ABSA Update – September 2024

Dear Biosafety and Biosecurity Community,

The final quarter of 2024 is quickly approaching, and I am excited to share a few of ABSA International’s significant accomplishments and ongoing efforts that continue to advance our mission of promoting biosafety and biosecurity worldwide. Last year we celebrated a successful 66th Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Hybrid Conference with strong in-person and virtual attendance and a record number of platform and poster abstract submissions. The 67th Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this year promises to be just as strong, with experienced and talented speakers for the scientific program and instructors for our professional development courses. This level of engagement reinforces the dedication and commitment of our community.

2024 has been a year of determining what topics were needed and important to ABSA to continue to strengthen our relationships and partnerships with affiliates and biosafety associations worldwide. ABSA actively participated in a variety of meetings reinforcing ABSA’s leadership in the global biosafety and biosecurity landscape. However, we continue to work diligently to provide solutions to the challenges that biosafety professionals face every day. Our commitment to global collaboration remains a priority as we continue to build and fortify alliances that enhance our shared mission, both nationally and internationally.

As these relationships strengthen, we understand that fresh ideas and perspectives are vital to our success. Therefore, we need more volunteers to join us in this journey. Each and every one of our members brings unique contributions which can make a significant difference, and we encourage everyone to get involved and share their ideas and expertise.

Internally, we are currently in a transition period aimed at improving our communications and committee workflow by using the OnBoard platform. We are committed to ensuring that this transition process is as smooth and efficient as possible for all team leads, committee chairs and co-chairs, and our committee members. Communication with our membership and volunteers is an important key focus for us to enhance the communication and efficiency that we have with our membership and our volunteers. This is crucial and critical to continue our mission and vision, and we have already taken steps to streamline processes, conduct training, and plan additional touchpoint meetings to maintain continuous improvement.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to recognize and express my deepest gratitude for the incredible hard work, time, and dedication that our volunteers have invested, invest, and will invest in this organization. All these efforts would not be possible without your help, guidance, and passion. Your contributions are truly invaluable, and we remain steadfast in our support of your efforts.

Thank you for your continued support, dedication, and passion for our shared profession. Together, we will continue to advance ABSA International’s mission and ensure a safe and secure future for all.

Warm regards,

Luis Ochoa Carrera, MSc
President
ABSA International

Co-Chairs: Amy Ryan and David Cavallaro

The Bylaws Committee continues to edit and review the Policies & Procedures of various teams and committees. The committee asks that all teams and committees perform an annual review and submit any changes to the ABSA International Office. The office will forward the changes to the committee for review and approval.

Coeditors-in-Chief: Barbara Johnson and Karen Byers

Applied Biosafety (Volume 29, Number 2) is the first of a 2-part special issue series focusing the growing availability of customizable nucleic acid sequences and genomes from commercial sources, which has been recently printed and delivered. The second volume of this special issue is currently being proofed for printing and shipping this month. In the meantime, thanks to the generous support from Open Philanthropy, all manuscripts in both volumes of this special issue are available Open Access for free online here: https://www.liebertpub.com/toc/apb/29/2

We are also proud to announce that a call for papers for a forthcoming special issue on “Biosafety and Biosecurity for Potential Pandemic Pathogens and Dual-Use Research of Concern” has been released and we strongly encourage submissions from ABSA members who have experience with PPP or DURC. More information on this call for papers is found online here: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/apb.2024.48276.cfp

Additionally, we are pleased to announce that APB has received 71,027 full-text article downloads year-to-date, a strong increase of 7% over the same period last year. We have received 27 manuscript submissions so far in 2024, a significant increase compared to this time last year and largely due to the high-quality of manuscripts received for the two Special Issues. Our average time-to-first decision is 12 days, which is exceptional in the publication industry. APB is committed to sharing information on biosafety and biosecurity to enhance awareness and share best practices.

Chair: William Peters

The 67th Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Hybrid Conference will be November 1-6, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona. We started promoting exhibits earlier than usual this year. E-blast solicitations are being sent every week promoting exhibiting and sponsoring at the conference. To date, we have 44 exhibitors and nine sponsors—Miltenyi Biotec (Gold); Sitero (Gold); BioSAFE Engineering (Silver); ABC Actini (Bronze); Camfil Clean Air Solutions (Bronze); Labconco Corporation (Bronze); NuAire (Bronze); Progressive Recovery (PRI Bio) (Bronze); and Triumvirate Environmental (Bronze).

