Phronesis Scientific Consulting Announces New Strategic Relationship.

Phronesis Scientific Consulting has relationships with a number of strategic partners throughout the United States that expands the firm’s capabilities. We are pleased to announce that we have recently developed a strategic relationship with SFA Toxicology and Environmental Services and it’s principal, Dr. Nicholas P. Skoulis. This strategic relationship is particularly rewarding given the long professional relationship and close friendship between Phronesis Scientific Consulting’s founder, Dr. Michael J. Wernke, and Dr. Skoulis, which began when they shared an office while graduate students at the University of Cincinnati.

SFA Toxicology and Environmental Services was established to assist clients with all of their regulatory toxicology and ecotoxicology needs. Their specialties include:

• Development of testing strategies and oversight of laboratory and field studies
• Preparation of dossiers and response documents to support product registration
• Communication and interaction with global regulatory authorities, including the use of existing data to reduce or waive testing requirements
• Evaluation, interpretation, and quality review of toxicology and ecotoxicology data
• Technical litigation support related to historic practices, environmental contamination, and product safety
• Performance of human health and ecological assessments, and evaluation of wastewater treatment alternatives
• Conduct of industrial hygiene and worker exposure studies

SFA Toxicology and Environmental Services’ principals have extensive hands-on experience working closely with clients and collaborating with scientists throughout the world in order to establish or support product registrations, and they have held senior management positions with chemical and personal care product manufacturers, contract research organizations, and consulting firms.

Joining Dr. Skoulis at SFA Toxicology and Environmental Services as a  principal is Dr. Timothy J. Ward, an ecotoxicologist with degrees in  biology, marine science, and environmental science as well as 40 years of experience designing and managing ecotoxicology, environmental fate, and product properties studies. Dr. Ward has consulted on ecological risk assessments, provided scientific litigation support, and negotiated with regulatory agencies. He has extensive knowledge regarding guidelines and regulations in these areas, including quality assurance and GLP requirements. 

Phronesis Scientific Consulting’s Founder and Senior Toxicologist Dr. Michael Wernke was recently recognized for his commitment, contribution, and over 25 years of membership by the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) and the Society of Toxicology (SOT). The Society for Risk Analysis, established in 1980, is a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, scholarly, international society that provides an open forum for all those who are interested in risk analysis. The Society of Toxicology (SOT), founded in 1961, is a professional and scholarly organization of scientists from academic institutions, government, and industry representing the great variety of scientists who practice toxicology in the US and abroad. The Society of Toxicology is dedicated to developing knowledge for the improvement of the health and safety of living beings and the protection of their environment.

December 7th – 10th, Denver, Colorado.

Dr. Michael Wernke of Phronesis Scientific Consulting will be attending and presenting at the 2014 SRA meeting in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Wernke, and co-authors Mr. Ryan D. McGee, Mr. Robert Frantz, and Ms. Kathryn Wurzel, MPH, DABT, will be presenting a paper entitled, Have Gun - Will Travel. Lead Contamination and Health Risk Assessment in Public Buildings that Previously Housed Indoor Firing Ranges. The paper will be presented on Monday, December 8th, from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Sheraton Denver.

Click on the link below to view the presentation:

October 17th – 24th, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dr. Michael Wernke of Phronesis Scientific Consulting will be attending and presenting at the 2014 NACCT meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Wernke, and co-authors Mr. Ryan D. McGee, Mr. Robert  Frantz, and Ms. Kathryn Wurzel, MPH, DABT, will be presenting a paper entitled, Indoor Firing Range as a Source of Lead in a School. The paper will be presented on Sunday, October 19, 2014 from 9:30 am to 10:30 am at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, and is abstract number 95. The abstract will also be published in an upcoming edition of Clinical Toxicology.

Click on the link below to view the presentation:

Phronesis Scientific Consulting and its founding member and senior toxicologist, Dr. Michael Wernke, have been mentioned in several January 2014 news articles arising out of Helena, Montana. These articles stem  from a lead investigation being conducted at a Middle School in Helena that used to house a small arms firing range. Dr. Wernke, along with environmental scientists from A.L.M. Consulting, LLC and Indoor/Outdoor Environmental, LLC, have been assisting school officials with identification and remediation of lead contamination throughout the school. Links to the articles mentioning Phronesis Scientific Consulting and Dr. Wernke are as follows:

• C.R. Anderson students to return to school Tuesday
• C.R. Anderson to close library, music rooms for lead testing
• Rooms closed for lead testing at C.R. Anderson

Phronesis Scientific Consulting has relationships with a number of strategic partners throughout the United States that expands the firm’s capabilities into such areas as occupational and pulmonary medicine, health and social impact assessment, water resources, hydrogeology, and risk communication. We have recently developed a strategic relationship with Forest Resource Solutions, Inc. and its founder, Dr. Craig Hedman. Forest Resource Solutions provides professional services in the areas of forest management (silvicultural prescriptions, prescribed burning, water quality BMP assessments), riparian area ecology and management, wetland and upland habitat restoration (prescriptions, implementation, monitoring), watershed management, landscape ecology, threatened and endangered (T&E) species conservation and management, vegetation and wildlife species inventories, wetlands delineation, wetlands mitigation and conservation banking, federal and state environmental permitting (wetlands and T&E species), environmental assessments (NEPA, project development and environmental studies), site assessments concerning property land-use alternatives, research study design and evaluations, technical writing, and staff oversight.

Phronesis Scientific Consulting’s web designer, Dean Gaier, is now an Airman First Class with the Ohio Air National Guard. Dean recently attended eight and a half weeks of Air Force basic training in San  Antonio, Texas, where he was elected Dorm Chief and was in charge of 45 fellow trainees. As Dorm Chief, Dean was responsible for ensuring all tasks were properly completed and maintaining order when the Military Training Instructor was not present. During his training Dean was awarded the Warhawk Award, which is given to each recruit who achieves a 100% on physical tests. These accomplishments were in part responsible for Dean becoming an Honor Graduate, which is awarded to the top 10% of the graduating class (approximately 650 Airmen). Dean is currently stationed in San Angelo, Texas and attending technical school in preparation for his specific duties. Following his training Dean will continue to be an important part of Phronesis Scientific Consulting while serving in the Ohio Air National Guard as well as continuing his education at the University of Cincinnati. We are honored to have him as part of our team.

The Encyclopedia of Toxicology provides an extensive overview of topics related to the effects of chemical and select biological and physical agents on the health of humans, other animals and the environment. The text is used by professional toxicologists and those in related fields, including physicians, industrial hygienists, risk assessors, epidemiologists, lawyers, journalists, and the public at  large.

Dr. Michael Wernke of Phronesis Scientific Consulting authored five chapters in the upcoming 3rd edition of the Encyclopedia of Toxicology, all of which have been accepted for publication. The topics of the chapters authored by Dr. Wernke include: Isoprene; Ethyl Bromide; Diesel Exhaust; Freons; and Glycerol.

September 27 – October 2, Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Michael Wernke of Phronesis Scientific Consulting will be attending and presenting at the 2013 NACCT meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Wernke and co-author Ms. Kathryn Wurzel, MPH, DABT, will be presenting a paper entitled, Zinc-Containing Denture Adhesives, Toxicity and Causal Inference. The paper will be presented on Monday, September 30th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm at the Hyatt Regency, and is abstract number 147. The abstract will also be published in an upcoming edition of Clinical Toxicology.

Click on the link below to view the presentation.