Happening Now
Introducing New 2016 Futures Fellows
We're thrilled to announce new 2016 Health Security Futures Fellows who represent the future of health security in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. Ranging from life sciences undergraduates to medical residents, this diverse cohort will kick off their yearlong Fellowship at the Fellowship Training Institute, which will be held in conjunction with the 6th International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance, in Vienna, Austria this week. Throughout the Training Institute week, … Continue Reading
October 05, 2016
2016 Futures Fellows Use Social Media For #CombatingAMR
On September 21st at UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), member nations adopted a political declaration calling for improved infection control in human and animal health, innovative R&D, affordable and accessible antimicrobial medicines and vaccines, better monitoring and surveillance of AMR, and international partnerships for controlling and preventing the spread of AMR. In support of the WHO's 2015 Global Action Plan on AMR, specifically its first … Continue Reading
September 29, 2016
Fighting Resistance With Resilience: Preparing For A Future With Sustainable Antimicrobial Medicine
September is National Preparedness Month: an opportunity for governments, private and public organizations, communities, and individuals to support emergency preparedness efforts and instill the importance of resilience in the public. In his Presidential Proclamation - National Preparedness Month, 2016, President Obama emphasizes "the importance of readying ourselves and our communities to be resilient in the face of any emergency we may encounter." The emergencies we most often plan for are … Continue Reading
September 27, 2016
Welcoming A New Health Security Policy Fellow
We're excited to announce that Liz Meier recently joined the HSP team as a Health Security Policy Fellow. She is working toward a Ph.D. in the Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology (BCMB) program at Johns Hopkins University where she studies a novel class of membrane proteins important during bacterial cell division. "My foray into science came about rather serendipitously. Since high school, I have loved speaking Spanish and learning about Latin American culture, history and … Continue Reading
September 14, 2016
From Madison to Manila: A Young Scientist's Journey To The Frontlines Of Diplomacy
As a Health Security Policy Fellow, I recently had the opportunity to be on the frontlines of science diplomacy. The goal? To make the world a safer place; specifically, by collaborating with scientists and policymakers in the Philippines to draft their Biological Materials of Concern (BMC) list. Drafting the list is the first step to meeting national and international biosecurity obligations, stemming originally from the Biological Weapons Convention. In fact, the finalized list will fit … Continue Reading
September 08, 2016
HSP In Pakistan: Building Capacity For Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance
The growing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a health security issue of global concern. Resistant strains of infectious pathogens spread across national borders quickly and easily, and antibiotic resistance is outpacing the discovery of new drugs. In 2014, the World Health Organization warned that a post-antibiotic era, in which people will die from common infections, is a real and imminent threat. Though tuberculosis (TB) is traditionally a curable disease, in 2013, there were … Continue Reading
August 17, 2016
Could Yellow Fever Be The Next PHEIC?
Overshadowed amidst vast media coverage of Zika, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been grappling with their own mosquito-borne disease outbreak: yellow fever. For much of the United States, yellow fever is not on the radar, thought of mainly as a disease faced by our ancestors as it has been considered eradicated for over a century. For much of Africa and tropical regions of South America, however, this is not the case. In at least 43 countries of these two regions, … Continue Reading
August 03, 2016
2015 Futures Fellow Leads DURC Workshop In Lahore, Pakistan
In collaboration with the University of the Punjab, HSP co-hosted a workshop on dual-use research of concern (DURC) where 40 PhD students engaged in DURC case study and risk assessment discussions and conceptualized how DURC concepts relate to their own research projects. This event is part of a larger HSP-supported initiative seeking to assess graduate students' attitudes and awareness of DURC. The ongoing initiative stems from a proposal that Samreen Sarwar, a 2015 Futures Fellow and now … Continue Reading
July 29, 2016
The Many Faces Of Global Health Security
It should come as no surprise that the concept of 'global health security', or GHS, means many different things to many different people. In fact, an April post here on HSP's blog looked at just a few of the various and wide-ranging responses given when a group of young scholars is asked what exactly 'health security' means. Definitional uncertainty has been a hallmark of global health security since the phrase found (ir)regular usage starting in the early 2000s. Perhaps nowhere has its … Continue Reading
July 28, 2016
Zika At The Olympics: Should We Be Concerned?
