This year, ASPET announced that 13 awardees would participate in the 2025–26 Washington Fellows program. The program’s mission is to enable developing and early-career scientists interested in science policy to learn about and become more engaged in public policy issues. This year’s class focused on a diverse variety of issues to further their interest in government and science policy, culminating in actionable policy briefs, and we are proud to present portions of their briefs below. To access the full brief, click on the PDF links below. And to learn more about this year’s class of Washington Fellows, visit the program’s site.
In a brief six-month period, from December 2018 to June 2019, 30 horses died at the Santa Anita racetrack in California (home of Seabiscuit, the legendary champion). The horses had been euthanized after sustaining catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries either during their high-speed morning workouts or their afternoon races. Officials temporarily shut down the racetrack, while they investigated the track conditions and the drugs the horses had received. As an extra precaution, they initiated a ban on furosemide (Lasix). Although furosemide has legitimate uses, there was evidence that it could also enhance the horses’ performance.
A Recap of the ASPET 2026 Annual Meeting. From May 17–20, over 1,000 researchers and scientists gathered in Minneapolis to share their latest insights and breakthroughs, network with colleagues and peers, connect with their committees, divisions, and boards, and explore all aspects of the world of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics. Thank you to all who attended and presented for making the ASPET 2026 Annual Meeting such a wonderful experience!
It’s hard not to feel, when talking with Chloe Kirk, PhD, an infectious energy whenever she discusses science. That energy, which holds both an intellectual restlessness and profound curiosity, led her from degrees in Molecular Biology and Legal Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Miami, and then to an intersection of science and law at a Washington, DC-based patent office. And now she’s found her calling, that of one of the preeminent voices in the relatively new field of Science Communications (SciComm).
AMSPC and ASPET began a collaborative webinar series this year called “Future Leaders in Pharmacology” that gives visibility to early career scientists—nominated by department chairs or ASPET division chairs—who show promise as future leaders in the field, an important aide to young scientists entering a crowded job market during a uncertain time for science. But, like ASPET and other leading associations within their fields, AMSPC has been resilient during this turbulent period and provided support for members and students through its annual conference, advocacy, and continued focus on advancing scientific knowledge.
William Coley stood helplessly beside Elizabeth “Bessie” Dashiell’s hospital bed when she died on January 23, 1891. When he began treating 17-year-old Bessie four months earlier, he had just completed his surgical internship under two prominent surgeons (William T. Bull and Robert F. Weir) at New York Hospital and had already shown great promise as a surgeon himself.
ASPET Members Impacting the Greater Good. In honor of Black History Month, we had the wonderful opportunity to chat with three ASPET members about their distinguished careers, their thoughts on the recent changes in funding and its effects on the future of pharmacology, and the impact of the scientific community on their lives.
For any scientist, publishing can be a transformational moment in your career and a necessary service to the scientific community. Not only does publication place your work among the top researchers working today but, as Ana Marušić, former president of the Council of Science Editors, said, “Scientific articles are the most important measure of scientific achievement.”
For most of recorded history, the greatest threat to the armed forces has come not from battlefield injuries but rather from infectious diseases, for which effective drugs were needed.
An interview with three distinguished members of ASPET about the society, and how it helped them navigate their careers. As our field adapts to new technologies, unpredictable federal policies, and evolving academic structures, ASPET must similarly adapt to best serve our members. As these three interviews with distinguished ASPET members makes clear, change is something that every scientist must expect, and membership in ASPET can be an invaluable aid in both developing career paths and furthering research.
