ABSA 2nd Biosecurity Symposium

ABSA International will host the 2nd Biosecurity Hybrid Symposium 3-6 May 2022 in a hybrid virtual and in-person format in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The hybrid symposium will consist of papers, presentations, keynotes, posters, valuable networking opportunities, and in-person exhibits. Attendees may register for the in-person event or the virtual event.

The event will gather biosecurity professionals from a wide range of disciplines with varying expertise to share their experiences and knowledge and to learn from each other. The agenda includes themes on biosecurity governance, implementation, personnel reliability, bioeconomy, biosecurity in DIYbio communities, biosecurity training, cyberbiosecurity, and interactive discussions on lessons learned and public engagement for the future.

The symposium will showcase thought-provoking leaders and pioneering researchers from various traditional and non-traditional fields that intersect with biosecurity. A segment on new and emerging topics in biosecurity will also be featured.

Highlighted sessions include:

• Biosecurity: Past, Present, and Future: Vibeke Halkjaer-Knudsen, PhD, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM
• Enhancing Security for Emerging Biotechnologies through Collaboratively Designed Exercises: Julie E. Fischer, PhD, CRDF Global, Arlington, VA
• Preventing Future Pandemics: The Critical Role of Biosecurity in Global Health Security: Samantha Dittrich, PhD, Merrick & Company, Arlington, VA
• Enhancing Biosecurity Globally Through Implementation of Personal Reliability Programs: Brittany Linkous, MS, Merrick & Company, Arlington, VA
• Biosecurity and the Bioeconomy: J. Bradley Dickerson, PhD, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM
• Lab Design Matters: Maria Landron, DrPH, Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), Silver Spring, MD
• Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists: Gigi Kwik Gronvall, PhD, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Baltimore, MD
• Concentric by Ginkgo: Building a Biosecurity and Public Health Platform for the Present and Future: Brian Renda, PhD, Ginkgo Bioworks, Boston, MA
• Regional Legal Framework as a Basis and an Enhancer of Biosafety and Biosecurity in the African Union Member States: Jaures Arnaud Noumedem Kenfack, Africa Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria
• Infectious Disease as a Security Threat and the Role of Public Health Emergency Management in Biodefense and Biosecurity: A COVID-19 Case Study: Ryan S. Houser, MS, MPH, Tetra Tech, Parsippany, NJ
• Biosecurity Capacity Building Through a Biosecurity Champions Fellowship Program in Pakistan: Samreen Sarwar, M.Phil, Health Security Partners, Lahore, Pakistan
• Identifying and Avoiding Common Mistakes in Risk and Threat Management: Lauren Richardson, DVM, MPH, Merrick and Company, Arlington, VA
• Beyond Training: Using Behavioral Science to Motivate Proactive Biorisk Management: Daniel Greene, PhD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
• Community Driven Genome Engineering Biosecurity Workshop: Industry Practices, Resources, and Opportunities: Beth Vitalis, Inscripta, Boulder, CO

Please visit ABSA International’s 2nd Biosecurity Symposium website to register.