2021 ChABSA Annual Scientific Virtual

Symposium and Pre-Symposium Workshops

June 7-9, 2021

Workshop Registration is now open.  Click here for details

Symposium Registration

Symposium Early Bird Pricing (through 5/28/21) $50 for ChABSA members and ABSA Affiliate Members, $60 for non-members.  Student early bird is only $15.

Regular prices will be $65 for members and $75 for non-members.  Student regular pricing is $25.

 *subject to change

Click here to find out about Sponsorships.

Key Note Speaker Bios

Ian Crozier

Ian Crozier is an infectious diseases clinician-scientist at the Frederick National Lab providing chief medical officer support to NIAID’s Biosafety-Level-4 Integrated Research Facility (IRF) at Fort Detrick. His current position enables bidirectional agility between the human clinical bedside and animal models of high-threat infectious diseases, most recently in ongoing clinical and research efforts in the 2018-20 Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Related experience began in August 2014, when he was deployed by the World Health Organization to an Ebola [virus disease] Treatment Unit in eastern Sierra Leone, then continued after his own infection, medical evacuation, and critical illness at Emory University Hospital’s Severe Communicable Diseases Unit. Among other sequelae, his recovery was complicated by sight-threatening eye disease associated with persistent intra-ocular Ebola virus infection. Subsequent work with WHO and an Emory University Eye team focused on characterizing and understanding the sequelae of Ebola virus disease in West African survivors, targeting their clinical care needs, the management of residual risk related to viral persistence, and scientific questions newly emerging at survivor bedsides. Prior to 2014, he spent many years based at the Infectious Diseases Institute in Kampala, Uganda, where his work focused on developing complex clinical decision-making in African clinicians caring for patients with HIV and other infectious diseases. He completed his infectious diseases and medical training at Vanderbilt University. He is originally from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Affiliation:

Clinical Monitoring Research Program Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research Support to: NIAID Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick)

Patty Olinger

Patricia (Patty) Olinger is the Executive Director of GBACÒ, the Global BioRisk Advisory Council, a division of ISSA. GBAC is recognized as a leader in training, education, and certification in Forensic Restoration®, biorisk management, decontamination and infection control disciplines.

Prior to joining GBAC, Olinger was an assistant vice president in the Office of Research Administration and the executive director of the Environmental, Health and Safety Office (EHSO) at Emory University. During Olinger’s 13-year tenure, EHSO had university-wide responsibility for all aspects of environmental, health, and safety support, including EHS compliance support to Emory Healthcare. This included biosafety support to the Emory Serious Communicable Diseases Unit (SCDU), which cared for four Ebola patients in 2014. Prior to joining Emory in 2006, Olinger spent 21 years in the pharmaceutical Industry, providing support to both human and animal health research developing a true OneHealth perspective.

From 2013-2018, Olinger supported the Elizabeth R. Griffin Foundation, acting as their director of global projects. In this role, she led international biorisk management projects, obtaining practical experience with staff and facilities in extremely low resource environments worldwide. She has facilitated the development of local leadership for assessing and enhancing capacity in both laboratory and healthcare environments through safe, secure, practical, and sustainable ways, strengthening their biorisk management capacities and supporting global health security.

Olinger is a Registered Biosafety Professional, a Certified Forensic Operator and a Certified Bio-Forensic Restoration Specialist. She has supported the development of International Biorisk Management Systems from the conception of the CWA 15793:2011 and is the current deputy convener of the ISO Working Group that is developing the ISO International Biorisk Management Standard ISO 35001. She served as a member of the External Laboratory Safety Working Group to the Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the APLU/AAU Laboratory Safety Taskforce, was a council member of the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA), a former Scientific Advisory Board member of the U.S. NIH National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program (NBBTP) and is a past President of the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA). Olinger has a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and a Masters of Law with a focus on International Global Health.

Affiliation:

GBAC - The Global Biorisk Advisory Group - a division on ISSA