Dr. Ansam Sawalha, founding director of the Poison Control and Drug Information Center (PCDIC) at An-Najah participated in the North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology (NACCT) in Denver, Colorado. The meeting included several sections and new themes including up-to-date management of patients poisoned with different substances such as analgesics, antidepressants, cough and cold medications, and others. The participants also discussed the evidence-based treatment of pesticide poisoning, particularly organophosphates and paraquat.

 
During the conference, several experts gave lectures regarding poison preventions, causes of poisoning, safe storage of medications and chemicals, unsupervised ingestions and child resistant containers. It was strongly emphasized that medications and chemicals should be in child resistant containers. Such containers only delay access to what is inside the bottles but do not prevent it completely.

Other lectures were delivered which discussed the new antidotes that were approved recently. There were other sessions for poison centers' activities and research, strengths and weaknesses, and methods of improvement. Plant toxicology and toxinology, as well as toxicology simulation treatment dolls were used to train participants on poison management. 

Dr. Sawalha presented a manuscript about Pesticide poisoning in Palestine. The topic received much interest, and Dr. Sawalha was invited to write it up and publish it in one of the well-known toxicology journals. Dr. Sawalha also participated in the section about Lead, its blood levels and its correlation with IQ values. 

The Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center invited Dr. Sawalha to deliver a speech about the PCDIC and the Palestinian situation regarding poisoning. Dr. Sawalha spoke about analysis of poisoning cases, the research conducted at PCDIC especially GIS utilization, blood lead level, antidote stocking, and others.

 
A meeting for MENA toxicology group was held close to the Congress, in which extensive discussion went on regarding sharing of the software, representing each individual country. The participants also decided to hold the next meeting in Cyprus.

At the end of the NACCT, Dr. Kent Olsen was recognized as a major contributor to toxicology and an author of several books in the field. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) inaugurated its new board at the NACCT. Dr. Sawalha requested that the new board considers allowing international centers to join it if they comply with its requirements.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Sawalha presented the University Award to Dr. Rick Dart, Director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, and Dr. Greg Bogdan, Research Director at the Center. Dr. Sawalha expressed her thankfulness to both the Rocky Mountain Poison Center Administration and to An-Najah University for enabling her to attend the NACCT and represent Palestine in this significant event.