USDA ARS 7th International Biosafety & Biocontainment Hybrid Symposium:
Biorisk Management in Modern Agriculture
Symposium Preliminary Program
(all times Eastern Time Zone)
The Opening Reception will be held on Monday, February 6 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm in the Exhibit Hall.
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
9:00 am – 4:00 pm Exhibits
8:00 – 8:10 am USDA Welcome: Continual Improvement—A Key Perspective in Managing Biorisk
Jeff Silverstein, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD
8:10 – 8:15 am ABSA Welcome
Rebecca Moritz, MS, CBSP(ABSA), Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Session I – Special Presentation and Keynote
Moderators: Joseph Kozlovac, MS, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD and Tracey Cekada, PhD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
8:15 – 9:00 am Safe Science: Promoting a Culture of Safety in Academic Research
Holden Thorpe, Science Family of Journals, Washington, DC
9:00 – 9:15 am Questions and Answers
9:15 – 10:00 am The Changing Landscape in Biological Risks: Implications for Biosecurity and One Health
James Stack, PhD, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
10:00 – 10:15 am Questions and Answers
10:15 – 10:45 am Exhibits, Posters, and Break
Session II – Applied Biorisk Research (Part 1)
Moderators: Roxann Motroni, DVM, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD and LouAnn Burnett, MS, CBSP(ABSA), Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM
10:45 – 11:05 am The Evidence Base for Laboratory Biosafety—Outcomes from the WOAH Biosafety Research Roadmap
Stuart Blacksell, PhD, MPH, RBP(ABSA), Mahidol University & Open University, Bangkok, Thailand
11:05 – 11:25 am Enabling a New U.S. Made BSL-4 Ensemble
Michael Rein, PhD, Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, Cambridge, MA
11:25 – 11:45 am Applied Research on the Control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease in the Field
Erica Spackman, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Athens, GA
11:45 – 12:00 pm Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
12:00 – 1:00 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Lunch
Session III – Applied Biorisk Research (Part 2)
Moderators: Jim Welch, Elizabeth R. Griffin Program, Kingsport, TN and Paul Meechan, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Catonsville, MD
1:00 – 1:20 pm From Bench to Field—EPA’s Research Supporting Biological Incident Response
Worth Calfee, PhD, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC
1:20 – 1:40 pm Evaluation of Shower-out Procedures on Virus Reduction
Dennis Bente, DVM, PhD, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
1:40 – 2:00 pm From Theory to Field Evidence: Feed and Feed Imports as Risk Factors for Introduction of Viral Disease
Todd Williams, PhD, Pipestone Veterinary Services, Pipestone, MN
2:00 – 2:20 pm Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
2:20 – 3:00 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Break
12:00 – 1:00 pm Virtual Focus Groups (online only)
Applied Biorisk research Gaps
Developing the Next Generation of Biorisk Management Professionals
Session IV – Applied Biorisk Research (Part 3)
Moderators: Richard Bauman, PhD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD and Eilyn Fabregas, MS, RBP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD
3:00 – 3:20 pm DHS Applied Agricultural Biosecurity Projects
Lindsay Gabbert, MPS, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Greenport, NY
3:20 – 3:40 pm Coordinating Proof-of-Inactivation Needs and Methods Across a Matrixed Facility
Reed Johnson, PhD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
3:40 – 4:40 pm Source Terms and Human Reliability in Biosafety
Rocco Casagrande, PhD, Gryphon Scientific, Washington, DC
4:40 – 5:00 pm Question and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
Congratulations to the Poster Award Winners!
