Past conferences
and workshops
International Conference on
Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID)
A March 2004 conference on bioterrorism and preparedness.
National Security and Research in the Life Sciences
A conference held January 9, 2003, under the auspices of the
National Academy of Sciences.
Preparing for Bioterrorist Attacks
From Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health,
video clips of talks held April 2, 2002, on national and local
efforts to prepare for bioterrorist attacks.
Preparing Experts to Combat Bioterrorism
Subtitled "Bridging the Science-Policy Gap," a conference
held at Stony Brook University on November 6, 2003.
U.S.
Government Links
ATSDR Geographic Information
Systems
From the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry,
resources for the use of geographic information systems in
public health applications. The site offers free data, sources
for nonprofit and commercial data, and other
information-gathering tools.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Bioterrorism
The latest information on biological agents of concern and
resources to counter bioterrorist attacks.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
The U.S. government's principal site on homeland security
issues.
Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA)
The primary research and development organization for the U.S.
Department of Defense.
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
A detailed overview of the DTRA's multifaceted approach to
ensuring that the United States is "ready and able" to address
present and future WMD threats. The site describes how the
agency performs its threat-reduction functions.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA):
Bioterrorism
The U.S. agency whose mission is to improve health-care access.
It also provides funds for bioterrorism training and
development.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
A key agency charged with protecting the United States from
bioterrorism and other threats.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Bioterrorism
A clearinghouse for information on biological agents and public
health preparedness in the face of bioterrorism.
Health Agency Locator
Immediate, searchable access to contact information for state
public health agencies, officials, and hotlines.
Institutional Biosafety Committees
At the NIH's Office of Biotechnology Activities, the boards
responsible for overview of recombinant DNA research.
NIAID Biodefense Research
Biodefense-related information for biomedical researchers, the
public, and the media, with a focus on work underway at the U.S.
National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
National Library of Medicine (NLM): Biological Warfare
A compendium of biological agents information from the U.S.
government and other sources. Features include links to other
relevant sites, journal abstracts and articles, books, and other
resources.
Office of Science and Technology
Policy
The executive office with a broad mandate to advise the
president and others on the effects of science and technology on
domestic and international affairs.
Ready.gov
The U.S. government's advice to the public on preparing for
biological, chemical, and nuclear threats, as well as other
emergencies.
U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
(USAMRIID)
An agency that handles medical aspects of biological warfare
defense, including conducting research to develop vaccines,
drugs, and diagnostics for laboratory and field use.
U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC)
Medical "solutions," often using advanced technologies, in
support of the U.S. military itself. The agency's research also
has implications for the general public.
U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Insights into how the service deals with "prohibited mail and
other crimes," including anthrax mailings.
White House: Homeland Security
Similar information to that provided by the DHS site, with easy
access to related news from the administration.
Further
information
Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)
An association dedicated to improving public health by
"strengthening public health laboratories" worldwide through
training, publications, and technical support. The site includes
sections on emergency preparedness and infectious diseases.
Association of State and
Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
A national nonprofit organization made up of the chief public
health officials in the United States and its territories. The
site features, among others, sections on preparedness, public
health informatics, and infectious diseases.
Biotechnology Industry Organization
(BIO)
An industry advocacy group. This section of its site focuses on
biodefense issues.
Center for Biosecurity, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
(UPMC)
The new home of the Center for Biosecurity, a nongovernmental
Web site for information on bioterrorism planning and response.
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)
At the University of Minnesota, a center for interdisciplinary
research that focuses on public health preparedness, food
biosecurity, food safety, infectious disease information
systems, and vaccine and antimicrobial safeguards.
Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland
(CISSM)
A research center based at the Maryland School of Public
Affairs, it "seeks to enliven and broaden the campus debate on
international issues by involving faculty, students, and
visiting scholars from a wide range of disciplines, and by
sponsoring lectures and the CISSM Forum." Its site includes
overviews of current projects and publications.
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Science's Bureau of International
Cooperation.
Committee on International Security and Arms Control
Scientists and policy experts from the National Academy of
Sciences. The committee's site provides an overview of its
policy studies and links to reports.
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Recently updated, the society's bioterrorism section, which
features detailed disease summaries and links to other relevant
Web sites.
The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR)
A not-for-profit research institute focusing on structural,
functional, and comparative analysis of genomes and gene
products from a wide variety of organisms, including viruses,
eubacteria, and eukaryotes. Institute researchers have completed
the genome sequences of many pathogens, including those that
cause cholera, tuberculosis, meningitis, syphilis, and Lyme
disease. The site provides details on this research, as well as
free software.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health
At Johns Hopkins, the former home of the Center for Biosecurity,
continuing research and additional resources.
National Association of County and City Health Officials
(NACCHO)
The NACCHO section on emergency preparedness, with summaries of
the organization's bioterrorism projects, policy statements, and
related links.
National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBH)
Perspectives on emergency preparedness at the local level,
including details of some emergency plans currently in place.
National Center for Biodefense
(NCB)
Based at George Mason University, an applied research center. It
also provides education and consulting in the prevention and
treatment of diseases caused by biological weapons. The site
gives a brief summary of the center's activities.
National Defense University (NDU)
Military education at Fort McNair in Washington, DC. The site
covers all aspects of the university and its programs.
Southern Research Institute
Affiliated with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, an
institute positioned as "a diversified network of collaborative
centers for scientific discovery and technology development."
This site offers access to sections on, among other issues,
chemical and biological defense, homeland security, and
infectious disease research.
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)
From the university's Biodefense Center, a comprehensive
bioterrorism program, detailed perspectives on emergency
response, basic science research, clinical preparedness, public
health infrastructure, and training and education.
World Health Organization: Diseases
Information on all diseases covered by the initiative's
Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response division.
