USDA ARS 9th International
Biosafety & Biocontainment Symposium:
Strengthening Biorisk Management Across Fields, Farms, and Frontiers
April 19 – 22, 2027
Symposium Program
(all times Eastern Time Zone)
Monday, April 19, 2027
6:00 – 7:30 pm Opening Reception
Tuesday, April 20, 2027
7:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration
9:00 am – 4:00 pm Exhibits
8:00 – 8:10 am USDA Welcome
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
8:10 – 8:15 am ABSA Welcome
Betsy Matos, PhD, MPH, CBSP(ABSA), Iowa State University, Ames, IA
8:15 – 9:00 am Keynote Speaker: Protecting Research in the Evolving Life Science Landscape
Christopher Meyers, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
9:00 – 9:15 am Q&A Session
9:15-9:35am United States Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Sciences Research
TBD
9:35 – 9:55 am AI Impact on Research Security
Dave Stiefel, MS, Nuclear Threat Initiative, Washington, DC
9:55 – 10:15 am Protecting High Consequence Research
Patrick Lee, PhD, PE, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Research, Economic, and Science Security, Washington, DC
10:15 – 10:30 am Q&A Session
10:30 – 11:00 am Exhibits, Posters, and Break
11:00 – 11:30 am Risk Management for Resiliency Panel Discussion
TBD
11:30 – 11:50 am Aligning Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Research Integrity Cultures within Agricultural Research
Ashley Grant, PhD, MPH, NRCM(SM), Office of Health Security, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC
11:50 – 12:00 pm Q&A Session
12:00 – 1:00 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Lunch
1:00 – 1:20 pm One Health Coordination Unit (OHCU)
TBD
1:20 – 1:40 pm Ag/Health Coordination on HPAI Dairy
Jason Lombard, DVM, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
1:40 – 2:00 pm One Health Associated with Livestock and Worker Safety
Darrell Hemker, National Pork Board, Mount Holly, NJ
2:00 – 2:20 pm HPAI Farm-Level Biosecurity Practices
Brian McCluskey, DVM, MS, PhD, Dip, ACVPM, Lonestar Epidemiology Consulting,
Fort Collins, CO
2:20 – 2:40 pm Q&A Session
2:40 – 3:10 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Break
3:10 – 3:30 pm Serious Pathogens Phytopthora, Emerging Virus
Alina Puig, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Fort Detrick, MD
3:30 – 3:50 pm Spotted Lantern Fly
Tracy Leskey, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kearneysville, WV
3:50 – 4:10 pm ASPR Update
Sean Kauffman, MPH, CPH, IFBA CP, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, DC
4:10 – 4:30 pm Ebola
Elizabeth Higgs, WHO Research and Development Blueprint, Science Division, Washington, DC
4:30 – 4:50 pm Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1)
Lutz Goehring, DVM, PhD, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
4:50 – 5:10 pm Q&A Session
Wednesday, April 21, 2027
7:00 – 5:00 pm Registration
9:00 – 3:30 pm Exhibits
8:00 – 8:20 am Animal Welfare in the Face of Biosecurity and Biocontainment
Morgan George, Animal Health Research Center at University of Georgia, Athens, GA
8:20 – 8:40 am Swine Farm Depopulation
Marguerite Tan, MS, National Pork Board, Flagstaff, AZ
Stephanie Wetter, National Pork Board, Clive, IA
8:40 – 9:00 am Dairy Farm Biosecurity and Challenges
Meggan Hain, DVM, National Milk Producers Federation, Arlington, VA
9:00 – 9:20 am Q&A Session
9:20 – 9:50 am Exhibits, Posters, and Break
9:50 – 10:10 am U.S. Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP) / Import Permit Program
Shelley Jorgensen, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Scott Pfister, PhD, USDA—Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Beltsville, MD
10:10 – 10:30 am Biotechnology /Regulatory
TBD
10:30 – 10:50 am Operational Insights on Regulatory Requirements and Best Practices Related to Importing Biological Material for Research
Sean Smith, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC
10:50 – 11:10 pm NIH Guidelines Update
Kathryn Harris, PhD, IBC Services LLC, Germantown, MD
11:10 – 11:30 pm Regulatory Approvals for Gene-edited Insects
Mike Mendelsohn, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Amanda Pierce, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
11:30 – 12:00 pm Q&A Session
12:00 – 1:00 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Lunch
1:00 – 1:20 pm High-Containment Zoonotic Facilities
Melissa Pearce, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
1:20 – 1:40 pm Facility and Risk Management Considerations for Conducting Plant Inoculations in Containment Greenhouses and Growth Chambers
John Kaszan, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Laurel, MD
1:40 – 2:00 pm Facility Design and Equipment for Large Animal Handling in Containment
Katie Knapek, DVM, MS, MLS(ASCP), DACLAM, U.S. Department of Agriculture National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), Manhattan, KS
2:00 – 2:20 pm ABSL-3 Ag Design and Operational Challenges
John Henneman, MS, RBP(ABSA), Gilbane, North Lewisburg, OH
2:20 – 2:40 pm Q&A Session
2:40 – 3:25 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Break
3:25 – 3:45 pm Governance and Containment of Genetically Modified Plants Under 7 CFR 340
Colin Murphree, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD
3:45 – 4:05 pm Insect Biocontainment Strategies from a lesson-learned perspective
Elizabeth Rogers, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Fort Detrick, MD
4:05 – 4:25 pm Q&A Session
4:25 – 4:55 pm JHU ERGF Projects – Poster Speed Talks
Improving Shower-out Practices for High-Containment
Dennis Bente, DVM, PhD & Anastasia Accoti, PhD, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston—Galveston, TX
Optimization of Airflow at High-Containment
Kurt Zuelke, DVM, PhD, & Maria King, PhD, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Strengthening Biosafety and Biosecurity Practices in Veterinary Laboratories
Phillipe Sessou, PhD, University of Abomey-Calavi Research Unit on Communicable Diseases, Republic of Benin
Addressing Biorisk Gaps in Necropsy Facilities
Kelsey Brakel, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI
Laminar Flow UV Air Filtration System Use in Dairy Shared Spaces
Loni Taylor, DVM, PhD, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
5:30 – 7:00 pm Networking and Poster Reception
Thursday, April 22, 2027
7:00 – 12:00 pm Registration
8:00 – 8:10 am Announcement of Poster Awards
Joseph Kozlovac, MS, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD
8:10 – 8:55 am Screwworm
RDML Michael Schmoyer, PhD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC
8:55 – 9:10 am Q&A Session
9:10 – 9:30 am Aquaculture Zoonotic Biosafety, Biocontainment, and Biosecurity
TBD
9:30 – 9:50 am Risk Evaluation for Aquaculture Biosecurity Planning
Kathleen Hartman, DVM, PhD, Kennebec River Biosciences, Richmond, ME
9:50 – 10:10 am Cross-Kingdom Pathogens
Christine Densmore, DVM, PhD, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC
10:10 – 10:30 am Biosecurity in Aquaculture Systems
Christopher M. Good, DVM, PhD, DACVPM, The Fresh Water Institute, Arlington, VA
10:30 – 10:50 am Q&A Session
10:50 – 11:05 am Coffee Break
11:05 – 11:25 am AI in Biocontainment
Gene Olinger, PhD, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston—Galveston, TX
11:25 – 11:45 am Agricultural Risk and Horizon Scanning
Mariana Portillo, MD, BlueDot, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
11:45 – 12:00 pm Q&A Session
12:00 pm Closing Comments
Joseph Kozlovac, MS, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD