Advanced Level Courses
For those with experience or looking for a challenging course.
In-person Professional Development Courses
All times listed are in MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME
November 1-3, 2024
JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge
Sunday, November 3, 2024, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
18. ISO 35001 Implementation Course
In 2019, ISO published a new biorisk management standard that many biomedical research laboratories all over the world are adopting. This course will provide presentations, facilitated discussions and tools to introduce concepts related to biosecurity and biosafety (biorisk) management systems. Participants will learn in-depth both the theory of biorisk management (BRM) systems and how to use the new laboratory biorisk management framework ISO 35001 as a planning tool to map their existing management system to the new standard and identify and prioritize opportunities to improve their existing system using the new ISO standard. Using the ISO 35001 as a planning and mapping tool will enable institutions to effectively identify, assess, control, and monitor the laboratory biosafety and biosecurity risks associated with hazardous biological materials using the concept of continual improvement through the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) principle.
Objectives:
- Identify the key elements of a BRM system based on the review sections of the ISO 35001 BRM system standard
- Map their existing BRM systems to the ISO 35001 and identify both strengths and opportunities to improve existing system
- Prioritize elements or areas that need improvement
- Select an area for improvement and identify a simple, short term, project idea to help strengthen one element within their existing system
Suggested Background: None
Target Audience: Experienced Biosafety Professionals, All Safety Professionals
Audience Level: Advanced
COURSE FACULTY
Eric Cook, MPH
Senior Member – Technical Staff
Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, NM
Eric Cook is a Senior Member of the Technical Staff in the International Biological and Chemical Threat Reduction Program at Sandia National Laboratories where his work focuses on promoting global laboratory biorisk management. He serves as one of the program’s lead trainers. Eric served as the Biosafety Officer for Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH for five years where he managed the Biosafety Program and Institutional Biosafety Committee. Prior to working at Dartmouth, Eric was an Assistant Biosafety Officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for six years. While at MIT, Eric completed his Master’s Degree in Public Health at Boston University with a focus on Environmental Health. Eric has a B.S.in Molecular Biology from Brigham Young University where he worked in a recombinant DNA lab for two years assisting with work in phylogenetics. He is certified by the National Registry of Certified Microbiologists as a Specialist Microbiologist in Biological Safety Microbiology and previously by ABSA International as a Certified Biological Safety Professional. Eric has particular expertise in dangerous goods and infectious substance shipping. He worked for three years at Saf-T-Pak, Inc. developing training programs and packaging for shipping infectious substances.
Rawan Khasawneh
Team Leader
Biorisk Management Training Division
Princess Haya Biotechnology Center
Jordan University of Science and Technology
Irbid, Jordan
Rawan Khasawneh is the team leader of biorisk management training division (BRMTD) at Princess Haya Biotechnology Center / Jordan University of Science and Technology. Her work focuses on developing and implementing strategic and sustainable biorisk management training on a regional basis. She is responsible for the coordination of biorisk management training events for professionals of different sectors from Jordan and the MENA region, and teaching them using interactive learning techniques. Ms. Khasawneh has implemented several projects with national and international organizations to support the building up and improvements of biorisk management system in the MENA region. In addition, she has experience in the biotechnology field in diagnostic and research labs where she used molecular techniques such as microarray, DNA sequencing, real-time PCR, and conventional PCR to study the genetics of cancer, gene expression, and detection of viral agents. She obtained her master of science in applied medical sciences from Jordan University of Science and Technology, and professional certification in biorisk management and biosecurity from the International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA).
Kalpana 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.
CONTACT HOURS
This course has been approved for 1.0 CM points toward RBP/CBSP recertification. ABSA International is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® Program. This course is approved for 7.5 P.A.C.E.® contact hours.
Saturday, November 2, 2024, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
9. Fixing Broken Laboratories
Laboratory construction represents a small segment of the global construction industry, encompassing various types such as food and chemical laboratories. However, facilities that integrate biorisk considerations into their core design are relatively rare. Even scarcer are laboratories where biosafety and biosecurity design are critical for safe operation. The scarcity of such construction projects means that the skills and competencies required to deliver biorisk laboratories are equally uncommon. Typically, very few designers have experience designing even one facility, far less have significant experience designing multiple facilities. Those in the construction field change jobs often, so even companies with good historic experience cannot field the same team delivering successful projects in the past. Similarly, client-side laboratory construction experience may be lacking. New facilities are scarce. Those involved from client and user teams may have limited or no experience of how to interact with construction industry professionals to achieve a fully functional facility, fit for the needs and purpose intended. This lack of competence on one or both sides of a design team can lead to problems which only manifest themselves after a great deal of time and money has been invested, and can result in a range of problems. Such issues can persist and, in some cases, hinder or prevent the effective operation of the facility. This course aims to introduce the fundamentals of designing and constructing biosafety laboratories. Through case studies, the attendees will explore common problems in laboratory design and construction. Each case study will introduce problem solving and fault-finding techniques, including root cause and solutions. Suboptimally functioning laboratories are not uncommon, but with the right approach, most can be remediated. Attendees are expected to gain in confidence and learn structured fault-finding techniques that they can apply to address challenges in their own facility.
