Please join us on January 30, 2024 for the next webinar available to CABS-ACSB Members as part of our webinar series!
The topic Why do Biosafety Professionals Move to Other Countries? is presented by Luis Ochoa Carrera, Office of Environmental Health and Safety at Michigan State University.
In some countries, biosafety professionals are known as biosafety officers, biosafety responsibles, biosafety staff, biosafety managers, or biosafety designees, among others. The role and activities of these professionals has been remarkable in preventing accidents from happening, in responding lab emergencies, in doing risk assessments, and in providing guidance expertise to all members of an institution. However, these professionals have to face and will face different challenges, that in some cases, motivate them to leave their countries of origin. Despite having an increase of interest in the biosafety discipline in recent years, the existing and ongoing efforts in different regions to promote biosafety and biosecurity have remained imbalanced.
Luis Ochoa Carrera Bio:
Mr. Ochoa currently serves as the High-Containment Lab/Pandemic Safety Manager and Responsible Official for the Select Agent Program for the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at Michigan State University. From October 2019 to June 2021, he worked as the Director of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Research Laboratory Network of the Mexican Institute for Social Security (IMSS) and from March 2013 to October 2019 he served as BSL-3 Lab Coordinator at the National Reference Laboratory in Mexico. Prior to his current position, he received a Master’s Degree in Public Health Management focused on Biological Risk Management.
He is currently the President of the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA-International) and also has served as the Chair of the Publications Committee, member of the International Engagement Committee, member of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Working Group, and international editor for Applied Biosafety Journal.
As one of the eighteen founding members and past President of the AMEXBIO, he has strengthened the network between biosafety professionals in the region and helped to create strategic alliances with international and national institutions. Additionally, Mr. Ochoa has served as a mentor of different mentoring programs for Sandia National Laboratories, the Next Generation Global Health Security Network, and the IFBA Mentorship Program. In addition, Mr. Ochoa serves as Senior Advisor for PandemicTech, member of the IFBA Board of Directors, and is a Certified Biosafety Professional from IFBA in four disciplines: Biorisk Management, Biological Risk Assessment, Biocontainment Facility Design,Operations and & Maintenance, and Biosafety Cabinet Selection, Installation and Safe Use.
The webinar will be held on January 30, 2024 at 12:00 CST.
Registration is limited so we encourage you to RSVP soon! Please reply to this email (cabsacsb@gmail.com) to confirm your attendance and a Zoom link and meeting invitation will be provided to you.
Please submit any questions in advance and there will be an opportunity to ask questions after the session.