With less than one month until the ceremonial torch is passed in Rio, Zika has threatened to alter the course of the 2016 Summer Olympics, if not halt them altogether. Brazil has been battling a drastic rise in cases of Zika infection since public health authorities first confirmed transmission in May of 2015 within the Northeast region of the country. Shortly thereafter, Brazil reported an association between Zika virus and Guillian- Barré syndrome in July followed by an association … Continue Reading
June 23, 2016
Hey Congress: More Meat, Less Filler
Policymaking in Washington, D.C. is often compared to sausage-making: a slew of ingredients from various stakeholders are stuffed together before the final product emerges. Legislation is frequently riddled with non-germane amendments, which take away from the true need and purpose behind the policy, or is delayed altogether until the ratio of ingredients are tediously negotiated. The emergency supplemental for Zika is no exception. As the clock ticks, the looming threat of rapid spread … Continue Reading
June 20, 2016
HSP Welcomes A New Health Security Policy Fellow
HSP is excited to announce that Danielle Lohman has joined our team this summer as a Health Security Policy Fellow. Hailing from Cary, North Carolina, Danielle is a research scientist working towards her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her graduate studies, she has the privilege of interfacing with various groups of stakeholders ranging from academic and industry scientists to patients and policymakers. In her laboratory research on coenzyme Q biosynthesis in … Continue Reading
June 09, 2016
HSP Receives CDC Award Under The Global Health Security Agenda
Health Security Partners is excited to have received an award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). The projects, funded for the 2016 fiscal year, will help prevent zoonotic diseases, specifically rabies and brucellosis, through strengthening diagnostic and surveillance capacity at the regional and national levels in Ethiopia. Rabies, a disease that causes over 59,000 deaths worldwide each year, disproportionately affects … Continue Reading
May 17, 2016
"Make Health Security Great Again:" A Review Of The 2016 Presidential Candidates' Positions
A box of plain white trucker hats labelled "MAKE HEALTH SECURITY GREAT AGAIN" sits on the floor of our offices at HSP, a playful nod to Trump's ridiculous yet bold campaign slogan. This was a perfect punch line among staff when he first announced his presidential campaign last June-until he became the "presumptive" Republican nominee. No one is laughing anymore. Reality has set in: Donald Trump may become the next president of the United States. We hid the hats. Someday they might be funny … Continue Reading
April 10, 2016
"What Is Health Security?": Perspectives From The 2016 Futures Fellows
Prior to the Futures Fellowship Training Institute (FFTI) in Amsterdam this week, the Fellows were posed the question, "What is health security?" The image above captures our Fellows' main thoughts, but here are also some highlights from the riveting responses we received: "Health security involves policies, strategies, agendas, and activities which minimize the susceptibility of public health threats such as pandemics, emerging infectious diseases, bioterrorism, disease outbreaks, … Continue Reading
April 04, 2016
Meet The 2016 Futures Fellows
As the 2016 Futures Fellowship Training Institute nears, HSP would like to formally introduce this year's Fellows. Coming from both the U.S. and Pakistan, the Futures Fellows will gather next week in Amsterdam to learn from experts in the field and collaborate on innovative ways to address health security challenges. From their varying backgrounds to diverse research interests, this year's Fellows have the potential to make substantial impacts on the future of health security worldwide. Stay … Continue Reading
March 30, 2016
“Fellow Spotlight” On A Rising Star In Health Security: Raheel Suleman
As we gear up for the 2016 Futures Fellow Training Institute in Amsterdam, HSP recognizes one of last year's stellar Fellows, Raheel Suleman, who will return to this year's training as an Alumni Leader. We caught up with Raheel to hear more about his work in Pakistan, his takeaways from the Futures Fellowship, and his advice for incoming Fellows. What attracted you to apply for the 2015 Futures Fellowship Program? "When I first learned about HSP, I was very interested in working for this … Continue Reading
March 25, 2016
The Futures Of Health Security Meet: Two Week Countdown To Amsterdam
The next cohort of Health Security Futures Fellows was brought together in Lahore for an orientation for the intensive program slated for April in Amsterdam, and year-long program to follow. Twelve 2016 Futures Fellows from Pakistan along with five 2015 Futures Fellow alumni from across the provinces came together for the kickoff. Starting with an introduction from each Fellow, the meeting quickly delved into sessions addressing key concepts such as the vision and mission of HSP, the … Continue Reading
March 22, 2016
Meet The New Health Security Partners Spring Associates
The arrival of our new spring associates is a significant milestone for HSP. The associate program recruits the very best and brightest to HSP to not only bring new ideas and perspective to our programs, but also ultimately make major contributions to advance our mission. As the first ever associates for HSP, expectations are high for Kate Consavage and Hannah Cummins. Kate is set to design and launch HSP's communication strategy, leveraging her stellar background and interest in global … Continue Reading
February 11, 2016
The Zika Outbreak: Can We Find a Silver Lining?
Late last week, reports surfaced that the Brazilian government was considering amending its 2005 biosecurity law which restricts international sample sharing amid complaints that international researchers were having difficulty obtaining a sufficient quantity of Zika virus to design effective diagnostic tests and countermeasures (Source: CBC News). If such an amendment is made, it would significantly improve the global response capability by giving researchers around the world access to the … Continue Reading