ABSA Blog

COVID-19 Joint Statement from ABSA International and AIHA

March 24, 2020 Dear AIHA and ABSA International Members and Friends, As leaders of AIHA and ABSA International, we would like to jointly show our appreciation for our members during this tenuous time and the critical work they do for the global community. Both professions, in most cases working jointly together, are keeping our workplaces and communities safe. ABSA International’s resources in biosafety and biosecurity as well as AIHA’s resources in industrial hygiene are crucial to both professions and the community at large. ABSA International and AIHA want to share our resources with each organization’s members and plan to continue [...]

ABSA International2024-01-15T17:52:36-06:00March 24th, 2020|

ABSA in the News: Q&A: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Basics

Lumpen radio host Jamie Trecker interviews biosafety officer Allen Helm The following is an edited transcript of an interview with bacteriologist Allen Helm, a senior biosafety officer in the Office of Research Safety at the University of Chicago, about the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, conducted by host Jamie Trecker. The interview aired on March 11 on Lumpen Radio, WLPN: 105.5 FM. Reprinted with permission. ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ Jamie Trecker: We wanted to try to talk to someone who deals with bugs [pathogens] in the laboratory and has some insight into biosafety. So I’m really pleased to welcome the [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:35:48-05:00March 20th, 2020|

ABSA in the News: Behind the scenes in the biosafety office

CAREER FEATURE 04 March 2020 Behind the scenes in the biosafety office It’s never a dull day for those tasked with keeping biological research safe for all. David Gillum received a flood of phone calls in January, after his university announced that someone in the campus community had been diagnosed with the COVID-19 coronavirus. Gillum is the director of environmental health and safety at Arizona State University in Tempe, and many of the calls were from biosafety officers around the globe. They were seeking his expertise and guidance in the event that their own institutions were in the same [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:35:35-05:00March 5th, 2020|

ABSA in the News: Coronavirus Travel Advice: How to Minimize Exposure While Traveling, Including at Airports, on Planes and Cruises

ABSA in the News: Coronavirus Travel Advice: How to Minimize Exposure While Traveling, Including at Airports, on Planes and Cruises The executive director of ABSA International (The Association for Biosafety and Biosecurity), Ed Stygar, also told Newsweek: "When traveling, you are always going to be at risk for exposure to a variety of infectious agents, including COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. There is no avoiding the presence of pathogens from fellow travelers, but you can protect yourself by following the CDC recommendations for reducing everyday risks to respiratory viruses, including good handwashing practices, avoiding visibly ill people, avoid touching your face, [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:35:22-05:00February 20th, 2020|

COVID-19 Information

ABSA International COVID-19 Information Page What is the 2019 novel coronavirus? The 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, is a new respiratory virus that was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, in China. The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 is called coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, which presents as a pneumonic syndrome. Many of the earlier patients in China had links to a seafood and animal market, suggesting the virus was spreading from animal-to-people. However, a growing number of patients have reported no exposure to animal markets which indicates that the virus is spreading person-to-person. It is unclear how the virus [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:35:08-05:00February 16th, 2020|

Dr. Michael Pentella Interviews

Michael A. Pentella, Ph.D., M.S., SM(ASCP), CIC, D(ABMM) Clinical Professor at the University of Iowa, College of Public Health Director of the Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory Arnold G. Wedum Memorial Lecture Award speaker at the 62nd Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Conference Biosafety in Clinical Laboratories Part I Part II

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:34:39-05:00November 24th, 2019|

Dr Robert Emery Interview

Interview with Robert Emery, DrPH, CBSP University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX Invited speaker at the 62nd Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Conference Making Your Biosafety Message Stick!

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:34:29-05:00November 19th, 2019|

ABSA Council Members Promote Biosecurity Engagement

On May, 2, 2019, ABSA Council Members Rebecca Moritz and Patricia de la Rosa and President-Elect David Gillum attended a meeting at Georgetown University to discuss opportunities for improving biosecurity oversight of research activities, including Dual Use Research and Gain of Function experiments. The half-day meeting was designed to encourage and promote biosecurity collaborations with ABSA International, academia, law enforcement, and the public and private sectors in support of global biosecurity initiatives. The attendees agreed that the current focus on biological threats needs to be expanded beyond list-based pathogens and that scientists and research administrators must be provided guidance [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:34:17-05:00May 20th, 2019|

Applications are now open for CDC’s Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS)

Applications are now open for CDC’s Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS). LLS provides training for laboratory scientists with an emphasis on safety, quality, and leadership. LLS is intended to prepare laboratory leaders to protect the public’s health, safety, and security. LLS fellows enhance their leadership and critical thinking skills to provide rapid, strategic, and effective solutions — applying what they learn from their laboratory research on numerous disease-causing agents to solve real-world health problems. LLS seeks high caliber PhD scientists with two years of post-doctoral experience to apply for the incoming Class of 2020, which begins on July 6, 2020. I [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:34:05-05:00May 7th, 2019|

National Inventory for Poliovirus Containment (NIPC) survey

The US National Authority for Containment of Poliovirus (NAC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for Preparedness and Response has recently launched the National Inventory for Poliovirus Containment: Minimizing Risk of Poliovirus Release from Laboratories in the United States, as part of the WHO Global Action Plan (GAP III). In compliance with GAP III, the US is required to complete a national inventory of poliovirus-containing materials by surveying laboratories and other facilities. An initial survey was released in 2015 in order to identify facilities with infectious poliovirus materials and potentially infectious stool specimens. The survey responses were [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:33:55-05:00April 29th, 2019|