Insititute News
International Conference on Bioterrorism—Herzylia, Israel—September,
2005
The Institute of Biosecurity was a listed co-sponsor of the International Counterterrorism
Institute’s Fifth International Conference on Bioterrorism. The conference
was held in Herzylia, Israel on September 11-14 and was attended by more than
500 individuals representing the counterterrorism communities of 25 nations.
The Institute was the only representative of the public health preparedness
community at the conference.
The portion of the conference devoted to bioterrorism drew a standing room only
crowd. That morning session was chaired by Institute Director Dr. Evans who
presented his recent work in China studying the regional response to SARS. Mr.
Stanhope used film clips from the SIMPOX exercises to present the issues and
dilemmas associated with realistic bioterrorist drills. Other seminar discussants
were Dr. Boaz Tadmor, Dr Shmuel Shapira, and Yael Radlauer.
DVM Portion of HRSA Grant
The Institute and the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine
have been funded to develop all-hazard disaster preparedness competencies for
the practice of veterinary medicine.
This HRSA grant award will also support the development of all-hazard preparedness
curriculum for the state’s two Physician Assistant programs and mental
health students from Saint Louis University and Missouri State University.
The Law of Epidemics
The Institute for Biosecurity and the Eastern Missouri US Attorney’s office
will host an invitational conference on December 8 for the region’s sheriffs
and chiefs of police. This conference will address the complex issues arising
from the public health laws of Isolation and Quarantine. It will also address
the safety issues that will confront the law enforcement community during a
dangerous epidemic.
There is no cost for this conference, and spaces are still available for those
interested in attending. The conference is being held at the Busch Student Center
on the Saint Louis University campus, with parking at the Laclede Avenue garage.
Call Bill Stanhope at 314-977-3247 for more information.
Avian Flu Tabletop Exercise Package to be released before
year-end
Currently undergoing development and final review before printing, and scheduled
to be released by 12/31/05, the Institute is developing a complete tabletop
exercise package intended for use by public health departments, emergency room
personnel, and military units. The package includes both facilitator and participants’
manuals, a series of evaluation instruments, and a realistic tabletop simulation
of a novel, highly pathogenic influenza epidemic. Call the Institute for Biosecurity
Simulation Development group at 314-977-3247 for further information.
Fusion Centers Meeting Scheduled for Summer, 2006
The Institute is in the preliminary planning process for an invitational meeting
of the leadership of the newly established regional intelligence centers. Faculty
for this conference will be drawn from the senior faculty of the Institute,
ICT and national and international intelligence and security officials. Conference
participation will be restricted to members of the public safety and public
health communities. If you have an interest in being on the mailing list for
this conference, please contact the Institute at 314-977-8257, as space is limited.
The conference is scheduled to be held in the St. Louis, MO metropolitan area
in late summer of 2006.