ABSA Conference

Monday, September 12, and Wednesday, September 14, 2022, from 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM CDT 1V. Animal Research for Biosafety Professionals – An Introduction Susan Harper, DVM, DACLAM, DACVPM, RBP(ABSA), NIH—Office of Animal Care and Use, Bethesda, MD Lesley Colby, DVM, DACLAM, University of Washington, Seattle, WA Animal Research has contributed to major scientific advances in biomedical, veterinary, and environmental sciences and in public health. However, these efforts often pose significant risks to the health and safety of research and facility staff due to the wide range of species, complex experimental procedures and equipment, and facility hazards that are involved. [...]

Thursday, September 29, 2022, from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM CDT 5V. Laboratory Transition: Planning for the Inevitability of Change Lauren Richardson, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, Merrick & Company, Greenwood Village, CO Ryan Gregory, P.Eng, CxA, Merrick & Company, Greenwood Village, CO Aurel Tamburri, MHM, D.OHS, CRSP, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Life sciences facilities are expensive and require long timelines for facility change. The last few years have emphasized the importance of adaptable, flexible solutions to accommodate changing needs for laboratory operations. Everyone has experienced the trials of transition during the global COVID-19 pandemic. A changing environment necessitates rapid [...]

Monday, October 3 and Friday, October 7, 2022, from 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM CDT 3V. Articulating the Value of Your Biosafety Program Robert Emery, DrPH, CBSP(ABSA), University of Texas Health Science Center—Houston, Houston, TX Scott Patlovich, DrPH, CBSP(ABSA), University of Texas Health Science Center—Houston, Houston, TX Kristen King, DrPH, CBSP(ABSA), University of Texas Health Science Center—Houston, Houston, TX A recurrent challenge confronting biosafety professionals is the ability to garner necessary program resources to achieve desired goals and objectives. The basis for this difficulty is that, on a good day in the world of biosafety, “nothing happens”. The underlying challenge [...]

Friday, February 17, 2023, from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM CDT 4V. BSL-3 Design and Operations: Lessons from the Trenches Matt Anderson, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, NB Many academic institutions have built Biosafety Level 3 containment laboratories over the past 15 years, anticipating these facilities to be an instrument to attract researchers and stay on the cutting edge of science. Most of these labs have been successfully operated since construction while others have become dormant due to various factors ranging from poor initial design, construction issues, engineering flaws, lack of operational staff, lack of funding for the [...]