WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE:
Scientific Program
October 29, 2025
7:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration
Session 14 | Invited Speaker
8:00 – 8:45 am Title: TBD
Rich Spontak, PhD, NC State University, Raleigh, NC
8:45 – 9:00 am Q&A Session
9:00 – 9:05 am | Stretch
Session 15 | What’s New in Decontamination
9:05 – 9:20 am Retrofitting Vent Lines and Using Chlorine Dioxide to Decontaminate Pall® Filters
Jonathan Harris, MS, National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC), Battelle National Biodefense Institute (BNBI), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, Fort Detrick, MD
9:20 – 9:35 am Solid Hydrogen Peroxide for Safe Transport and Compact Bio-Decontamination
Fernando Antunes, PhD, University of Lisbon—Institute of Molecular Sciences, Lisboa, Portugal
9:35 – 9:50 am Biosafety Considerations for High Level Disinfection and Sterilization of Reusable Medical Equipment
Allison Reeme, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CIC, Acacia Safety Consulting, Milwaukee, WI
9:50 – 10:05 am Enhanced Risk Mitigation and Reduced Waste for Steam Sterilizer Cycles in High-Containment Facilities
Juha Mattila, MEng, STERIS, Tuusula, Finland
10:05 – 10:35 am Q&A Session
Jonathan Harris is a Biosafety & Biosecurity Specialist who has worked at the Battelle National Biodefense Institute (BNBI) for 6 years, where he has focused most of his time on BSL-3 and BSL-4 biosafety. Prior to working at BNBI, he spent 4 years working in laboratory safety at AstraZeneca.
Fernando Antunes at the European Union Intellectual Property Office and is a co-founder of the spin-off Delox. In recognition of his scientific and innovation contributions, he was awarded the inaugural 2023 Ciências ULisboa Prize for Innovation. He has international experience, including multidisciplinary training in chemistry, toxicology, and pathology, with a six-month stay at Mount Allison University, Canada (1996), serving as a Research Associate at the University of Southern California (USA) from 1997-2001, and short stays as a Visiting Researcher at Linköping University (Sweden) in 2001 and Matsuyama University (Japan) in 2007. To date, he has published 86 articles in international journals with over 6000 citations (h-index of 37 according to Web of Science). His work has appeared in prestigious journals such as Nature Biotechnology, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, the Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Angewandte Chemie International Edition. Three of his articles belong to the top 1% of most cited articles, and 15 are in the top 10%. In 2018, he founded Delox (recently incorporated in the USA), a spin-off company that commercializes a new nanomaterial for biodecontamination applications. Recently, Delox was selected for the prestigious EIC ACCELERATOR funding program from the European Commission. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led a consortium of academic, industry, and military partners that developed a chamber for biodecontaminating FFP2 respirators, addressing the scarcity of these items at the time. His current interests lie in (1) biodecontamination, (2) application of microcalorimetry to biomedical research, namely immunotherapy, and (3) social and economic valorization of knowledge.
Allison Reeme, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CIC, has over 8 years of experience in infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at an academic medical center consisting of acute care, procedural and outpatient care settings. She has led multiple quality improvement projects, assisted in hospital credentialing preparedness, mitigating outbreaks of multidrug-resistant organisms and designing clinical spaces. Allison has 8 years of experience serving as a Human Gene Therapy expert (HGT) and Biosafety Expert on Institutional Biosafety Committees, supported CAR-T cell manufacturing facilities and assisted with the training and education of clinical staff supporting HGT clinical trials. Allison has also participated in multiple OSHA and NIH compliance programs in both the clinical and laboratory setting. She is certified through the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, is a Registered Biosafety Professional through ABSA International and has doctoral degrees in Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics and Translational Science.
