Dose-Response Boot Assessment Camp

Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. How long is the course and what is the cost?

The course will be a five-day course with a whole day session each day. The course will start in the morning of the first day (Monday) and end in the late afternoon of last day (Friday).

 

The course fee is as follows:

 

General: $2450

State/Locaal/Tribal Employee: $1950

 

 

2. Who should attend this course?

 

bullet Risk assessors and toxicologists who conduct and write chemical assessments

bullet Risk assessors and toxicologists who review chemical assessments

bullet Risk managers or policymakers who use the results of chemical assessments and want to fully understand the processes involved in risk value development

 

 

3. Are there any knowledge prerequisites for the course?

 

Although this course will cover the basic principles in noncancer and cancer risk assessment, the main focus of the training will be on latest dose response analysis methodology. Therefore, basic training and understanding of toxicology would be ideal for taking the full advantage of this course.

 

 

4. Will an advanced scientist gain any new insights from the training or will it just be a refresher course for them?

 

Since this course is designed to provide training on latest methods used in risk assessment, an advanced scientist will not only refresh his/her knowledge in traditional methods, but also will systematically learn the up-to-date methods and guidelines for hazard identification and dose response analysis. In addition, several of the examples and class questions address issues that senior risk assessors encounter and wrestle with.

 

 

5. How do I register for the course?

 

You can register the course by several ways: email, fax or regular mail. See the Boot Camp brochure and Registration form for more details. Since the class size is limited to 32 participants, the registration is on a first come, first served basis. Full payment (in US funds) must be received to process your registration. After TERA processes your registration, you will receive a confirmation email. Once the course is full, a waiting list will be developed in the event a spot opens in the course due to a cancellation.

 

 

6. Could I register for the course but pay the registration fee later?

 

Due to limited space, you must pay the full course fee in order to reserve a place in the class.

 

 

7. What forms of payment do you accept? Does online payment use a secure server?

 

We accept payment as either credit card (Mastercards or Visa) or check. All payments should be made in U.S. Dollars.

 

 

8. What if I need to cancel after I’ve already registered? Will I get a full refund?

 

Cancellations and substitutions are allowed. However, there are several deadline specific for each course determining the amount of refund available for cancellations. Please check the specific courses for the cancellation policy refund dates. All requests for substitutions or cancellations must be made in writing via email to Ms. Ayers at ayers@tera.org.

 

9. Could my colleague attend the boot camp for me?

 

If you have registered the class, but for some reason, you could not attend the boot camp, you can send your colleague instead. Substitutions are allowed with and additional charge, please check the specific dates for each schedule course. All requests for substitutions or cancellations must be made in writing vial email to Ms. Valerie Ayers.

 

 

10. Will a textbook or course materials be provided?

 

All participants will receive a comprehensive course handout package including presentation material, sample cases, and relevant software. No textbook will be provided.

 

 

11. Will the course come to a city near me or will I have to travel?

 

We have held courses in Ohio, Washington DC, Wyoming, Canada, and Brazil. We are always considering other locations for future boot camps.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact Dr. Bernard Gadagbui at gadagbui@tera.org or 513-542-7475 x104.

 

12. What kind of accommodations will be available if I have to travel?

 

TERA arranges the class room, presentation facility and refreshment breaks.  In addition, TERA makes arrangements with a hotel to set aside a block of sleeping rooms at a special rate for all of the participants.  All participants are responsible for making their own arrangements for airfare, transportation, lodging, and food.  

 

13. Who are the instructors and what are their affiliations?

 

All the instructors are scientists.  The scientists may vary from course to course, but the core instructors for the Boot Camp are listed below:

 

To be announced

 

14. What do I need to bring with me for the course?

 

Because there will be a lot of hands-on practice in calculation and dose-response modeling, it is recommended to bring a scientific calculator and a laptop computer.

 

 

15. Will computers be used for the course? Do I need a laptop to take the course?

 

Yes, computers will be used for conducting dose-response modeling and computers or calculators will be used for dosimetric adjustment calculations. In order to take full advantage of the hands-on practice, a laptop computer is highly recommended. TERA will not provide laptop computers to participants for practice purpose during the training course.

 

16. Is there any software needed or required to take the course?

 

Yes, we are going to use several software packages for the training. These software packages will be provided to all the participants.

 

 

17. Do I have to pre-install these software on my laptop before coming to the boot camp?

 

Due to some restrictions on government or industry computers, we sometimes can not install software on those restricted computers.  Therefore, it is recommended to have all the necessary software preinstalled and tested by your IT personal on those computers before coming to the training. Click Here for information about which software to download. 

 

 

18. Will the course be all theoretical or will there be hands on case study opportunities?

 

Most of the training cases are based on real assessment, and all the classes are designed with extensive hands-on exercise. A complex chemical case study will be provided to each participant as a comprehensive unifying exercise that participants will work on as part of daily homework. If you have a chemical of interest, you can use that as your homework assignment. Nevertheless, you need to bring all the key relevant references with you so that we can provide a comprehensive evaluation of the assessment at the final peer review.

 

 

19. What are the objectives of the course and what can I expect to have learned after I complete the course?

 

The objective of the course is to provide risk assessment scientists an opportunity to learn the latest dose response assessment methods used in chemical risk assessment. Participants will learn all the procedures involved in dose response assessment such as: principles of hazard identification, weight of evidence evaluation, evaluation of human relevance, dosimetric adjustment, dose response modeling, and derivation of uncertainty factors and chemical specific adjustment factors. The course will conclude with a hands-on practice on a comprehensive case study with a peer review evaluation. Upon completing the course, the participants will be able to derive risk values and evaluate procedures in noncancer and cancer risk assessments.

 

 

20. Can I attend a portion of the training or should the whole training be attended consecutively?

 

The choice of taking a portion of the training is not available at this time. It is highly recommended to take this course as a whole.

 

Dose-Response Assessment Boot Camp is a registered trademark of Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA).