Study objective
The aim of the course is the professional training of toxicologists, i.e. experts in chemical safety. The impact of numerous chemicals on humans, the environment and the climate is an area of great social interest. This is evidenced not least by the damage to health and the environment caused by chemical substances in the past. Such incidents have sometimes been catastrophic in scale and have caused extraordinary public concern. In view of the increasing use of new chemical compounds, such events are possible again at any time in the future. In order to minimize the likelihood of harmful effects of new substances on humans, the environment and the climate, it is important to experimentally assess their effects and thus train experts who are able to generate and evaluate the relevant data. It is equally important that clinical staff and the responsible authorities are able to correctly recognize, assess and treat poisoning scenarios. As part of these tasks, toxicology experts should know the mechanisms of action underlying a harmful effect at the cellular, biochemical and molecular level or be able to investigate them adequately.
Through this responsible activity, trained toxicologists thus make a socially valuable contribution to targeted risk assessment, successful risk management and prudent risk communication, with the aim of optimizing the protection of the population from harmful and hazardous substances.
Today, toxicological knowledge is at the center of numerous professional fields of activity, which are subfields of toxicology:
- Preclinical and clinical toxicology, drug toxicology
- Food, luxury food and cosmetics toxicology, toxicology of commodity chemicals, pesticides, natural substances, plastics, etc.
- Occupational medicine and forensic toxicology
- Environmental toxicology, ecotoxicology
- Risk assessment, risk communication, risk management, regulatory toxicology.
The knowledge and skills required to carry out toxicological activities are taught internationally through extensive university training programs. At European level, guidelines have been issued for the training and registration of qualified toxicologists (EUROTOX, ERT Guidelines for Registration) and the training content for “Health Risk Assessor of Chemicals” has been defined as a European standard (CEN European Committee for Standardization. CEN/TC 416: Health risk assessment of chemicals-Requirements for the provision of training. EN 16736:2015). The aim of the university course in toxicology at the Medical University of Vienna is to provide qualified postgraduate training in toxicology in accordance with the European guidelines and standards in their current version, which enables graduates to work at an international level.
Qualification profile
In accordance with the Dublin Descriptors, the university course in Toxicology provides qualifications corresponding to the completion of the third study cycle according to the Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area (level 7).
During a comprehensive three-year theoretical and practical training program, participants acquire a systematic understanding of the subject of toxicology and knowledge of the skills and methods used in this field. By means of the final Master's thesis, the successful graduate demonstrates the ability to design and independently conduct complex scientific or regulatory assessments or evaluations, as well as to expand the boundaries of knowledge through research and/or application of new findings.
The successful graduate is able to critically analyze and evaluate chemical-related risks and to develop new, complex concepts for the identification of such risks. He/she will be able to make significant advances in the field of toxicology and communicate with his/her professional environment, internationally qualified scientists and society in general about his/her field of specialization.
Graduates acquire skills in the field of diversity in medicine and gender medicine and are able to assess the relationship between the core dimensions of diversity (socioeconomic status, ethnicity/origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, worldview/religion) and health status (in relation to the field of toxicology).
In detail, the university course in toxicology imparts theoretical and practical knowledge and skills that enable graduates:
- The graduate has knowledge of the proven harmful effects of chemical substances on humans and their environment and the ability to recognize potential further harmful effects and to characterize their development at the cellular, biochemical and molecular level.
- The graduate is able to carry out or further develop the toxicological examination and assessment of chemical substances in research laboratories of the university, authorities, industry or other institutions.
- The:Graduate is able to quantify the probability of a chemical substance causing harm (risk assessment) and to develop measures for prevention and therapy (risk management).
- The graduate has the skills to participate in health policy decisions in national and international authorities (substance assessment, authorization procedures, derivation of limit values for the protection of humans and the environment, risk-benefit assessment, risk management, risk communication).
- The graduate is qualified to act in an advisory capacity in the treatment of patients (diagnosis and therapy of cases of poisoning).
- The graduate thus fulfills the qualification of a responsible person.