66th Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Hybrid Conference

Scientific Program

WEDNESDAY October 18

All times listed will be CENTRAL Standard Time

7:00 – 5:00 pm Registration
7:00 – 8:00 am Continental Breakfast in Foyer

8:00 – 8:05 am Welcome
Master of Ceremonies: Sherry Bohn, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), University of Maryland—Baltimore, Baltimore, MD

Sherry Bohn, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM)
University of Maryland—Baltimore
Baltimore, MD

Session XV Field Biosafety

Moderators: Kaci Van Dalen, MS, NIH/NIAID, Fort Collins, CO
George Wudiri, DVM, PhD, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM

8:05 – 8:20 am Introducing Field Biosafety Levels for Safe Research Beyond Laboratory Walls
Marc Valitutto, DVM, EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY

8:20 – 8:35 am Chronic Wasting Disease in Pennsylvania White Tail Deer
Sarah Capasso, PhD, RBP(ABSA), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

8:35 – 8:50 am First Year Lessons as a New Field Research Safety Lead
Jamie Bishop, PhD, University of California—Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

8:50 – 9:05 am Considerations of Field Biosafety Principles and Working with Animals
Gregory Powell, PhD, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

9:05 – 9:35 am Q&A Session

Kaci Van Dalen, MS, NIH/NIAID, Fort Collins, COKaci Van Dalen, MS
NIH/NIAID
Fort Collins, CO

George Wudiri, DVM, PhD, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NMGeorge Wudiri, DVM, PhD
Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, NM

Marc Valitutto, DVM
EcoHealth Alliance
New York, NY

Dr. Marc Valitutto is a senior field veterinarian at EcoHealth Alliance, where he focuses on pandemic preparedness throughout the world. He is involved in collaborative research investigating wildlife as a zoonotic disease reservoir, as well as identifying ways of protecting endangered species in their natural habitats. His primary focus is on animal welfare and occupational safety through the advancement of animal biosurveillance methods and developing practical biosafety solutions for field participants, respectively. He previously served as global lead for the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats PREDICT project in Myanmar, where he and his colleagues detected novel coronaviruses in endemic bat populations. He received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a four-year residency in zoological medicine and surgery at the Wildlife Conservation Society and Cornell University. Prior to joining EcoHealth Alliance, he served in various roles focused on animal health and conservation. His work has been featured on several media outlets, including CBS’s 60 Minutes and NBC’s Today Show.

Sarah Capasso, PhD, RBP(ABSA), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PASarah Capasso, PhD, RBP(ABSA)
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Sarah Capasso, Associate Biosafety Officer, has been at the University of Pennsylvania since 2017. She obtained her BS in Biology from Gettysburg College in 2008 and her MS and PhD in Plant Pathology from Penn State University in 2010 and 2016, respectively. At Penn, she works closely with researchers, the Institutional Biosafety Committee, and the university’s large animal laboratories and hospital. Among her many duties, she is the biosafety liaison to the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) at the University of Pennsylvania where she provides technical biosafety support and outreach.

Jamie Bishop, PhD
University of California—Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA

Jamie Bishop has served as the Biosafety Officer and the organization-wide subject matter expert on biological containment practices at University of California – Santa Barbara for over 12 years and took on the Field Research Safety Program mid-2022. She develops risk assessments tailored to academic research and maintains expertise of existing and proposed regulations, with specific attention to those in the broad areas of biological research and waste management. She now supports field researchers with an equipment library and by promoting safety documentation for off campus field research, in the sciences as well as the humanities and social sciences. She earned a Doctorate in Biomolecular Sciences and Engineering from UCSB and worked in private industry on a MEMS-based medical device prior to joining UCSB’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety.

Gregory Powell, PhD
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ

Gregory L. Powell is the Animal Biosafety Officer in the Department of Environmental Health and Safety at Arizona State University. He has a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and doctoral degree in Physiological Sciences from the University of Arizona. His recent external biosafety work has included coauthoring a manuscript in Applied Biosafety on field safety considerations when working with bats. Additionally, he has presented general field safety recommendations for working with animals at the recent CSHEMA conference. He has served as the Secretary for the Arizona Biosafety Alliance (local ABSA chapter) and is currently the President-Elect.