USDA ARS Professional Poster Award
Adilene Gomez
University of California Riverside
Panic at the BSL3P!: Lessons Learned of a Chemical Effluent Decontamination System in a Plant Biocontainment Facility
USDA ARS Student Poster Award
Mohamed Abousenna
Central Laboratory for Evaluation of Veterinary Biologics
Emergency Response for Recently Isolated Foot and Mouth Disease Virus Type SAT2 in Egypt 2018
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Session V – On Farm Agriculture Business
Moderators: Danielle Lohman, PhD, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC and Hank Parker, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Retired
8:00 – 8:20 am Discovering the Need for Greater Awareness in Response and Resilience Planning to Manage On-Farm Biorisk Threatening the Fd+Ag sector
Adrian Self, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
8:20 – 8:40 am Pork Industry Biosecurity: Challenges and Opportunities
Lisa Becton, DVM, National Pork Board, Clive, IA
8:40 – 9:00 am Supply Chain Issues Impacting Veterinary Vaccine Manufacturing During a Crisis
Jessica Zweibahmer, BS, Medgene Labs, Brookings, SC
9:00 – 9:20 am Opportunities and Challenges Associated with Emerging Infectious Diseases
Mahesh Kumar, PhD, Zoetis, Inc., Kalamazoo, MI
9:20 – 9:40 am Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
9:40 – 10:10 am Exhibits, Posters, and Break
Session VI – Biocontainment Design and Operational Challenges
Moderators: John Henneman, MS, RBP(ABSA), Gilbane, North Lewisburg, OH and Barbara Owen, MPH, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Merck & Co., Inc., Skillman, NJ
10:10 – 10:30 am NBAF Animal Care Program: Wins, Challenges and Standup during the COVID-19 pandemic
Maggie Behnke, DVM, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS
10:30 – 10:50 am Managing Biosafety Requirements in Capital Projects: A Roadmap for Biosafety Facility Project Teams
Uwe Mueller-Doblies, MRCVS, Merck Sharp Dohme, Krems, Austria
10:50 – 11:10 am Transition to Proactive Planning in Biocontainment Operations—a Risk Based Approach
Miguel Grimaldo, DSc, M.Eng, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
11:10 – 11:30 am Research, Management and Operations in Plant Pathogen Containment Greenhouses
Doug Luster, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Fort Detrick, MD
11:30 – 11:50 am Defining and Testing Biocontainment Boundaries
Phil Waite, MSc, MSD, London, England and Giles Tremblay, Merrick & Company, Greenwood Village, CO
11:50 – 12:10 pm Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
12:10 – 1:10 pm Lunch in the Exhibit Hall
12:10 – 1:10 pm Virtual Focus Groups (online only)
Agriculture Biocontainment Design and Operational Challenges
Addressing In–the–Field Biorisk Issues
Session VII – Roundtable
Moderators: Barbara Owen, MPH, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Merck & Co, Inc., Skillman, NJ and Sarah Ziegler, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Sitero, LLC, Manhattan, KS
1:10 – 1:55 pm Effluent Decontamination Systems: Perspectives on Design, Validation, Operation, and Maintenance
Benjamin A’Hearn, PE, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA
David Harbourt, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), FDA, New Market, MD
Gary Schmidt, Progressive Recovery, Inc., Dupo, IL
Cory Ziegler, PE, P.Eng., Merrick & Company, Hogansville, GA
1:55 – 2:10 pm Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
2:10 – 2:55 pm Exhibits, Raffle, Posters, and Break
Session VIII – One Health Food Security and Biorisk
Moderators: Heather Allen, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC and Eilyn Fabregas, MS, RBP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD
2:55 – 3:15 pm 2022 U.S. HPAI Response and Lessons Learned
Julie Gauthier, DVM, U.S. Department of Agriculture—APHIS, Raleigh, NC
3:15 – 3:35 pm African Swine Fever: Challenges for Surveillance and the Threat to Global Food Security
Bonto Faburay, DVM, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Orient Point, NY
3:35 – 3:55 pm SARS-CoV-2 in North American Wildlife
Susan Shriner, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO
3:55 – 4:20 pm Communication in a crisis—Internal Communications vs. Public Outreach
Tanya Brown and Heather Gossel, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD
4:20–4:40 pm Arbovirus Diagnostics and Vaccine Challenges
Steve Whitehead, PhD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
4:40 – 5:00 pm Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
5:30 – 7:00 pm Networking and Poster Reception
Thursday, February 9, 2023
8:00 – 8:10 am Announcement of Poster Awards
Hank Parker, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Retired
Session IX – Work Force Development in Agricultural Life Sciences
Moderators: LouAnn Burnett, MS, CBSP(ABSA), Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM and Sarah Ziegler, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Sitero, LLC, Manhattan, KS
8:10 – 8:50 am Keynote: The Empowerment of Women Animal Healthcare Professionals in Low Resource Environments Benefits Biosecurity
Melissa Finley, DVM, PhD, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM
8:50 – 9:10 am Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
9:10 – 9:30 am Importance of Credentialing
Robert Hawley, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Frederick MD
9:30 – 9:50 am IUP Biorisk Management Graduate Certificate Program
Tracey Cekada, PhD, and Bharathan Narayanaswamy, PhD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
9:50 – 10:10 am Developing the Agricultural Animal Technician Workforce
Nicole Duffee, DVM, PhD, American Association for Laboratory Animal Sciences, Memphis, TX
10:10 – 10:30 am Student Training in Livestock Handling and Diagnostic Methods of Emerging Disease Threats
Christy Bratcher, PhD, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
10:30 – 10:50 am Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
10:50 – 11:00 am Break
Session X – Roundtable
Moderator: Jim Welch, Elizabeth R. Griffin Program, Kingsport, TN and Joseph Kozlovac, MS, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD
11:00 – 11:45 am Biosafety: The Next Generation
Tracey Cekada, PhD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
Robert Hawley, PhD, RBP(ABSA)(Ret), CBSP(ABSA)(Ret), Frederick MD
John Balog, RBP(ABSA), Veterans Administration, Bowie, MD
Elizabeth Bramhall, MPH, U.S. Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
LouAnn Burnett, MS, CBSP(ABSA), Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM
11:45 am – 12:00 pm Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)
12:00 pm Closing Comments
Joseph Kozlovac, MS, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD