Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Session 14 | Invited Speaker

8:00 – 8:45 am Title: TBD
Neal Woollen, DVM, PhD, National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE

8:45 – 9:00 am Q&A Session

9:00 – 9:15 am | Break

Session 15 | Novel Topics in Containment

9:15 – 9:30 am Automated Cell Culture Systems and Biosafety Risk: Distinguishing Sterility Control From Biocontainment in Academic Laboratories
Ike Jacob, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Correctly matching system design to biological risk is essential to avoid false assumptions of containment and ensure safe implementation of automated cell culture technologies.

9:30 – 9:45 am Cleanroom vs. Containment: When cGMP Meets Biosafety in Modern Biologics Manufacturing
Allison Reeme, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Acacia Safety Consulting, Milwaukee, WI

Identify key differences between cGMP contamination control requirements and biosafety containment practices related to disinfection, HVAC systems, and PPE, and describe strategies for integrating both frameworks in biologics manufacturing environments.

9:45 – 10:00 am Automated Bio-decontamination for BSL Facilities Using Single Pass Air Flow
Matt Hofacre, MBA, STERIS Corporation, Mentor, OH

Integrating VHP into single‑pass airflow systems enables reliable, automated bio‑decontamination of BSL‑3/4 facilities while maintaining containment, airflow and pressure control, and HEPA filter protection.

10:00 – 10:15 am Q&A Session

10:15 – 10:30 am | Break

Session 16 | Assessing Your Biosafety Program

10:30 – 10:45 am Biosafety Program Assessments: Moving Beyond Compliance to Continuous Risk Reduction
Carrie Smith, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Merrick & Company, Greenwood Village, CO

Effective biosafety assessments must shift from checklist compliance to risk‑informed evaluation by integrating diverse perspectives, data trends, and leadership engagement to drive actionable improvements that keep pace with rapidly evolving laboratory technologies.

10:45 – 11:00 am Technology-enabled Validation of Biosafety Standard Operating Procedures and Risk Assessments at Tufts University New England Regional Biocontainment Laboratory
Tim Shukri, MSME, Cornerstone Commissioning, LLC, Boxford, MA

Demonstrate innovative practice using safe nucleic acid based airborne simulant used for SOP validation and risk assessment in a high-containment facility.

11:00 – 11:15 am Evaluating the Effectiveness of Research Safety and Compliance Training Programs at Abigail Wexner Research Institute
Sumit Ghosh, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH

Evidence‑based guidance to enhance the effectiveness, relevance, and compliance value of research safety training, ultimately strengthening institutional safety culture and reducing risk across the research enterprise.

11:15 – 11:30 am One Health, One Shield: Digitally Transforming HCAT Oversight to Fortify Egypt’s Health Security Architecture
Wael ElRayes, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

Egypt’s digital platform revolutionizes laboratory oversight, enabling real-time monitoring, emergency preparedness, and global health security compliance through innovative, scalable technology.

11:30 – 12:00 pm Q&A Session

12:00 – 1:30 pm | Honor Awards and Special Recognition Luncheon

Presenter: Anne-Sophie Brocard, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), SM(NRCM), CHMM, CSP, The University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX

Session 17 | Richard Knudsen Award

1:30 – 1:50 pm Title: TBD
Speaker: TBD

1:50 – 2:00 pm Q&A Session

Session 18 | High Risk, Crucial Mitigation

2:00 – 2:15 pm Strengthening Institutional Dual-use Research Oversight Through a Hybrid Capacity  Building Model in Egypt
Ali Asy, PhD, Animal Health Research Institute, Benha, Egypt

DURC capacity building can yield measurable knowledge gains, expose governance gaps, and drive institutional progress and by blending national reach with practical outputs, it offers a scalable path for responsible research stewardship in Egypt and beyond.

2:15 – 2:30 pm Implementing Safe and Effective H5N1 Poultry Research in BSL‑3 Facilities
Debra Howeth, MPH, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Establish a risk‑based framework for safely conducting HPAI research with chickens in BSL‑3 facilities, using comprehensive risk assessment, adapted containment, and tailored workflows to enhance biosafety readiness and strengthen avian influenza research capacity.

2:30 – 2:45 pm From Expansion to Governance Addressing Standardization Gaps in High-containment Laboratories in Brazil
Marco Horta, PhD, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation – Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rapid expansion of high-containment laboratories without harmonized governance and quality systems can compromise biosafety, biosecurity, and data reliability, underscoring the urgent need for national frameworks to ensure safe and standardized, and auditable operations.

2:45 – 3:00 pm Q&A Session

3:00 – 3:15 pm  | Break

Session 19 | Approaches to Biorisk Management

3:15 – 3:35 pm Robert I. Gross Student Award
Dynamic Risk Assessments: A Mitigation Strategy for Biosafety and Biosecurity Risks
Bobbi Barr, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Measures will position DRA as a scalable and adaptive framework to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity in increasingly complex laboratory environments.

3:35 – 3:50 pm Demystifying ISO 35001: The Business Case for Biorisk Management
Michael Marsico, MS, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Bethesda, MD

Outline how to achieve leadership support towards ISO 35001 implementation, presenting a business case for why it’s valuable along with effective approaches in achieving implementation.

3:50 – 4:05 pm Operationalizing AI Biorisk Governance Using NIST AI RMF With PDCA Cycle
Judith Chukwuebinim Okolo, PhD, National Biotechnology Development Agency, Abuja, Nigeria

Integrate the NIST AI RMF with the PDCA cycle to provide a practical, scalable approach for managing AI-driven biological risks, strengthening biosafety systems, enabling continuous improvement, and supporting responsible innovation.

4:05 – 4:20 pm ISO 35001-based Regional Biorisk Management For Agricultural Research
Kenneth Shenge, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD

First demonstration of ISO 35001 implementation for regional agricultural research provides a replicable framework for complex biosafety system development and continuous improvement.

4:20 – 4:45 pm Q&A Session

4:45 pm | Close of Conference
Betsy Matos, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), Iowa State University, Ames, IA