Seminars Address Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response

The impact of bioterrorism on scientific research and the role of scientists in preparedness and response will be addressed in a seminar series that began Monday, Aug. 26. “Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response” taps the expertise of Texas Medical Center research institutions and area public health agencies.

Sponsored by the department of microbiology and molecular genetics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, the seminars are free of charge and open to the public. All sessions are scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. on Mondays in room 2.006 of the UT-Houston Medical School Building, 6431 Fannin.

Steven Norris, Ph.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at UT-Houston, launched the series with an overview titled “Biological Agents as Weapons of Mass Destruction.”

Norris and Theresa Koehler, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the medical school, organized the series, which also is being offered for pass-fail credit to students in the UT-Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and to medical students.

This month’s scheduled sessions include:

• Sept. 9 – “Bioterrorism and the War on Terrorism: Political and Military Dimensions,” by Richard Stoll, Ph.D., professor and associate dean, Rice University School of Social Sciences
• Sept. 16 – “Ebola” by Susan Fisher-Hoch, M.D., professor of epidemiology, The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston Brownsville Regional Campus
• Sept. 23 – “Public Health Response” by Vern Jachau, Ph.D., city of Houston Department of Health and Human Services
• Sept. 30 – “Emergency Response to Bioterrorism” by Richard Bradley, M.D., assistant professor of emergency medicine, UT-Houston Medical School

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URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/09_01_02/page_20.html