UPMC Center for Health Security Announces 2016 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity

BALTIMORE, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The UPMC Center for Health Security today announced the selection of its 2016 Fellows in the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative (ELBI). As part of our commitment to fostering future leaders in the field of biosecurity, UPMC has selected 28 US and international emerging leaders in biosecurity from a wide array of backgrounds, including biological science, medicine, policy, the military, law, public health and the private sector.

"With the vision and support of the Department of Defense, specifically the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, we founded the ELBI fellowship in 2012. We are continually impressed by the caliber of applicants to this program, and it is increasingly difficult each year to make our final selections. The field of biosecurity is a rapidly evolving environment, and so encouraging an influx of new ideas and perspectives from a variety of fields is vital to keeping pace with new technologies and emerging threats." 
-Tom Inglesby, CEO and Director
UPMC Center for Health Security

The 2016 ELBI class will engage with influential figures in the field of biosecurity through a series of meetings and candid discussions on issues that are critical to the future of work in this area. The program lasts throughout the year and will begin with a Washington, DC workshop in March.

"The success of the ELBI program is founded on establishing a strong professional biosecurity network, integrating these early career professionals and facilitating interaction with established leaders in the biosecurity field from across government and the private sector. In order to effectively anticipate and respond to threats in the ever-changing biological threat landscape, we must foster the development of a multidisciplinary workforce and harness the abilities of the next generation of biosecurity leaders."
-Anita Cicero, COO and Deputy Director
UPMC Center for Health Security

The complete list of 2016 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative Fellows is posted below.

2016 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity

Wendy Beauvais, Royal Veterinary College (UK)
Anne Cheever, Booz Allen Hamilton/Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Francisco Cruz, Environmental Protection Agency
Genya Dana, Department of State
Cory Davenport, University of Maryland
Natalie DeGraaf, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Christine Farquharson, Executive Office of the President
Mary Foote, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Stephanie Griese, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Trevor Hall, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Canada)
Mark Hansberger, Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Siddha Hover, BAI, Inc./Department of Homeland Security
Daniel Jackson, Department of State
Dylan Jones, Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Samantha Kasloff, Prospective Postdoctoral Fellow in Virology & Biosecurity (Canada)
Mary Lancaster, Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Gregory Measer, Food and Drug Administration
Lianne Parr, Booz Allen Hamilton/Department of Homeland Security
Amber Murch, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (UK)
Reid Orth, Office of the Secretary of Defense
Megan Palmer, Stanford University
Kristin Post, Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning
Hayley Severance, Booz Allen Hamilton/DoD Cooperative Threat Reduction Program
Claire Standley, George Washington University
Jennifer January Therrien, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Angela Vasa, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Krista Versteeg, University of Texas Medical Branch
Jennifer Weisman, Strategic Analysis, Inc./Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Contact: Matthew Watson, [email protected], 443-573-4501

SOURCE UPMC Center for Health Security