Objectives:
- Summarize the fundamentals of biosafety laboratory design
- Identify what structured fault-finding techniques are available to evaluate sub-optimal, failing or failed laboratories
- Apply techniques learned to real life experiential problems with sub-optimal, under-performing, failing or failed facilities
Suggested Background: Biosafety and Biosecurity Training Course (BBTC®), BSL-3 Operations and Management, Fundamentals of Biosafety, Principles and Practices of Biosafety® (PPB)
Target Audience: All Safety Professionals, Experienced Biosafety Professionals, Facility Managers and Laboratory Managers
Audience Level: Advanced
COURSE FACULTY
CONTACT HOURS
This course has been approved for 1.0 CM points toward RBP/CBSP recertification. ABSA International is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® Program. This course is approved for 7.5 P.A.C.E.® contact hours.
Virtual Professional Development Courses (webinars)
All times listed are in CENTRAL TIME ZONE
September 6 – October 25
These courses are part of the Professional Development Program for the 67th Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Hybrid Conference. It is not necessary to be a conference participant to register for these courses.
Monday – Friday, October 21-25, 2024, 10:00 AM – 11:35 AM CDT
2V. Infectious Substance Shipping Program Management
This course is tailored for individuals responsible for establishing and overseeing infectious substance shipping programs within their facilities. This webinar series aims to assist institutions in developing robust shipping programs tailored to their needs. Course elements include: training; written policies; written descriptions of program plans; transport and shipping specific SOPs; safety and security plans; emergency response plans; logistics and supplies; carrier selection and support; MOUs and authorizations; access control and personnel assurance. The instructor will provide a detailed and comprehensive shipping program assessment and implementation guidance document. Attendees will receive an introduction to this document and step-by-step guidance on its completion. By completing the assessment document, attendees will conduct a thorough review to identify areas for improving existing shipping programs. This interactive, instructor led, web-based training will invite attendees to share examples of how these elements are addressed at their own institution.
Objectives:
- Evaluate external and internal requirements or conditions that impact shipping policies and program components at a facility, emphasizing the relevance of international regulations (ICAO TI), international standards (IATA DGR), and other guidance (CDC, WHO, CWA) for developing a robust shipping program
- Recognize the components of a shipping program and utilize provided tools and templates to assess current shipping program elements, identifying opportunities for improvement
- Compare and contrast various approaches to setting up a shipping program (centralized, decentralized, hybrid), and gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages associated with each
Suggested Background: IATA Infectious Substance Shipping Certification
Target Audience: Experienced Biosafety Professionals, Infectious Substance Shipping Managers & Trainers
Audience Level: Advanced
Course Length: 8 hours (five 95-minute live sessions)
CONTACT HOURS
This course has been approved for 1 CM points toward RBP/CBSP recertification. ABSA International is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® Program. This course is approved for 8.50 P.A.C.E.® contact hours. The links to the various invitations for the course will be unique to the user and cannot be shared. The links to the various invitations for the course will be unique to the user and cannot be shared. The links are for single, individual use only. If more than one occurrence of an individual’s name is on the Zoom attendee list or a name not of the roster, all instances will be removed from the webinar with no refund. The webinar and its associated links are for single, individual use only.
Although these courses are part of the Professional Development Program for the 67th Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Hybrid Conference, it is not necessary to be a conference participant to register for these courses.
Registration for each virtual course is separate from your conference registration.
This webinar will be five 95-minute sessions on Monday – Friday, October 21-25, 2024, at 10:00 AM CDT. For the webinar, you should plan on logging in 15 minutes ahead of the start of each session. You are required to attend the webinar sessions, complete the pre- and post-course assessments, and complete the evaluation in order to receive the completion certificate through the ABSA International Training Site. The link in the invitation will be unique to the user and cannot be shared.
COURSE FACULTY
Eric Cook, MPH
Senior Member – Technical Staff
Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, NM
Eric Cook is a Senior Member of the Technical Staff in the International Biological and Chemical Threat Reduction Program at Sandia National Laboratories where his work focuses on promoting global laboratory biorisk management. He serves as one of the program’s lead trainers. Eric served as the Biosafety Officer for Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH for five years where he managed the Biosafety Program and Institutional Biosafety Committee. Prior to working at Dartmouth, Eric was an Assistant Biosafety Officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for six years. While at MIT, Eric completed his Master’s Degree in Public Health at Boston University with a focus on Environmental Health. Eric has a B.S.in Molecular Biology from Brigham Young University where he worked in a recombinant DNA lab for two years assisting with work in phylogenetics. He is certified by the National Registry of Certified Microbiologists as a Specialist Microbiologist in Biological Safety Microbiology and previously by ABSA International as a Certified Biological Safety Professional. Eric has particular expertise in dangerous goods and infectious substance shipping. He worked for three years at Saf-T-Pak, Inc. developing training programs and packaging for shipping infectious substances.
COURSE FEES
ABSA Members: $670 USD ($720 post 9/4)
Nonmembers: $770 USD ($820 post 9/4)
To obtain the ABSA member rate, the participant will need to be an ABSA member in the year in which the training is offered. Confirmed, paid participants will be sent detailed information regarding the course within a few days prior to the course. Substitutions allowed with notice by 9/23/2024. There is a 15% processing fee for cancellations by 9/30/2024. Cancellations between 9/30/2024 and 10/07/2024 will be refunded at 50% of the course fee. No refunds after 10/07/2024.