology playing field. The Executive of the IAEMGS will be having discussions over the coming year to update our constitution to reflect current realities, as well as seeking opportunities to grow funding to use to achieve its mission.

Best Wishes

Professor Gareth Jenkins
President, IAEMGS
October 2022