To increase exhibit hall traffic, we will have the Raffle Card Program with the exhibitors during the conference. Raffle cards will be included in the attendee bags. Companies listed on the raffle card will provide a prize valued at $100 or more.

We encourage you to participate by exhibiting/sponsoring your company’s products and services and/or sponsoring an event. Onsite exhibit booths will be open at the conference for participants to access and interact with booth personnel. If you have any questions about exhibiting/sponsoring, please contact Karen Savage (karen@absaoffice.org) for further information.

Co-Chairs: Geoffrey K. Phillips and Ray Scheetz

The PCC completed the 2024 ABSA Call for Course Proposal reviews in May. The PCC was grateful to have a number of new course topics to choose from for the professional development courses offerings. Facilitators from the PCC have been assigned courses and are assisting with all the course preparations. We are excited to have one of our facilitators participating virtually from Nigeria!

This year the PCC is offering 22 in-person courses and 8 virtual courses ranging in audience levels and course length. Please visit www.absaconference.org/2024-pdc/ for all the course details and registration.

Chair: Matt Anderson
Co-Chairs: Amanda Haley and James Pharr

The E-comm Committee has been working to finalize the refresh of the ABSA International website home page and hopes to have the page updated by the end of September. We hope the membership and the public will find the changes make it easier to find what they are looking for when visiting absa.org. In September, the committee will be sending out a notice to all team leads, committees, and task forces, requesting a review of the website content that falls under their respective purview. Requests for edits, additions or removal of content will be due by December 1 so the changes can be reviewed by the committee and implemented over the holidays when organizational activities are minimal, and the webmaster has time to dedicate to the tasks. Finally, the E-comm committee will be sponsoring the Selfie Booth at the Annual Conference again this year. So, if you are attending the conference, do not forget to stop by the booth in the Exhibit Hall and snap a pic with friends/colleagues and share it on social media to promote the conference. Members of the committee will be attending the conference and will have swag buttons and stickers to hand out if you show them that you posted to social media!

 Chair: Bob Ellis

The BBTC was held in August in Fort Collins, CO to a full house of 60 participants. The next offering will be held August 4-8, 2025.

The course director for the BBTC reminds everyone that attendees have the opportunity to learn about many aspects of biosafety and biosecurity—with general applications as well as specific applications to Animal and Plant Programs and Facilities. Do not forget, the BBTC course awards maintenance of the RBP and CBSP as well as credentials requiring P.A.C.E.® contact hours. We hope to see you in Fort Collins!

Chair: Cristine C. Lawson
Co-Chairs: Enitra Jones Sprouse and Ryan Burnette

The Steering Committee delivered a successful 3rd International Biosecurity Virtual Symposium and has reviewed all feedback received from the symposium survey. The committee is pleased to report that over 85% of attendees rated their overall experience good/excellent. Planning for the 4th International Biosecurity Virtual Symposium will commence shortly, and the committee is taking into consideration all suggestions and recommendations from the surveys received. We look forward to our continued support of ABSA and its mission.

Chair: Sepideh S. Hockley

The 2024 Local Arrangements Committee has been working on the final details to make the ABSA International Conference in Phoenix, Arizona an informative and enjoyable experience for all our attendees. The conference will be held at the luxurious JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa and is within walking distance of Desert Ridge Mall.

This year’s banquet will take place at Desert Foothills, a breathtaking private events venue located in North Scottsdale, just a 10-minute drive from the JW Marriott Hotel conference site. Selected for its exquisite views of the Sonoran Desert, set against the backdrop of the Valley of the Sun Phoenix Metro area, this venue showcases the unique beauty of the region. The Sonoran Desert stands out as one of the most ecologically diverse deserts in North America, boasting a wide array of plant and animal life. We have planned some fun activities including Bow and Arrow, Cowboy Golf, and Giant Western Operation, to name a few. Join us for a delightful evening of great barbeque, entertainment, cozy firepits, and stunning landscapes with friends and colleagues.

For our presenter gifts, we have selected a local vendor to create beautiful 7" stacked glass cactus ornaments mounted on a sandstone base and customized for the 2024 ABSA International conference. These made in Arizona gifts will serve as a reminder of the conference in the “Valley of the Sun” for years to come. Our attendees will receive customized crossbody sling bag backpacks, and stainless-steel water bottles to make sure everyone stays organized and hydrated!

We have also put together a list of recommendations for things to do in the Phoenix metro area and places to visit in Arizona which will be posted on the conference webpage. We are very excited to welcome you to Phoenix in November! The countdown is on for another great conference!

