- 3.19.2012 - IFBA Collaborates with Frontline Foundation
Announcing our new Collaboration with the Frontline Foundation to Strengthen Global Biosafety and Biosecurity
By Maureen Ellis, Executive Director, IFBA
As Executive Director for the International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA), I am very delighted to announce that the IFBA and Frontline Foundation will be collaborating more closely around issues of global biosafety and biosecurity. Both our organizations share similar goals of strengthening global biosafety networks and building capacity through advocacy and training. Throughout 2012, The Year of International Biosafety Advocacy, we will be working closely with Frontline Foundation and our member biosafety associations to raise the priority for biosafety and biosecurity among National Ministries of Health and Agriculture, government officials, international agencies and other senior authorities worldwide.
Representatives from the global biosafety community, including Frontline Foundation Founder and President Murray L. Cohen, PhD, MPH, CIH, participated in our international conference held last February in Bangkok where all participants voiced a strong and immediate need for increased recognition by National Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Security of biosafety and biosecurity as priority issues. Senior governmental support and funding is central to the effective and sustained implementation of national biosafety and biosecurity strategies and programs by biosafety associations worldwide.
We will continue this important work at our 2nd international conference to be held June 28-29 in Johannesburg, South Africa. I am pleased that Dr. Cohen will once again be an instrumental voice in the conference working sessions which will engage key national authorities and enlist their support for partnering with biosafety associations in the implementation of national programs.
For those who are not familiar with the Frontline Foundation, it was established in 1997 as a non-profit education foundation headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The Foundation is dedicated to to building national and international biosafety, biological security and cooperative threat reduction through training, education, and ongoing research that allows communities and nations to best respond to natural and contrived biological incidents, emergencies, pandemic situations, and mass casualty management. Frontline Foundation also assists in pandemic response preparation, agricultural security, and consultation for biological security and non-proliferation agreements. Frontline Foundation Founder and President, Murray L. Cohen, PhD, MPH, CIH, is a voting member of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, is an Expert Consultant in Biosecurity to the World Health Organization, and consults for the NIH as well as several other U.S. and foreign government agencies. www.frontlinefoundation.org
For further details on 2012 The Year of International Biosafety Advocacy initiative and the 2nd International Conference “Global Biosafety and Biosecurity: Builidng Sustainable Capacity” please visit www.internationalbiosafety.org or contact the IFBA secretariat at
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- 6.17.2011 – NBBTP, NIH & Dartmouth College Release Autoclave Safety Video
The NBBTP, administered by Frontline Foundation, NIH & Dartmouth College have released an Autoclave safety video which details the proper use of an autoclave to decontaminate biohazardous waste. It should be viewed by all who operate or repair laboratory autoclaves. Watch Video
- 4.5.2011 - Frontline Partners With Virtual Biosecurity Center
Frontline Healthcare Workers Safety Foundation, Ltd., www.frontlinefoundation.org, is now a participating organization with the Virtual Biosecurity Center www.virtualbiosecuritycenter.org. Look for our logo in the streaming portion at the bottom of the VBC home page.
Biosecurity awareness, public health preparedness, and education on the responsible use of science and technology are crucial components for dealing with threats of an intentional, accidental, or natural release of a dangerous biological agent.
“Partnering with the VBC is essential,” said Frontline Foundation Director Murray L. Cohen, PhD, MPH, CIH. “Both Frontline Foundation and the VBC are working toward the same goal: ensuring that individuals, organizations, and entire communities, are as prepared as possible in the event of an accidental or intentional biological disaster.”
The Virtual Biosecurity Center (VBC) is a global multi-organizational initiative spearheaded by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) committed to countering the threat posed by the development or use of biological weapons and to the responsible use of science and technology. It was developed with a grant from the National Counter Proliferation Center (NCPC) of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Frontline Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit research and education foundation headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with offices in Bethesda, MD, Frederick, MD, and Chicago, IL. Frontline is dedicated to building national and international biological security and cooperative threat reduction through training, education, and ongoing research that allows communities and nations to best respond to natural and contrived biological incidents, emergencies, and pandemics.
