2026 ACMT Risk Assessment & Risk Communication Boot Camp|Quantifying Risk – The Facts, Communicating Risk – The Feelings

On-Demand

Join the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) for a skills-focused pre-symposium that pairs the science of human health risk assessment with the art of effective risk communication. Designed for medical and clinical toxicologists, participants will be walked through how environmental and regulatory risk assessment frameworks are applied in practice—and how to translate those complex assessments into clear, trustworthy conversations with patients, communities, and other stakeholders. While the content is geared to medical toxicologists, public health professionals will benefit from this training as well. Public health practitioner participation will enhance the training and allow for medical toxicologists and public health to learn from each other.

The first half of programming highlights how federal and state agencies (e.g., USEPA, FDA, state health departments) evaluate chemical exposures in settings such as hazardous waste sites, workplaces, homes, diet, and drinking water. Participants will see how risk assessors derive and use toxicity values, screening levels, and guideline values for contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals (e.g., lead, arsenic), and PFAS, and how uncertainty, variability, multiple-chemical exposure, and sensitive populations are handled in real-world decisions.

The second half shifts to the psychology and practice of risk communication. Using research on risk perception, emotion, and trust, faculty will explore why “just the facts” approaches so often fail—and what to do instead. Through discussion and a worked example, participants will practice planning and executing a risk communication effort that both respects people’s feelings and improves understanding of risk-related choices.

Learner Objectives

After attending the event, participants should be able to:

• Describe and apply environmental and public health risk assessment frameworks used by agencies (e.g., USEPA, FDA, state health departments), including the distinction between hazard and risk assessment, development of toxicity values, and use of screening/guideline values while accounting for uncertainty, multiple chemicals, and sensitive populations. 

• Explain key insights from cognitive psychology on risk perception—why people’s fears may not align with quantitative estimates of risk, and why “facts-only” communication often fails without attention to feelings, context, and trust.

• Apply practical strategies for planning and carrying out effective risk communication efforts in medical and clinical toxicology and public health setting

Continuing Education

Continuing Education credit for this activity is included in the registration fee. Accreditation is provided by AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare, and registrants will be able to claim up to 5.25 credits for learning and change.

You may also be interested in:

AACT Pop Tox Symposium    ACMT Toxicosurveillance Symposium   

#ACMT2026 Main Conference

Questions?

Please write to ACMT at [email protected]

Registration Rates

Registration includes:

• 90-day access to all course content
• Access to the speaker slides
• 5.25 Continuing Education Certificate. Available credits: Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE).

Member Rates

Non-Member Rates

ACMT Membership

ACMT Members receive a discounted rate. Interested in becoming an ACMT Member? Contact our Membership Team at [email protected]. Learn more at: www.acmt.net/membership

Refunds and Cancellations

For information on ACMT's Cancellation and refund policy, click here.

Questions?

For any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Syllabus

Risk Assessment Overview for Medical and Clinical Toxicologists (Including Case Studies, Q&A, Discussion)

Philip Goodrum, PhD, DABT, Principal Toxicologist, GSI Environmental

Join Dr. Goodrum as he distinguishes between hazard assessment and risk assessment, and how these concepts inform the derivation and application of screening levels, guideline values, and other health-based criteria. Through the session expect to gain an understanding of how toxicity values are derived for calculating risks associated with cancer and non-cancer effects from chemical exposure, why certain conventions are applied to introduce safety factors, and how variability and uncertainty can be effectively characterized and communicated.

Risk Communication Overview for Medical Toxicologists

David Ropeik, Risk Communication Expert, Retired Harvard Instructor, Author

Dr. Ropeik provides a more holistic concept of what risk communication actually is. He summarizes the cognitive psychology research on the subjective nature of risk perception; explaining why people’s fears so often don't match the facts, and why people often remain resistant to a “just the facts” approach to risk communication.

Exercises/Q&A/Discussion

David Ropeik, Risk Communication Expert, Retired Harvard Instructor, Author

Using the previous course as a foundation, participants build practical skills that can be applied in their professional risk communication interactions.

Continuing Education

Live and Enduring continuing education credits for Physicians and Pharmacists is provided by AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare. It is expected that learners will receive up to 5.25 credits for learning and change

Available Continuing Educations Credits:

• Continuing Medical Education (CME)

• Continuing Pharmacist Education (CPE)

Activity Overview

The activity supports clinicians’ roles in exposure assessment, patient counseling, public health response, regulatory consultation, and interdisciplinary risk communication.

Target Audience

This activity is designed for an audience of: Physicians, Pharmacists

 Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the educational activity, participants should be able to:

Risk Assessment Overview for Medical and Clinical Toxicologists:

• Develop an understanding of the key components of risk assessment frameworks that are used by environmental regulatory and public health agencies to assess risks from chemical exposure under occupational and residential settings.
• Distinguish between hazard assessment and risk assessment, and how these concepts inform the derivation and application of screening levels, guideline values, and other health-based criteria.
• Develop an understanding of how toxicity values are derived for calculating risks associated with cancer and non-cancer effects from chemical exposure, why certain conventions are applied to introduce safety factors and how variability and uncertainty can be effective.

 Risk Communication Overview for Medical and Clinical Toxicologists: 

• Provide a more holistic concept of what risk communication actually is. Given the inherently subjective/emotional nature of human cognition, dispassionate fact-based objective rationality about risk is unachievable. Trying to impose a purely evidence-based view of a risk on people whose see things through the lens of their feelings can’t work, and by ignoring their feelings produces more conflict rather than less.
• Summarize the cognitive psychology research on the subjective nature of risk perception; explaining why people’s fears so often don't match the facts, and why people often remain resistant to a “just the facts” approach to risk communication. 

Criteria for Success

To obtain a certificate of completion, a score of 70% or better on the post-test is required. Please proceed with the activity until you have successfully completed this program, answered all test questions, completed the post-test and evaluation, and have received a digital copy of your certificate.  You must participate in the entire activity to receive credit. If you have questions about this activity.

Please claim your credit by June 22, 2027

If you have questions about this CE activity, please contact AKH Inc at [email protected]

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare and American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT). AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. If you are seeking continuing education credit for a specialty not listed above, it is your responsibility to contact your licensing/certification board to determine course eligibility for your licensing/certification requirement.

Physicians

AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare designates this enduring material for a maximum of 5.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Pharmacists

AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare, designates this continuing education activity for 5.25 contact hours.

Instructions

Once you have completed your registration:

1. Click on the Contents tab. This is where you will be able to see all lectures and required content for this course.
2. Watch all lectures. Learners will be required to watch at least 3/4 of the video before it will be marked as complete.
3. Complete the Post-Test. These questions are based on content from the lectures and require a 70% to pass.
4. Complete the CE Survey. These questions are required to claim your CE certificate.
5. Once you have completed all other components, you will be able to claim your CE certificate.

Hardware/Software Requirements

Computer or Other Internet-Enabled Device; Internet Connection; Browser. 

Materials

None. 

Prerequisites

None.

Format

This is a self-guided course with CME and CPE.

Need Assistance or Have Questions?

For assistance logging in, accessing content, purchasing or completing Continuing Education credits, or for other questions, please contact us at [email protected] or visit our FAQ page.

If you are in need of accessible learning accommodations, please contact [email protected] for additional assistance.