Our 5th year of Science on Tap continues!

Thanks to the continued support of UNM, Explora and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

 

 A time to eat, drink & talk about science!

on Central is our new home 

Join us Thursday, April 6 at 5:30!

Infectious Diseases:

where's the line between public health and security?

 

Lisa Astuto-Gribble, PhD, MPH

Sandia National Laboratories

Bioscience research is changing rapidly. For example, improvements in sequencing have exceeded Moore's Law. In parallel with the scientific advances, there has been a growing concern about the threat of bioterrorism. A selective review of the changes in the science and in bioterrorism incidents will provide a background for considering the various controls to address bioterrorism that are being implemented in the US and internationally. Should the materials be controlled? Should the equipment be controlled? Should there be controls on the expertise that could contribute to biological weapons? There is not a consensus approach to assessing the risks or the appropriate measures to address those risks, or how to evaluate tradeoffs of possible impacts to science and public health.

Jennifer Gaudioso leads the International Biological and Chemical Threat Reduction (IBCTR) program at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM, USA.  This program enhances United States and international security by seeking innovative solutions for countering biological and chemical threats globally.  Specifically, IBCTR develops and applies systems-based approaches to reduce the risk of intentional or accidental release of dangerous biological and chemical agents globally. The program has organized many international conferences, trainings, and workshops to build local capacity to address these issues.  In the last five years, Jennifer and her team have visited facilities in more than 40 countries specifically to consult on biosecurity and chemical security issues. IBCTR is an OIE Collaborating Centre for Laboratory Biorisk Management. Jennifer has served on the National Academies' Committee on Education on Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences and their Committee on “Anticipating Biosecurity Challenges of the Global Expansion of High Containment Biological Laboratories”. She has served as a member of three international teams to develop biosafety and biorisk management international standards. She has been named a principal-external collaborator with the Japanese National Institute for Infectious Disease. Jennifer is author of numerous journal articles, and book chapters, and has presented her research at national and international meetings. Gaudioso co-edited the book Laboratory Biorisk Management: Biosafety and Biosecurity. She also co-authored the Laboratory Biosecurity Handbook.  Jennifer has served on SNL’s Institutional Biosafety Committee, is an active member of the American Biological Safety Association, and is on the board of the Elizabeth R Griffin Research Foundation. She earned her Ph.D. in chemistry at Cornell University.