MCBIOS

I am honored to serve as the 18th president of MidSouth Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Society (MCBIOS). The mission of MCBIOS is to foster networking and collaboration and to promote the professional development of members and supporting our student members. In its early years, the MCBIOS organization began as a grassroots effort spearheaded by a small group of researchers. Having served in different capacities within MCBIOS, over the past decade, I have enjoyed getting to see firsthand how the society has grown in membership and in the breadth and depth of scientific expertise. The society has also developed unique strategies to support training and development for the populations of trainees we serve. It is highly encouraging to see that the founders’ vision for the organization has come to fruition and is testament to what we see each year within the scope of activities organized by the society. Our society-sponsored events, such as the annual conference and the drug discovery and development colloquium continue to attract talented scientists from across the globe who gather together for the sharing of scientific information to advance our understanding in many areas. MCBIOS has emerged from the recalibration during the global pandemic as a solid organization that continues to withstand the test of time.

We are well poised now in a era of ultra super computing, big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The MCBIOS organization is well suited for this era. As a robust organization with diverse talents and skills, we are well equipped with members to fill in the several skills gaps highlighted in the recent bureau of labor statistics by the US Department of Labor. Therefore, we must continue to position ourselves in the right place at the right time. My vision for MCBIOS is an organization that holds firm to its founding principles, embraces opportunities and new initiatives, and most importantly maintains our promises to trainees by providing resources for the next pipeline of scientists. Over the next year we will focus on these core areas:

• Building resilience and sustainability for the organization.
• Providing resources and collaborative opportunities to integrate biological data with advanced technologies.
• Fostering an environment of articulated dialogue with industry stakeholders.
• Providing teaching and learning opportunities to help nurture the next generation of scientists.

I encourage and welcome the scientific community to join us and connect with us via social media to stay updated on upcoming events such as the career development webinar series and our 2023 annual conference; via LinkedIn and Facebook. Over the coming months, we will be sharing more information on upcoming webinar dates, 2023 conference call for session proposals, abstract deadlines and more. Many thanks for all of your continued support and well wishes!

Sincerely,
Inimary Toby, PhD
President, Mid-South Computational Biology & Bioinformatics Society
Assistant Professor | Department of Biology
Community Assistance Research-affiliated Faculty
University of Dallas | Constantin College of Liberal Arts