Chair: Hallie Hoskins
Co-Chair: Rhonda O’Keefe

The Board is pleased to welcome two new members as we had to say goodbye to a few that have truly created an impact in the credentialing community.

The CMB is continually working on finding free to low-cost training to help with maintaining CM points.

The new Excel-formatted CM Worksheets have received great feedback. Users have the ability to track ongoing CM points and to see how they are accumulating and in which section they may need help. It is recommended to download and start tracking those points!

The Board reviewed 32 CM applications and 26 were approved (April to August).

Chair: Paul Meechan
Co-Chair: John Henneman

The CEB continues to meet monthly to review RBP and CBSP applications. Also, based on a task force recommendation made to Council, a change in the service requirements for RBP and CBSP credentialing will take place starting on July 1, 2025. Any application not completed prior to that date will need to meet the new requirements. A separate email will be sent to ABSA members describing the changes, which will align the service requirement calculations for the two credentials as well as alter the total service time required for certification. This information will also be posted on the ABSA website.

Chair: Niki Drazenovich
Co-Chair: Matt Fischer

ABSA members currently have 11 quizzes available online for CM points and additional quizzes in development covering two Applied Biosafety Journals, two Anthologies (VIII and VIX), and the Bradford University-Preventing Biological Threats book. These quizzes are low cost and can be located on the website at https://absa.org/online-education/.

Chairs: Eric Lewis, Endah Sulistijo, Ericka Pearce, and Rhonda O’Keefe

The Distance Learning Committee continues to develop, review, and offer new and ongoing courses for ABSA International members’ professional growth. As of August 16, 16 courses have been completed reaching over 1,100 participants. The remaining course scheduled for mid-September is Virus-based Gene Transfer Vectors. Topics for courses under development include field biosafety, AI for biosafety and biosecurity professionals – 101 level, and arthropod biosafety.

New for 2024 – Biosafety Cabinet Basics On-demand! Visit https://absa.org/online-education/ for more information on this module and the many other courses available. Course lists are updated routinely. Please invite your colleagues, nonmembers, or other professionals to attend. If you are interested in teaching a course or know a subject matter expert in a particular field of interest to biosafety or biosecurity professionals, or if you have general comments that you’d like to share with the DLC, please contact the ABSA Office at education@absa.org. We welcome your involvement and feedback.

Chair: Joseph Kozlovac
Co-Chair: David Harbourt

The Board recently met with a statistician to review the CBSP exam analysis and determine a pass/fail percentage. This year had 16 individuals that sat for the exam and of those, nine have received the CBSP designation.

The Exam Development Board (EDB) will continue to work at maintaining the high quality of the exam and the integrity of the credential by writing and reviewing new questions.

Chair: Robin Tobias
Co-Chair: Daniela Didier

PRM has been actively partnering with the ABSA Public Relations Firm and has applied the information learned through this collaboration to the existing Media Toolkit Project in progress. We continue to work on Biosafety and Biosecurity Month as an opportunity for our community to recognize, reflect, promote, and advocate for biosafety and biosecurity in research and healthcare. Our goal for this year is to create new resources and showcase past project examples that could be accessed by ABSA members to share and promote the event at their respective institutions. We will use social media as a platform to distribute important messages and reminders throughout the month of October to highlight Biosafety and Biosecurity Month. We continue to work on projects that frame biosafety, biosecurity, and biological research in a positive way. We are interested in learning more about public relations and marketing, then applying this information to new initiatives.

Chairs: Dee Zimmerman and Betsy Weirich

The Member Resources Committee (MRC) has instituted the New Member Outreach Program, a personal communication between the new member and the MRC volunteers. The purpose is to welcome them to ABSA International and provide a point of contact for questions and chats. Our hope is that this will encourage new members to become more comfortable and involved with ABSA.

Chair: John Balog
Co-Chair: Bob Hawley

The Historical Committee has not received any items to be evaluated for inclusion in the NAL Collection of the ABSA Biosafety archive in the past 12 months. The Policy and Procedures in review.

Please contact the Historical Committee c/o the ABSA Office with questions about the National Agricultural Library (NAL) collection or for an evaluation of materials (publications, unpublished papers, or artifacts) of historical significance to the biosafety profession.

You may access the American Biological Safety Association Collection Organization on the USDA National Agricultural Library website.

