Happening Now
Next week Health Security Partners (HSP) and the Biorisk Association of the Philippines (BRAP) will be Hosting Two Workshops on Secure Sample Transport for Laboratory Staff and Couriers in the Philippines
Next week Health Security Partners (HSP) and the Biorisk Association of the Philippines (BRAP) will be hosting two concurrent, four-day virtual workshops on secure sample transport for laboratory staff and couriers in the Philippines. The workshops, scheduled for March 1st to the 4th, 2022, will bring together a group of 37 participants from laboratories across the Philippines to provide training in best practices for safe and secure handling, packaging, documenting, transporting of biological … Continue Reading
February 23, 2022
This Week's Spotlight: Ms. Samreen Sarwar, a Technical Advisor for HSP’s Pakistan and Global Biosafety and Biosecurity Programs!
This week, we’re spotlighting Ms. Samreen Sarwar, a Technical Advisor for HSP’s Pakistan and global biosafety and biosecurity programs! She collaborated on this paper with fellows engaged through HSP’s Centers of Excellence in Pakistan programs. HSP is committed to provide numerous sustainable interventions to help strengthen biorisk management systems. Visit the link to learn more about the work we’re doing to address gaps in Pakistani laboratories! … Continue Reading
January 14, 2022
HSP and CDC Host Brainstorming Meeting on Detection of SARS-CoV-2 at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface in Vietnam
On December 16th 2021, HSP held a brainstorming meeting for academic and non-governmental stakeholders in Vietnam regarding planned and ongoing work to detect SARS-CoV-2 (causative agent of COVID-19) at the human-animal-environment interface. During this meeting, participating organizations presented their capacities for disease detection at this interface, along with current and planned work in the field. The meeting was well-attended and proved highly informative. Prior to the … Continue Reading
December 08, 2021
Request for Proposals - Surveillance for the Detection of SARS CoV-2 at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface - Vietnam
In partnership with the CDC, HSP has developed the following Request for Proposals (RFP) and related templates and guidance. Please follow the proposal development and submission instructions closely. Applicants should submit their applications as soon as possible. The proposal submission deadline is 14 January 2022.Concept Note - SARS CoV-2 Surveillance at the Human-Animal-Environment InterfaceRFP for Surveillance for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 at the human-animal-environment interface: … Continue Reading
December 08, 2021
HSP Hosts First Zoonoses Control Committee Workshop in Punjab
In partnership with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the Association for Biorisk Management in Pakistan, Health Security Partners completed a three-day workshop establishing Zoonoses Control Committees (ZCCs) for integrated surveillance, detection, and reporting of high-risk pathogens in Punjab. This capacity-building event engaged 34 members of Punjab’s public health, animal health and environment sectors, including faculty and staff members from … Continue Reading
December 07, 2021
HSP to Support New Global Network to address Healthcare Associated Infections
Today the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the creation and funding of two new global networks to address current and future health threats like antimicrobial resistance (AMR), healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), and the COVID-19 pandemic. HSP is pleased to be among the organizations selected to support the creation of the Global Action in Healthcare Network (GAIHN) in Southeast Asia and Brazil. GAIHN will focus on developing networks of healthcare … Continue Reading
December 03, 2021
Pakistan’s Association for Biorisk Management (ABM) Reaches Diverse Audience Via COVID-19 Awareness Sessions
HSP is always thrilled when our cohort members go on to assist and benefit their communities, especially community members who may not be reached by initial government messaging. Consequently, HSP is pleased to report that members of Pakistan’s Association for Biorisk Management (ABM) - which includes HSP Vet Cohort members - conducted wide-ranging awareness raising sessions in Pakistan. These sessions were conducted on a voluntary basis and reached several demographics within Pakistan. … Continue Reading
November 29, 2021
Fleming Fund Pakistan Conducts Webinar For World Antimicrobial Awareness Week
Fleming Fund Country Grant Team Pakistan in collaboration with the US Mission in Pakistan and the PAKISTAN-U.S. ALUMNI NETWORK conducted a 1.5-hour webinar as part of the ongoing activities during the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2021. The webinar focused on different aspects of containment efforts against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The panelists from different countries and different segments of the health sector shared their insightful thoughts to raise awareness about AMR and … Continue Reading
November 24, 2021
HSP Publishes Work on Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) Awareness in Pakistan
Any research intended to benefit society that can be directly and immediately misapplied to cause harm is considered Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC). Due to rapid scientific and technical breakthroughs, DURC knowledge, oversight, and stakeholder involvement are becoming increasingly important. Since 2015, HSP has been working to raise awareness of DURC in Pakistan to accompany the country's strong growth in research. In 2016, HSP performed a survey to identify critical knowledge … Continue Reading
November 19, 2021
IFBA Spotlights Women Champions of Biosafety and Biosecurity
Women biosafety and biosecurity professionals are critical to the response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and global health security. To this end, the International Federation of Biosafety Equity-Focused Coordinating Committee (IFBA-ECC) has produced a video spotlighting the achievements of five women champions of biosafety and biosecurity. In the video, Ms. Carolina Beceril Esquivel (Mexico), Ms. Ingrid Terlouw (S. Africa), Dr. Assetou Dionégué Diarra (Mali), Dr. Bintou … Continue Reading
November 04, 2021
HSP, KRG Directorates General of Health, Hospitals, and First Responders Counter CBRNE Threats
Around the globe, people are at risk of being involved in a hazardous material accident and for some, these incidents could be an intentional Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, or Explosive (#CBRNE) attack. Preparations for CBRNE events are also like preparing and responding to other mass incidents like COVID-19. Frontline medical personnel in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq convened online to complete a CBRNE Medical Countermeasures refresher training on October 25th & … Continue Reading
October 29, 2021
Celebrating 10 years of the Indonesian Biorisk Association
To mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Indonesian Biorisk Association (IBA), Health Security Partners took part in a webinar on biosecurity and dual use research of concern on October 23rd, 2021. During this webinar, HSP’s Director of Scientific Programs, Dr. Prasad Kuduvalli, gave a presentation titled, "What is Dual-Use Research of Concern (DURC) and How Can Institutions Provide Oversight of DURC?" HSP leadership supported the founding of the IBA in 2011 and … Continue Reading
October 19, 2021
HSP Trainers Publish Biosafety and Biosecurity Training Methodology
As part of our work with the Fleming Fund, Health Security Partners is working in Pakistan to strengthen national laboratories, with the aim of preparing them to serve as national reference laboratories for antimicrobial resistance. As part of this project, HSP has sought to strengthen the biorisk management (BRM) systems of these laboratories. To this end, HSP held two workshops in 2019 and 2020 for laboratory personnel, which utilized concepts from the fourth edition of the World … Continue Reading
October 01, 2021
HSP Hosts Workshop on Effective and Responsible Use of Social Media in Malaysia
HSP recently hosted a virtual workshop titled Effective and Responsible Use of Social Media for Health Security Communication in Malaysia from June 14-18, 2021. This workshop was organized in collaboration with the Malaysian Biosecurity and Biosafety Association (MBBA) and the Science and Technology Research Institute for Defense (STRIDE), and trained participants on how to effectively use social media for risk communication and countering misinformation and disinformation. Workshop … Continue Reading
September 24, 2021
HSP Partner ABM Spreads Biosafety Knowledge To Prevent COVID-19 Transmission
HSP’s Pakistani partners, the Association for Biorisk Management (ABM), have been working tirelessly to protect their country from the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteering their time and expertise to engage diverse community members on best practices to slow viral transmission. The group has utilized diverse avenues of communication, including radio spots, social media campaigns, and in-person programming to educate various communities. This impressively widespread outreach has included, but … Continue Reading
September 09, 2021
HSP Concludes Biosecurity Champions Fellowship 2021
In September, HSP's Biosecurity Champions Fellowship virtual lecture series concluded in Pakistan. Facilitated by HSP's Technical Advisor Samreen Sarwar, the Biosecurity Champions Fellowship is a training program designed to build a network of life and medical science professionals poised to become biosecurity leaders in Pakistan. The Fellowship aims to increase the capacity of Pakistani scientists and academics in fields relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). For the 2021 … Continue Reading
August 26, 2021
HSP Consultant Leads Brucellosis Prevention Trainings in Ethiopia
Though much of HSP’s work exists in a virtual space due to the ongoing pandemic, in-person trainings are still happening in a few parts of the globe, providing hands-on knowledge and expertise to healthcare workers. In Yabelo, Ethiopia, HSP consultant Dr. Fanaye Dadi is currently hosting a series of trainings for human and animal health practitioners on preventing the transmission of brucellosis. Brucellosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease which affects both humans and livestock, and thus … Continue Reading
August 20, 2021
HSP hosts Second Consultative Meeting On Personnel Reliability Programs
While having reliable personnel is important in any field, in the health and life sciences sector, where dangerous materials are handled and stored in institutions across sectors, personnel reliability is paramount to biosafety and biosecurity, particularly to safeguard against insider threats. To increase awareness and promote and facilitate the implementation of personnel reliability programs (PRPs), HSP convened the second regional biosecurity meeting for experts from Indonesia, … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
Countering Low Effort Biothreats from Toxins Workshop For Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines
From July 7th to July 16th, 2021, Health Security Partners (HSP) and the Indonesian Biorisk Association (IBA) collaboratively hosted a virtual workshop on Countering Low Effort Biothreats from Toxins. We convened 26 multi-sector biosecurity stakeholders from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to raise awareness and discuss how to prevent, detect and respond to threats from the misuse of toxins. During the workshop, law enforcement personnel discussed contemporary incidents of toxin misuse … Continue Reading
July 06, 2021
HSP and Libyan Partners Complete Phase I of Biorisk Officer Training Program
HSP has completed a series of virtual modules for Phase 1 of the Biorisk Officer training program for laboratory professionals from the human and animal health sector in Libya. Phase 1 provided participants with foundational knowledge of biosafety and biosecurity, focused on conducting risk assessments and developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), hierarchy of controls and risk mitigation measures, as well as emergency response, incident reporting and learning. Phase 1, comprised … Continue Reading