- 1.18.2011 - New NBBTP Fellows Selected
Four biosafety professionals -- Dr. Thomas J. Cremer IV, Dr. Marisa Hickey, Ms. Tabatha J. Mitchell, and Dr. Antony Schwartz -- have each been awarded a two-year fellowship in the prestigious National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program (NBBTP).
The two-year training program begins Jan. 5, 2011, at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, campus and is designed to prepare biosafety and biocontainment professionals of the highest caliber to meet the needs of the biomedical, emerging disease and civilian biodefense research communities.
The Fellows will train specifically to support Biosafety Level 3 and 4 research environments by acquiring knowledge and skills necessary to meet the scientific, regulatory, biocontainment, biosafety, engineering, communications, management, and public relations challenges associated with the conduct of research in these facilities. Fellowships provide an extraordinary learning environment and rigorous program including academic training, experiential learning, mentorship, developmental assignments, and applied occupational safety and health research opportunities.
Dr. Cremer received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology interdisciplinary graduate program. He earned two Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Toledo – one in Pharmacology and Toxicology with a minor in Chemistry, the other in Criminal Justice with a minor in Forensic Science Investigation. Dr. Cremer was awarded two scholarships -- the University of Toledo Pride Scholarship and the University of Toledo, College of Pharmacy Centennial Scholarship – and has published seven peer-reviewed manuscripts. In the last three years, he has published seven peer-reviewed manuscripts and has several pending publication. From 2009-2010, Dr. Cremer I was supported by a NIH/NIAID NSRA T32 pre-doctoral training fellowship administered through The Ohio State University Center for Microbial Interface Biology. He works as a graduate research associate at Ohio State University and held positions of intern at the county coroner’s office in Toledo and research assistant while at the University there.
Dr. Hickey received her DVM from the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana, her MPH from the University of Illinois Epidemiology and Biostatistics division in Chicago, and her Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Dr. Hickey is currently working at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago as an assistant to the veterinary epidemiologist. While in school, Dr. Hickey worked at an animal shelter medical center and at a dairy farm.
Ms. Mitchell received her Masters of Science in Public Health degree in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Murray State University. Ms. Mitchell was awarded the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation scholarship and is a graduate of the Future Leaders program of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. She has delivered 2 national presentations at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition. A Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Ms. Mitchell has worked as an industrial hygienist and in occupational health for more than 15 years with time on staff at Eli Lilly and Company, Florida Atlantic University, BHP Minerals and Bechtel.
Dr. Antony Schwartz received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi in 2010. While at Southern Miss, Dr. Schwartz also obtained a minor in Technology Commercialization and was part of an NSF-IGERT research group that traveled to Bangalore, India, to assess the biotechnology sector. As a graduate teaching assistant, he has taught general microbiology lab courses. Dr. Schwartz has served as the president and vice-president for the Graduate Student Forum in his department and as the department representative for the Southern Miss Graduate Student Senate. Dr. Schwartz is an alumnus of Jackson State University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with honors and two minors in chemistry and broadcast journalism in 2004.
The NBBTP is a partnership between the Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Frontline Healthcare Workers Safety Foundation Ltd., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit education and research foundation, is the government contractor to the NBBTP and an equal opportunity employer.
Additional information regarding the NBBTP Fellowships, the NBBTP Certificate Program, and NBBTP Professional Development courses is available online at www.nbbtp.org or by calling Frontline Foundation at 678-781-5241.
- 11.5.2010 - Frontline CEO discusses bioterrorism on Prarie Public Newsroom
- Bioterrorism expert says "the science is cutting-edge, but the communication isn't"
- Watch VIDEO
- 11.5.2010 - Frontline CEO discusses bioterrorism and emergency preparedness at U-Mary Health Care Institute
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