Commission announces new Deputy Director position to lead biodefense policy and research efforts
The new Deputy Director will support the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense by leading biodefense policy analysis and research about the prevention, deterrence, preparedness for, surveillance and detection of, response to, attribution of, recovery from, and mitigation of naturally occurring, accidentally released, and intentionally introduced biological threats. This is a senior, high-visibility position and the successful candidate is expected to serve as a strategic planner, manager, supervisor and substantive expert, reporting directly to the Executive Director and serving as the Acting Executive Director when necessary. The pandemic of 2020 has shined a spotlight on the Commission’s work and this new Deputy Director joins at an exciting time of high-intensity focus and rapid-growth. If you are interested, please send your resume to admin@biodefensecommission.org.
News HighlightNew Interactive Tracker to Provide Real-Time Updates on Federal Biodefense Actions
In an effort to better track action taken by the federal government to strengthen the Nation’s defense against biological threats, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense today launched its new interactive recommendations tracker. Found on the Commission’s website, https://biodefensecommission.org/recommendation-status, the tracker comes on the heels of a new Commission analysis called Biodefense in Crisis, which found the United States remains at catastrophic biological risk.
More15 April, 2021
Join the Commission as it assesses the threats and vulnerabilities of cyberbiosecurity in addition to investigating the opportunities and solutions to address these threats, and the role of the federal government in securing the future.
Commission
July 20, 2021
Failure to Upgrade Biosurveillance Tech Limits Ability to Detect Biological Attacks, House Panel Told
“BD21 is testing old Department of Defense technology for domestic use, rather than evaluating more current and advanced Department of Defense candidates. Some of the technology under evaluation may itself be flawed,” the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense stated at the time. “State, local, tribal, and territorial partners have been left almost entirely out of the loop. They are unsure if they can support the system, because no vision for it has been communicated to them, other federal partners, and Congress.
July 20, 2021
After 2020, pandemic preparedness budget cuts should be unthinkable
Opinion by Senator Tom Daschle and Dr. Tom Frieden. We’re still in the midst of the worst public health crisis in more than a century. We should be doing all we can to prevent anything like COVID-19 from ever happening again. Yet, despite the unspeakable toll COVID-19 has taken on our families and communities, sources are telling us that Congress may slash President Biden’s proposal in the American Jobs Plan for pandemic preparedness funding — from a $30 billion investment to just $5 billion, barely one-tenth of 1 percent of the $3.5 trillion infrastructure initiative Senate Democrats proposed.
July 13, 2021
Commission urges Congress to strengthen biodefense of infrastructure
“The Commission urged President Biden, when he first introduced his infrastructure proposal in March, to work with both sides of the aisle to find areas of agreement. He has done exactly that, and it seems that a workable deal is in sight,” said former U.S. Senator and Commission Co-Chair Joe Lieberman. “As COVID-19 continues to demonstrate, the Nation’s critical infrastructure remains at biological risk. Ten pandemics and major epidemics have affected America to date, and it is obvious that the current COVID-19 pandemic is not a once-in-century event. Congress should take this unique opportunity to address capability gaps now before the next pandemic, or biological attack occurs.”
July 9, 2021
Commission Urges Congress to Strengthen Biodefense of Critical Infrastructure and Reduce Risks to the Nation
As the Biden Administration and Congress negotiate details on a federal infrastructure package, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense urges Congress to reduce national biological risk by taking action to defend against, and eliminate vulnerabilities to, biological threats to critical infrastructure.
July 8, 2021
Hospitals may not be adequately prepared for the next pandemic, study finds
Ricardo Pietrobon, MD, PhD, MBA, Adjunct Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UMSOM, Nicole Baehr, Manager of Operations at UMMC, and Brian J. Browne, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, were co-authors on this study. Researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Miami, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also participated in this research. The study was funded by the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense.
June 21, 2021
Cyberbiosecurity Threats Headline Next Meeting of Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense will premiere a virtual meeting on Tuesday, June 22, to provide the Commission with a better understanding of cyberbiosecurity threats and vulnerabilities. The meeting, Biologia et Machina: Cyberbiosecurity for Today’s Hybrid Evolution, will build on the Commission’s earlier work to explore opportunities and solutions to address today’s threats, and the role of the federal government in securing the future. The Commission believes it is imperative to continually evaluate cyberbio threats and vulnerabilities to keep pace with these two domains as their convergence accelerates.