Juha Mattila is Senior Manager, Technical Services on sterilization applications, equipment, and critical utilities for STERIS Life Sciences. He covers Moist Heat and VHP Sterilization and VHP biodecontamination technologies, and WFI & Pure Steam Systems. He has a BSc in HVAC and Process Engineering, and an MEng in Business Informatics. He has 25 years of experience within pharmaceutical and medical device industries and related research, biocontainment lab applications, including R&D, engineering, and product management. He is an active member of PDA, ISPE and Finnish Biosafety Network and subject matter expert member in relative international standard work groups of ISO, ASTM, CEN and SFS, representing Finland.10:35 – 10:45 am | Coffee Break
Session 16 | Topics in Biosafety Training
10:45 – 11:00 am Assessing Safety Training in Medical Examiner and Coroner Communities
Monica Diaz, MS, National Biodefense Analysis & Countermeasures Center, Fort Detrick, MD
11:00 – 11:15 am It’s a (Lab) Mystery! Developing a Non-Traditional Training Module for Use in a Biosafety Program
Kerri Kwist, MS, RBP(ABSA), Clemson University, Clemson, SC
11:15 – 11:30 am Infectious Learning: Building a Resilient HCW Training Program for HCID Response
Corrie Ntiforo, RBP(ABSA), University of Texas Medical Branch—Galveston, Galveston, TX
11:30 – 11:45 am Q&A
Monica Diaz is currently a Biosafety/Biosecurity Specialist at the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC). Prior to working at NBACC, Monica was a National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program (NBBTP) Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. Before entering the fellowship, she earned her Master’s in Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases from Georgetown University (2022) where she was researching an unknown toxin produced by Candida albicans with a mitochondrial electron transport chain I mutation. Prior to her graduate studies, Monica received her Bachelor’s in Forensic Biology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott (2021). Her training in forensics led to an internship at the Yavapai County Medical Examiner’s Office where she trained as a medicolegal death investigator and autopsy technician. Her internship capstone project was a research paper on the disproportionate rate of firearm suicides among the elderly population in Yavapai County and how to mitigate the risks.
Kerri Kwist is the Biosafety Officer at Clemson University. She has worked in this position for 10 years. Previously, Kerri worked in labs in bioengineering, endocrinology, histology, and forensics and taught as an adjunct instructor. Kerri has a Master of Science in Microbiology and Molecular Medicine from Clemson University as well as a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Texas Tech University. Kerri is a Registered Biosafety Professional through the American Biological Safety Association and is an active member of the Southeastern Biological Safety Association.
Ms. Corrie Ntiforo is the Director of the Department of Biosafety, the Institutional Biosafety Officer and Alternate Responsible Official for the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). She has over 17 years of professional biosafety experience. Her primary expertise is in biosafety oversight of high and maximum containment facilities.
12:00 – 1:30 pm | Honor Awards and Special Recognition Luncheon
Presenter: Sherry Bohn, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), University of Maryland—Baltimore,
Baltimore, MD
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
Sherry Bohn, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM)University of Maryland—Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
Session 17 | Richard Knudsen Award
1:30 – 1:50 pm Title: TBD
Speaker: TBD
1:50 – 2:00 pm Q&A Session
Session 18 | Managing Microbes
2:00 – 2:15 pm Lessons From Implementing Biological Materials Reporting
Antony Schwartz, PhD, SM(NRCM), CBSP(ABSA), Duke University, Durham, NC
2:15 – 2:30 pm Removal of a Large Legacy Microorganism Collection
Simon White, PhD, Triumvirate Environmental, Somerville, MA
2:30 – 2:45 pm Developing Applications for Tracking Pathogens in High-Containment Laboratories in Brazil
Claudio Mafra, DVM, PhD, Brazilian Society for Biosafety and Biosecurity, Vicosa, Brazil
2:45 – 3:00 pm Q&A
Dr. Antony Schwartz is the Director of Biological Safety at Duke University, where he serves as the Institutional Biosafety Officer, Responsible Official for the Select Agent Program, and Institutional Contact for Dual Use Research (ICDUR). In these roles, he ensures institutional compliance with federal regulations governing biosafety, biosecurity, and dual-use research oversight. He also holds an appointment as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Schwartz and his team oversee biological hazards across research laboratories and healthcare settings, including the Duke Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL), clinical trials and microbiology labs, autopsy and gross anatomy labs, phytotrons, and arthropod containment facilities. His oversight spans BSL-1 through BSL-3/ABSL-3 spaces, including BSL-2+ and ABSL-2 environments. Prior to Duke, Dr. Schwartz was the Responsible Official for the National Institutes of Health Select Agent Program in Bethesda, Maryland. He was previously a postdoctoral fellow in the National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program (NBBTP), a competitive, in-residence fellowship at NIH designed to prepare professionals to manage BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories handling high-risk pathogens such as Ebola, Monkeypox, and Nipah virus. He has also served as a BSL-4 instructor and course facilitator at NIH and NIAID facilities. Dr. Schwartz holds a PhD in Microbiology with a minor in Technology Commercialization. A Certified Biological Safety Professional (CBSP) through ABSA International, Dr. Schwartz has held numerous leadership roles in the organization, including Councilor, Chair of the Pre-Conference Course Committee, Vice Team Lead for the Regulatory and Technical Affairs Team, Journal Board Reviewer, and Co-Chair of the inaugural Biosecurity Symposium Steering Committee. He remains actively engaged in biosafety and biosecurity through research, publications, professional outreach, and mentorship.
