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Workshop Host
Center for Science Technology and Security Policy (CSTSP)Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law Program (SFRL)
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Abelson/Haskins Room
1200 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20005
August 11, 2009
Themes
Since 2001, the United States has significantly increased investments in civilian as well as military biodefense activities. These activities vary from prevention of theft or creation of biological weapons to preparing for and responding to infectious disease outbreaks. Examples of activities include research on select agents, oversight of high-containment laboratories, threat characterization of biological agents, infectious disease surveillance, and public health preparedness. Building and maintaining a complementary and cooperative workforce among the various biodefense activities requires that the needs of each are assessed; training programs, standard curricula, and evaluation criteria are developed to address those needs; and education programs are sustained.
Two units of AAAS - the Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy and the Program on Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law – has organized this workshop on education of the biodefense policy workforce, bringing together experts in public policy and biodefense policy from academia, government, and the private sector to review current educational and training programs, identify challenges, and provide recommendations to address those challenges. This workshop is the final of four workshops on biosecurity education; the first workshop addressed education of dual use research to scientists, the second addressed biosafety training programs, and the third addressed the public health infectious disease workforce.