Session XVI Richard Knudsen Award

Introduction: Larry Mendoza, MS, RBP(ABSA), Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Moderator: Kalpana Rengarajan, PhD, RBP(ABSA), Emory University, Atlanta, GA

9:35 – 9:55 am Autoclaving as a Routine Method for the Decontamination of Animal Carcasses in a Biosafety Level 3 Facility
Hermann Schildorfer, PhD, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Mödling, Lower Austria, Austria

9:55 – 10:05 am Q&A Session

Larry Mendoza, MS, RBP(ABSA)
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA

Kalpana Rengarajan, PhD, MPH, RBP(ABSA), Emory University, Atlanta, GAKalpana Rengarajan, PhD, MPH, JM, RBP(ABSA)
Director of Research Safety | Senior Biosafety Officer
Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Kalpana Rengarajan is the Director of Research Safety at the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) and is the Senior Biosafety Officer for Emory University. EHSO has University-wide responsibility for all aspects of Environmental Health and Safety support, including Biosafety and EHS compliance support to Emory Healthcare. This includes biosafety support to the Emory Serious Communicable Diseases Unit (SCDU), which cared for 4 Ebola patients in 2014. The SCDU continues to be a major leader in the U.S. National Ebola Training Center. Her background includes a PhD in Immunology and she has worked as a Visiting Associate at the National Eye Institute, NIH. Prior to joining EHSO she worked as a Research Associate at the Emory Vaccine Center. Kalpana has a passion for Global Biorisk Management Public Health Preparedness and provides guidance internationally. She has a Masters of Public Health from Rollins School of Public Health (Emory University) and a Juris Masters of Law (Emory University). She is a Registered Biosafety Professional. Dr. Rengarajan serves on committees for the ABSA International (American Biological Safety Association) and the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Association (CSHEMA), to create professional development courses, and is a member of the technical writing team for ISO/TC 212/Working Group 5 (ISO Laboratory Biorisk management standard), and was a technical writer for the CEN Workshop Agreements relating to Biorisk Management Systems: CWA 15793:2011 and 16393: 2012. Dr. Rengarajan regularly teaches/facilitates and presents at ABSA and CSHEMA. She has also been teaching for the Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS) program at CDC.

Hermann Schildorfer, PhD
Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety
Mödling, Lower Austria, Austria

10:05 – 10:35 am Coffee Break

Session XVII The State of the Biosafety Profession

Moderators: Colleen Kovacsics, PhD, RBP(ABSA), Sparks Therapeutics, Elkins Park, PA
Sunny Hoffman, MPH, RBP(ABSA), Clinical Biosafety Services, Columbia, MO

10:35 – 10:50 am Do They Know Who We Are? Do We?
Andrew Maksymowych, PhD, RBP(ABSA), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

10:50 – 11:05 am Developing a Biorisk Management Competency Framework for ABSA International
LouAnn Burnett, MS, CBSP(ABSA), ABSA International, Mundelein, IL

11:05 – 11:20 am Identifying Competencies for a Biosafety Career Ladder
Paul Meechan, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Biosafety Consultant, Catonsville, MD

11:20 – 11:35 am Development of a Future Sustainable Workforce: The Biorisk Management Certificate at IUP
Tracey Lynn Cekeda, DSc, CSP, Indiana University of PA, Indiana, PA

11:35 – 12:05 pm Q&A Session

Sunny Hoffman, MPH, RBP(ABSA), Clinical Biosafety Services, Columbia, MOSunny Hoffman, MPH, RBP(ABSA)
Clinical Biosafety Services
Columbia, MO

Andrew B. Maksymowych, PhD, RBP(ABSA), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PAAndrew B. Maksymowych, PhD, RBP(ABSA)
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