Simon White obtained his PhD from the University of Leeds in bionanotechnology and continued his work in viruses through this post-doc and as an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut. He worked on a number of human, animal, plant and bacterial viruses, including polio and hepatitis B. He currently works as a biosafety consultant at Triumvirate Inc.
Dr. Mafra is a veterinarian (Federal University of Viçosa, 1988) with a Master’s in Parasitology (UFMG, 1991) and a PhD in Biological Sciences (Biochemistry) from UFRGS (1998). He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, USA, focusing on biodefense and emerging infectious diseases. As a retired full professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UFV, he continues as a professor and advisor in the Applied Biochemistry graduate program. His extensive expertise includes biosafety, parasitic diseases, parasite biochemistry and molecular biology, bioinformatics, and molecular epidemiology, with research emphasis on ticks, tick-borne diseases, and the complex interactions among pathogens, vectors, hosts, and the environment. Dr. Mafra has held multiple leadership roles, including Vice-President of ANBio, President of the Brazilian Society for Biosafety and Biosecurity (SB3), and President of the Certification Body of IFBA (Canada). He is a member of several national and international working groups, such as Brazil’s Maximum Biocontainment Facility Workgroup and CEPI’s Biorisk Working Group (Norway). He collaborates with institutions, including the Ministry of Health, PAHO, iGEM Foundation, and the Galveston National Laboratory (UTMB). He has consulted for organizations like ABNT, CNPq, FINEP, FAPESP, and the OAS on bioterrorism. An active researcher, Dr. Mafra has authored over 70 scientific articles, multiple books, patents, and software registrations. He has also guided numerous theses and postdoctoral projects. His career reflects a sustained commitment to advancing biosafety, biocontainment, and public health, contributing to national preparedness and global biosecurity efforts.3:00 – 3:15 pm | Coffee Break
Session 19 | Hot Topics
3:15 – 3:35 pm Robert I. Gross Student Award: A Case Study: Developing Evidence-Based Solutions for Biosafety Challenges
Jay Bickell, MRIGlobal, Gaithersburg, MD
3:35 – 3:50 pm Prevention of Laboratory Animal Allergy
Gregg Stave, MD, JD, MPH, Duke University, Durham, NC
3:50 – 4:05 pm What Does Flexibility in Biocontainment Design Mean and Why Does it Matter?
E. Scott Kreitlein, MArch, BHDP Architects, Saratoga Springs, UT
4:05 – 4:20 pm The Iceberg of Incident Reporting
Adrian Worrall, PhD, London, England, United Kingdom
4:20 – 4:45 pm Q&A
Jay Bickell is a Staff Scientist on the Biosafety and Global Engagement team at MRIGlobal, specializing in biorisk management consulting and biosafety training development. She previously supported BSL-3 operations at the University of Washington. Jay holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and is currently pursuing a master’s in biodefense at George Mason University, focusing on addressing global health challenges through biosafety and biosecurity.
Gregg M. Stave, MD, JD, MPH, is a consultant and Medical Professor in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Duke University. He spent 15 years as a corporate medical director for GlaxoSmithKline. Dr. Stave received his undergraduate degree from MIT in Life Sciences, his MD and JD from Duke University, and an MPH in Epidemiology from UNC—Chapel Hill. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine (Occupational Medicine) and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). Dr. Stave is co-editor of the award-winning Physical and Biological Hazards of the Workplace, currently in the third edition. He is the author of numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles including many on laboratory animal allergies. He is the lead author of the recently published ACOEM Guidance Statement on Laboratory Animal Allergy. He is the recipient of the 2025 ACOEM Lifetime Achievement in OEM Award.
Scott Kreitlein has over 30 years of experience designing and planning some of the most complex science related projects in the industry. He has specific expertise in high-containment and barrier type facilities, with completed work both nationally and internationally.
Dr. Adrian Worrall is an Occupational Psychologist interested in the behavior of people at work and the behavior of the organizations they work within. He has a special interest in laboratory safety culture, learning from incidents, Human Factors and Systems Thinking. Adrian was Head of the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Centre for Quality Improvement and President of the Quality in Healthcare Section of the UK Royal Society of Medicine. Adrian is experienced in the development of service standards, audit and certification. He is a Lead Auditor for ISO35001: biorisk management standard for laboratories. Adrian is especially committed to supporting laboratory staff and researchers in low- and middle-income countries.
4:45 pm | Close of Conference
Anne-Sophie Brocard, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), The University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX