General
Session Instructors
BIOSAFETY and BIOSECURITY TRAINING COURSE - 2008
Ed Canfield
Mr. Ed Canfield is a Graduate of
Eastern Michigan Univ, BS, and is a member of ABSA; IEST (Institute of
Environmental Sciences and Technology); ISPE (International Society
for Pharmaceutical Engineering). Ed is an NSF Accredited biological
safety cabinet certifier. He has over 25 years experience in certification
and service of all types of biological safety cabinets and HEPA filtered
devices. ED has certified cabinets and HEPA filters in research facilities,
BSL3 laboratories, biotech firms, universities, pharmaceutical manufacturing
companies, animal facilities, hospitals, and many other environments.
Ed is currently based in Littleton, CO, and is the Regional Service
Manager and Field Service Specialist for Technical Safety Services,
Inc., servicing Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Technical Safety Services,
headquartered in Berkeley, CA, specializes in the certification and
service of biological safety cabinets and HEPA filters.
Robert P. Ellis - Course Director
Dr. Robert Ellis graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BS in
Microbiology. Bob’s education continued with the MS and PhD degrees earned
at Purdue University. He is currently the Director of Biosafety
at Colorado State University. Bob joined the faculty at CSU in
January 1978, and is Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology
and Pathology. Bob was appointed to the CSU Biosafety Committee
in 1978, and was Biosafety Officer 1986-1989, and 1997 – present.
Bob is a Certified Biological Safety Professional and a Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (Honorary). He was elected to the American Biological Safety Association Council in October, 2004, and was elected President-Elect of ABSA for 2008. He will serve as the ABSA President in 2009. Bob is on the Editorial Board for Applied Biosafety. Bob has taught many pre-conference and summer session courses for ABSA and the Eagleson Institute. In addition to his CSU and ABSA activities, he has been the Executive Director of the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases since 1987, and was the Founding Editor-in-Chief of Animal Health Research Reviews. Bob is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program of the NIH, and serves on the Biosafety Committees for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the National Wildlife Research Center. In 2004, Bob initiated and continues to direct the Biosafety and Biosecurity Training Course in Fort Collins, CO. The BBTC is held each July and includes Animal, Plant, and General biosafety and biosecurity training sessions. Bob initiated and is currently gaining administrative approval for a Master’s in Microbiology with a Biosafety Concentration, which will begin at Colorado State University Fall 2008.
Claudia Gentry-Weeks
Dr. Claudia Gentry-Weeks is the Associate Biosafety Officer for CSU and
is Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology
at CSU, Fort Collins, CO. Claudia received her B.S. in Bacteriology at
the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, and her Ph.D. in Microbial
Genetics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma
City, OK. She spent 4 ½ years as a postdoctoral fellow in infectious
diseases at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and 6 ½ years
as a Senior Staff Fellow at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda,
MD. Claudia has taught Medical Microbiology to undergraduate students
and Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogenesis to graduate students at CSU.
In addition, she served as the Head of the Bacteriology Section of the
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory from 1995-1999. Her research interests
have included studying bacteriophage conversion in Streptococcus
pyogenes, pathogenic mechanisms of Bordetella avium and Bordetella
pertussis, animal models for Enterococcus faecalis intravenous
infections, development of a real-time PCR test for detection of Salmonella
enterica and more recently, using bacteriophage amplification for
detection of Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, Burkholderia
mallei, and Burkholderia pseudomallei. Claudia’s
recent contributions to the Biosafety Program at CSU include development
of a database for monitoring training and agent use and preparing biosafety
training presentations and self-tutorial modules.
Sean Kaufman
Mr. Sean Kaufman is the Director of Programs at the Center for Public Health
Preparedness and Research in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
Sean has several years of experience in the fields of organizational development,
behavioral management and modification, crisis and risk communication and emergency
preparedness. Currently he serves on the Board of Commissioners at the National
Center for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC), is a Trustee for Professional
Development for the Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE), and the past
President of the Georgia Federation for Professional Health Educators (GFPHE).
He continues to contribute to corporate publications and has facilitated several
risk and crisis communication seminars for organizations and Fortune 500 companies.
A graduate of San Diego State University, Sean began his career with the San Diego State Student Health Services working as an STD, HIV and pregnancy counselor. He started his work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1999 and continued to work in the field of HIV/AIDS and underserved populations within the United States. In 2000, Sean began his work with waterborne diseases and developed the Healthy Swimming program while at the Division of Parasitic Diseases in the National Center for Infectious Diseases at CDC. During his tenure at CDC, he responded and assisted the Office of Communication during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; led a team of health education and communication specialists to Trenton New Jersey to work with postal employees who were exposed to anthrax, and responded directly with businesses and employees at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) who were affected by SARS. Sean's experience working in the Office of Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response at CDC, the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research at Emory University, and within the Fortune 500 business sector provides him with a diverse and well-rounded perspective for preparedness efforts.
Joseph P. Kozlovac
Mr. Joe Kozlovac (M.S., RBP, CBSP, SM-NRM) is a Registered Biosafety Professional
(RBP) and a Certified Biological Safety Professional (CBSP) through the American
Biological Safety Association (ABSA). Joe is also certified as a Specialist
Microbiologist in Biological Safety Microbiology through the National Registry
of Microbiologists, American College of Microbiology, ASM. Joe has a Bachelor's
degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, PA and
a M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore, MD. He has authored several journal articles and textbook chapters
on the subjects of Biological Toxins; Bloodborne Pathogens; Indoor Air Management;
ABSL-3 Agriculture, Agricultural Risk Assessment and Decontamination. Joe
has also participated in the development of a new appendix on ABSL-3 Agriculture
which appears in the CDC/NIH BMBL 5th edition. Joe serves on the editorial
review board of the peer reviewed journal Applied Biosafety and has also
served as an external reviewer for the biosafety chapter in the USAMRIID
Textbook of Military Medicine. Joe is currently employed at the USDA ARS
where he is responsible for developing biosafety policy for the Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) and to assist ARS locations in implementing these
policies, and other biosafety guidelines and regulations. Joe’s program is
responsible for the development of guidance for the design and construction
of containment facilities. Joe has the responsibility for approving all biosafety
related design features for ARS design projects.
Joe is a member and serves on the Council of the American Biological Safety Association and is also a member and Past-President of the Chesapeake Area Biological Safety Association (ChABSA). Joe is also a member of the International Veterinary Biosafety Working Group. His professional services have included providing biosafety training to >850 Pakistani Scientists as part of an effort by the State Department’s Biosecurity Engagement Program, serving as USDA representative for the NIH RAC Biosafety Working Group, served as a peer reviewer on the design of USAMRIID’s new research facility, provided BSL-3 Operations Training to individuals in the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) and providing independent assessments of U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) BSL-4 and BSL-3 Laboratories as an external participant in USAMRIID’s Safety Inspection Program. He has also served as a consultant to the U.S. State Department on the Technical Review Committee for the decontamination of an anthrax contaminated mailbag facility in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
Becky Rivoire
Ms. Becky Rivoire is the Director of the Product Development and Manufacturing
(PDM) Core under the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence (RMRCE)
(2005 – 2008), and a Senior Research Associate in the Laboratory of
Dr. Patrick Brennan (1987-1995 and 2001-2008), both at Colorado State University
(CSU). She is Regulatory Affairs Certified through the Regulatory Affairs
Professional Society (RAPS) and has extensive experience in developing and
manufacturing various product types both from an industrial and academic
perspective. Becky has spent 10 years working in industry performing good
laboratory practice (GLP) small and large animal toxicology studies, developing
diagnostic tests for veterinary pharmaceuticals, and developing monoclonal
antibody and recombinant protein analytes for manufacturing diagnostic products
both at Elars/Syngene and Heska Corp. in Fort Collins, Colorado. She has
worked for 16 years in academia with various mycobacterium organisms, with
a focus on Mycobacterium leprae under Biosafety Level (BSL) -2 conditions
and Mycobacterium tuberculosis under BSL-3 conditions. In 1992,
she established a current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) Pilot Plant
to manufacture two new leprosy skin test antigens developed as early diagnostic
intradermal tests for leprosy. She assisted in writing the investigational
new drug ( IND) application for a Phase I Clinical Trial at CSU and a Phase
II Clinical Trial in Nepal, and is currently the study coordinator for the
Phase II Trial. Under the PDM Core, Becky will direct the development and
manufacturing of vaccine, diagnostic, and therapeutic products derived from
BSL-3 Select Agents for the RMRCE program and thus is able to provide an
introduction to BSL-3/cGMP.
Steven Ziegenfuss
Mr. Steven Ziegenfuss is a Biological Safety Specialist at Iowa State University
with 10 plus years experience with United States Department of Agriculture
and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention permitting. Steve received a
BS in Environmental Science from Clarke College in Dubuque, IA in 1986. Steve
joined Kemin Industries in Des Moines, IA in 1991 and served in a variety of
research and regulatory positions including Manager of Regulatory Affairs.
Steve's work has involved him in U.S. Food and Drug Administration food additive
petitions, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pesticide permit applications,
and Department of Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
infectious agent permits as well as original research resulting in three patents.
Steve joined Iowa State University in 2005 and currently oversees the permitting
process for Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services, Plant Protection
and Quarantine and Biotechnology Regulatory Services permitting as well as
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention permit application and renewal
process for faculty and researchers. In addition to his involvement in permitting
at Iowa State, Steve also has significant involvement in hazardous materials
shipping; biosafety oversight of infectious agents affecting plants, animals
and humans, genetically engineered organisms, BSL-1, BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories;
the Select Agent Program, and the Iowa State University Laboratory Safety Program.