Andrew has been at the University of Pennsylvania since 2006. He is Penn’s Institutional Biosafety Officer and Associate Director for Life Sciences Safety (BIOSAFETY) and Compliance Programs, IBC Administrator, and the Institutional Contact for Dual Use Research. He sits on the Vice Provost’s for Research, Human Research Advisory Committee, the Human Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, the Cadaver and Body Parts Oversight Committee, and a Veterinary IRB. Andrew obtained his BS and MS degrees from Villanova University, and his PhD in Biochemistry from Bryn Mawr College. He has more than 20 years of teaching and 35 years of research experience, a major portion of which included oversight of research safety and compliance programs. Prior to his journey at Penn, he held a faculty appointment at Thomas Jefferson University where his research focused on the analysis of structure-function relationships in proteins, including protein toxins that poison the human nervous system, studying the mechanism of action of botulinum neurotoxins. For the past nine years Andrew has been involved in programs with the Biosafety Administrator’s Association (BSAA).

LouAnn C. Burnett, MS, CBSP(ABSA)LouAnn Burnett, MS, CBSP(ABSA)
ABSA International
Mundelein, IL

LouAnn C. Burnett, MS, CBSP(ABSA) is finishing her second term on the ABSA International Executive Committee and Council. For ABSA, she has served significant roles in professional development – as the co-founder of the Principles and Practices of Biosafety immersive course, as the first team leader for the Professional Development Team, and as a frequent ABSA International instructor. In her role for the Global Chemical and Biological Security group at Sandia National Laboratories, LouAnn developed the Global Biorisk Management Curriculum and the Biorisk Management Trainer Development Program which has been used across the world to equip over 1400 trainers in 60 countries to develop training programs in biorisk management. In 2018, LouAnn was awarded an Employee Recognition Award by Sandia for Individual Excellence in mentoring trainers.

Paul Meechan, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA)
Biosafety Consultant
Catonsville, MD

Paul J. Meechan is currently a biosafety consultant, providing guidance and training to a number of academic and government institutions regarding safe containment practices. He has over 30 years’ experience in the field, including positions at the CDC and Merck and Co., Inc. He was also the CDC editor for the 6th edition of the NIH/CDC manual Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories. Paul has served as President of ABSA International and holds a PhD from the University of Rochester.

Tracey Lynn Cekeda, DSc, CSP
Indiana University of PA
Indiana, Pennsylvania

Tracey Cekada, DSc, CSP, is a Professor and Department Chair of the Safety Sciences Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). She joined IUP in Fall 2005. She completed her MS in Environmental Science and Policy from The Johns Hopkins University and her DSc in Information Systems and Communications from Robert Morris University. Dr. Cekada is a professional member of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and in 2016 she was the recipient of the nationally recognized Dr. William E. Tarrants Outstanding Safety Educator Award. In 2011, Dr. Cekada was recognized and honored as one of the “100 Women Making a Difference in the Safety, Health and Environmental Profession” book published by the former American Society of Safety Engineers.

12:05 – 1:50 pm Honor Awards and Special Recognition Luncheon
Presenter: Rebecca Moritz, MS, CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Arnold G. Wedum Distinguished Achievement Award
Everett J. Hanel, Jr. Presidential Award
John H. Richardson Special Recognition Award
Diane Fleming Leadership Award
Scientific and Informational Poster Awards
Hashimoto Award for Service and Honor
Richard Rebar Recognition of Certified Biological Safety Professionals and Registered Biosafety Professionals

Rebecca Moritz, MS, CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CORebecca Moritz, MS, CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM)
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO

Session XVIII Animal Biosafety

Moderators: Max Schroeder, PhD, RBP(ABSA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tucker, GA
Darlene Ward, RBP(ABSA), Advarra, Boca Raton, FL

1:50 – 2:05 pm Microbiome Work in Gnotobiotic Mice: I See Your “Healthy Human Flora” and Raise You a BSL-2 Agent
Susan Vleck, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Stanford University, Stanford, CA

2:05 – 2:20 pm Building a Successful Animal Research Safety Program at a University
Marina Zelivyanskaya, DVM, RBP(ABSA), Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