Chairs: Esmeralda Meyer and Marian Downing

The EIDC posted updates and new resources for the Influenza toolbox and Viral Hemorrhagic Fever as new information becomes available. During this quarter, Ami Patel led the assembly of the Prion toolbox and Betsy Gilman-Duane continued to nurture the revival of the ABSA-OSHA collaboration. We request your feedback on the value of the Toolboxes to the ABSA professionals. Please send your comments and suggestions to info@absa.org with the subject header: EIDC feedback.

Chairs: Dan Eisenman and Shalaka Kotkar

The training slides were updated, and the audio has been recorded. The 2024 goal is to evaluate post-test questions as well as any questions that have been submitted by students for the course.

Co-Leads: Pat Condreay and Carrie Smith

The summer offering of PPB was held in Denver, Colorado in July. There will be three offerings in 2025 (Alexandria, Virginia in March; Omaha, Nebraska in May; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in July) to accommodate additional students. Registration is closed for Alexandria, but open for Omaha and Pittsburgh. Please visit https://absa-ppb.org/.

Co-Chairs: Esmeralda Meyer and Karon Floyd

The TRR and Legislative Committee chairs continue to work with the leads for the Regulatory and Technical Affairs Team to finalize the merger of these two ABSA committees. A new set of P&Ps have been generated and await the final approval of the ABSA Council. Stay tuned for more information and meeting notice.

On the regulatory front, the TRR and Legislative Committee worked on two drafts to be used by the ABSA Council to submit comments to the following regulatory/legislative documents:

1. USDA APHIS Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service titled Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002; Biennial Review and Republication of the Select Agent and Toxin List Docket No APHIS-2019-0018 D. D Docket No APHIS-2019-0018/HHS/CDC: Possession, Use, and Transfer of Select Agents and Toxins; Biennial Review of the List of Select Agents and Toxins. ABSA submitted one of 72 comments (Comment from American Biological Safety Association (ABSA-International).
2. A newly proposed life sciences research oversight bill, recently released by Senator Paul. The proposed bill aims to establish comprehensive oversight frameworks for life sciences research, touching on critical aspects of biosafety, biosecurity, and ethical standards. Members of the TRR, LC, and members of the ABSA community provided a draft to be used by the ABSA Council to ensure that the legislative measures aligned with best practices and address potential concerns within the biosafety and biosecurity community.

Co-Chairs: Lia Vizzotti and Parimala Arokiaraj

The Affiliate Relations Committee has been actively scouting for fresh candidates to join our network. If you, as an ABSA International member, know of any biosafety associations in your region, we encourage you to nominate them!

Here’s the website if you are seeking more information about the affiliate program at ABSA.

Looking forward to seeing members in person at the conference this fall.

Chair: Maya Nair
Co-Chair: Will Pinard

TTR members reviewed the following resources this quarter. Agent Information Sheets developed by Boston and Emory University’s for 50 agents and resources submitted from Advancing Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Science (AAVLD) on PPE in BSL-3/ABSL-3 Laboratories. These approved resources are posted to the TTR page on the website.

Chair: AJ Troiano
Co-Chairs: Colleen Kovacsics and Susan Vleck

The SPC continued to work into the summer to finalize the conference agenda for November, which we are proud to showcase:

• Four keynote speakers with the addition of another local invited speaker thanks to the help of the Local Arrangements Committee
• Concurrent sessions on Tuesday afternoon to accommodate more platform presentations
• The largest international turnout of abstract submissions in recent history; nearly 50% of all abstracts were from the international community with twenty-seven countries represented

Leading up to the 67th Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Hybrid Conference, the SPC is working to streamline poster grading rubrics and train new members for moderating responsibilities. We look forward to seeing everyone in Phoenix, Arizona come November and as always, welcome the community’s feedback on how we can continuously improve and elevate the conference experience. A special thank you to all the committee members for their efforts this year and continued efforts leading into the Fall.

Lead: Shoolah Escott
Co-Lead: Crystal Fortune

The SIG has conducted two renovation webinars this year. The first was held January 19 and was attended by approximately 400 people. Shoolah Escott was the moderator and featured Robin Tobias, Lisa Wallace, Anna Liddicoat, and Miguel Grimaldo as speakers. The second was held on February 29 and featured Marian Downing as moderator and speakers Robert Glaser and Drew Fayram. This one was attended by at least 220 people based on onsite registrations. For each webinar, over 90% of participants said the information was relevant, it addressed a gap in knowledge, and they will use what they learned.