2:20 – 2:35 pm Issues in Non-Human Primate BSL-3 Research Facilities
Edwin Scott Kreitlein, MArch, BHDP Architects, Cincinnati, OH

2:35 – 2:50 pm Q&A Session

Max Schroeder, PhD, RBP(ABSA)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tucker, GA

Darlene Ward, RBP(ABSA), Advarra, Boca Raton, FLDarlene Ward, RBP works for Advarra as the Vice-Chair for the IBC Committee and is the Senior Biosafety Expert. Before joining Advarra, she worked for over 28 years in the Higher Ed Environmental Health and Safety field as a Biosafety Officer and Responsible Official overseeing researchers working with infectious diseases, recombinant DNA and select agents. She has a BS in Environmental Science from Florida State University and has been a member of ABSA for over 20 years serving on the Scientific Program and Preconference Course Committees.

Susan Vleck, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA)
Stanford University
Stanford, CA

Susan E. Vleck, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA) is an EH&S Assistant Director and oversees the Laboratory Chemical and Physical Safety Program and the Animal Research Occupational Health and Safety Program at Stanford University. Her background is in viral infectious diseases, and she has over ten years of experience in biosafety and lab safety.

Marina Zelivyanskaya, DVM, RBP(ABSA)
Northwestern University
Chicago, IL

Marina Zelivyanskaya, DVM, MSRC, RBP(ABSA) joined the Research Safety Office at Northwestern in 2010. She is a Senior Biosafety Specialist and works as a liaison between RS, IACUC, and Animal Facility. She is an IACUC member. The main responsibilities of her current position are to estimate the risk assessment for chemical and biological hazardous agents used in research animals. She works in collaboration with Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), Chemical and Radiation Safety Committees. She presented her work at different conferences, including AALAS, and Society for Neuroscience.

Edwin Scott Kreitlein
MArch, BHDP Architects
Cincinnati, OH

Scott Kreitlein has over 30 years of experience in the architectural design community planning some of the most complex science related projects in the industry. Having worked exclusively in the science and technology field, Scott has utilized his extensive experience and skills in planning and designing a variety of different research-based facilities across the globe. His portfolio reflects experience in research, healthcare, and biomedical projects in a variety of different academic, governmental, and corporate institutions, inside and outside the United States. This has made him a well-rounded expert in a variety of science related building types. Some of his clients include the United States Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization, the United State Corps of Engineers, Tulane University, University of California Berkley, the Institute of Surgical Research, United States National Primate Research Centers, the Nazarbayev University in Astana Kazakhstan, and many more internationally recognized institutions. He specializes in both biocontainment and barrier type vivarium facilities and has designed both project types in Taiwan at Chang Gung University and the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. Scott has shared his knowledge and experience by speaking at science and technology research conferences and seminars in the United States, Germany, China, and Taiwan. He recently served as the President of the Arizona Chapter of I2SL, a nationally recognized organization that specializes in sustainability and energy conservation in laboratory planning and design.

2:50 – 3:15 pm Coffee Break

Session XIX Unique Topics in Biosafety

Moderators: Matt Anderson, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
Kelly Flint, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, MD

3:15 – 3:30 pm Enhancing Biosafety for the Use of Biohazards in High-Speed Cell Sorters
Benjamin Fontes, MPH, CBSP(ABSA), Yale University, New Haven, CT

3:30 – 3:45 pm Reflections on Biotech Incubators in Academic Settings
Olga Draper, University of California—Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

3:45 – 4:00 pm High Containment Laboratory Support at UW-Madison
Andrea Ladd, PhD, RBP(ABSA), University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI

4:00 – 4:15 pm BSC MythBusters: Do Large Lab Machines Require an Enclosure to Maintain Protection
Kara Held, PhD, Baker, Sanford, ME

4:15 – 4:45 pm Q&A Session

Matt Anderson, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NEMatt Anderson, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA)
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE

Matt is the Biosafety Officer and Responsible Official (RO) at the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), where he has been since 2009. His duties include management of the biosafety program at UNL, serving as RO for UNL’s Select Agent Program as well as serving on the IBC, IACUC and Plant Growth Facility committees. He attended Dana College in Blair, NE (1994-1998) for his undergraduate studies and double majored in Biology and Chemistry. He earned his PhD in Chemical Biology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2005. His graduate work focused on molecular recognition of the main light sensing pathway in the human eye and understanding the forces and characteristics involved in the interaction between Rhodopsin (a G-protein coupled receptor) and its cognate G-protein,transducin. He completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship also at Washington University designing peptide-based scaffolds for site-directed targeting of lipid nanoparticles carrying both imaging agents and therapeutic compounds. He got his start in biosafety through a post-doctoral fellowship in biosafety at Washington University in St. Louis (2008-2009) under the mentorship of Susan Cook. He has been an ABSA member since 2008, currently serving as Chair of the ABSA E-communications Committee (2015-present), a member of the ABSA Scientific Program Committee (2018–present), ABSA Nominating Committee (2020), and Chair of the Local arrangements Committee for the 2023 ABSA Conference. He has been active in the Midwest Area Biosafety Network (MABioN) affiliate since 2008, having held positions as Councilor-at-Large (2012-2014), President Elect (2014-2016), and President (2016-2018) and Past-President (2018-2020). He obtained his RBP certification in 2015 and CBSP certification in 2019.At UNL Matt has been involved with numerous lab design and renovation projects including BSL-1, BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories. He has completed both ABSA pre-conference courses on Engineering for the Biosafety Professional as well as completed BSL-3 and ABSL-3 training courses from UTMB. As the RO he has been intimately involved with the operations of UNL’s BSL-3 laboratories and participated in every annual certification since the first lab opened in 2009.

Benjamin Fontes, MPH, CBSP(ABSA)
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Benjamin Fontes is currently the Biosafety Officer and Senior Associate Director for the Yale University Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Office. He has served as the Biosafety Officer since 1995 and has managed the EHS Safety Advisor program from 2001 to 2022. Ben has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Wesleyan University (1986) and an MPH in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Michigan (1995). He is a Certified Biological Safety Professional and an active member of the American Biological Safety Association International (ABSA), where he currently serves on the Training Tools and Resources Committee. Previously, he has served as the 2010 President of the association. He also previously served as an ABSA Councilor (2002 – 2005) and Chair of the ABSA Training and Education Committee (1999 – 2002). Ben has also served on the executive board of the International Federation of Biosafety Associations (2013 – 2020) where he has served as Board Chair from 2014 – 2017.

Olga Draper
University of California—Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

Olga Draper is an assistant biosafety officer at University of California—Berkeley, helping support 50 companies and 250 labs. She was in academic research for 20 years prior, mostly focused on the cell biology of bacteria.

Andrea Ladd, PhD, RBP(ABSA)
University of Wisconsin—Madison
Madison, WI

Andrea Ladd has been the Director of Biological Safety and Biological Safety Officer at the University of Wisconsin – Madison since 2016. She is also the co-founder and chair of the University of Wisconsin – Madison High Containment Laboratory Committee. She has a BS in Molecular Biology, a PhD in Cell Biology, and holds the Registered Biosafety Professional credential.

Kara Held, PhD, Baker, Sanford, MEKara Held, PhD
Baker
Sanford, ME

Kara Held, PhD brings an extensive knowledge of Cell Biology, Pharmacology, and Biosafety to The Baker Company. Prior to her coming on board, she was a Lab Manager, Safety Officer, and Researcher at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. She earned her PhD at the University of Vermont Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and then completed her postdoctoral training at Yale University in the Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program. Her recent experience in academic research brings a unique perspective, familiarity, and hands-on knowledge base with laboratory science. As the Science Director for Baker, she has helped provide some clarity into the nuances of Biosafety through the use of Biosafety Cabinets.

4:45 pm Close of Conference

Sherry Bohn, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), University of Maryland—Baltimore, Baltimore, MD