Shoolah moderated and presented a breakout session at the 2024 APHL meeting titled “Using the Past to Prevent Future Laboratory-acquired Infections” which focused on how to use the ABSA LAI Database and a learning and training tool to prevent biosafety incidents. The other speakers were Mike Pentella, Mike Perry, and Erin Bowles. There were over 150 people in attendance. Several attendees approached Shoolah after the session to say thank you for telling them about the ABSA LAI Database and that they plan to use it in their future training sessions.

The SIG’s poster titled “Ergonomic, Green and ADA Considerations for Renovation and Construction” has been accepted for presentation at the upcoming ABSA meeting in Phoenix. The authors are: Drew Fayram, Merrick; Robert Glaser, NYS PHL; Crystal Fortune, MT PHL; Michael Marsico, APHL; Marian Downing, Consultant; and Shoolah Escott, Biosafety Trainer.

We are planning a webinar on mobile labs including BSL-3 certification clarification for Biosafety and Biosecurity Month. There is also ongoing discussion regarding a topic for the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) meeting in October. As of this date, there is interest in how to perform risk assessments for disaster scenarios.

Available for Purchase for a Limited Time:

• 66th Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Conference​
• 3rd International Biosecurity Virtual Symposium​
• 06. Working with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (HPAIV)​
• 08. Concepts of Virology ​
• 17. Export Compliance for the Biosafety Professional​
• 14. APHIS 101 for the Arthropod Research World​
• 16. Gain-of-Function Research: Biosafety vs. Biosecurity​
• 13. Animal Handler Risk Assessment ​
• 15. Q&A Infectious Substance Shipping ​
• 09. Large Scale Biosafety​
• 10. Molecular Biology 101 ​
• 24PDC5V. Animal Research for Biosafety Professionals – An Introduction

Other Upcoming Opportunities for Professional Development Include:

• 11. Virus-based Gene Transfer Vectors - Sept 12 & 19​
• 24PDC3V. Introduction to Biosafety in the Clinical Setting – Sept 13​
• 24PDC4V. Bio-Hazardous Drugs – Sept 17​
• 24PDC8V. IBC Basics – Oct 3​
• 24PDC7V. Intro to the Science and Biosafety of Cell and Gene Therapy Clinical Trials – Oct 9 & 11​
• 24PDC1V. Plant and Arthropod Biosafety Basics – Oct 15 & 17​
• 24PDC2V. Infectious Substance Shipping Program Management – Oct 21-25​
• 24PDC6V. Disposal of Animal Carcasses – Dec 3 & 5​

On-demand:
Advanced Biosafety Training Series
Basic Disinfection On-demand Module

Thanks to the Public Relations/Marketing Committee, ABSA has promotional videos for ABSA and our ABSA Conference. The videos can be found on the ABSA website and on ABSA International’s YouTube channel at. Also, ABSA’s YouTube channel has video interviews of conference presenters and keynotes. Feel free to share the video, use it in presentations, or link to it from your websites.

Through Member Clicks, not only can you access the Members’ Directory; you can update your contact information under the “My Information” link; view events you have registered for under “My Events”; access your educational credits under the “My Professional Development” link; and print a copy of past invoices under “My Transactions.” You can also purchase ABSA International publications, shirts, and other products.

The Job Board allows employers to connect with biosafety and biosecurity professionals and has opportunities available to continue to advance their career. Employers who post a position will gain access to some of the top professionals in the biosafety and biosecurity field. If you would like to post to the Job Board or find out more about the opportunities, visit the ABSA Job Board page.

The Anthology of Biosafety series is now available at no cost to ABSA members!
The 14-book series published between 1999 and 2015 addresses biosafety in different settings:

I: Perspectives on Laboratory Design
II: Facility Design Considerations
III: Application of Principles
IV: Issues in Public Health
V: BSL-4 Laboratories
VI: Arthropod Borne Diseases
VII: Biosafety Level 3
VIII: Evolving Issues in Containment
IX: Exploring the Performance Envelope for BSL-3 and BSL-4 Laboratories
X: Animal Biosafety
XI: Worker Health and Safety Issues
XII: Managing Challenges for Safe Operations of BSL-3/ABSL-3 Facilities
XIII: Animal Production and Protection – Challenges, Risks, and Best Practices
XIV: Sustainability

ABSA Members must be signed in to download individual chapters of interest. Click here for more information.

In alignment with our core organizational values, ABSA International (ABSA) encourages positive connections between biosafety professionals, scientists, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the public. It is our organization's policy to administer all activities without discrimination on the basis of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, marital/familial status, and veteran status. These practices extend to all aspects of ABSA’s activities and to all roles within the association (e.g., member, ambassador, employee, mentor, sponsor, and vendor).