SALSA Hosts Homeland Security and Biodefense Summit in South Central Texas
Gathering Brings Private and Public Sector Experts Together to Implement Actions that Will Partner Texas BioDefense Capabilities to Strengthen Homeland Security and National Defense
(PRWEB) April 21, 2004
San Antonio Life Sciences Association (SALSA) announced today that Texas will play host to a national conference on homeland security. The Summit, to be chaired by SALSA President, Mary Pat Moyer, Ph. D., CEO and Chief Science Officer of INCELL Corporation and TEKSA Innovations Corp., will bring together national experts, biotechnology companies and key government officials to focus on the research, development and deployment of new Texas programs and technologies that will improve homeland security and strengthen the nationÂ’s military and civilian biodefense activities.
The conference, entitled “Texas BioDefense: Getting to Action,” will be held at the T-Bar-M Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas on April 29 - 30, 2004. Key speakers from government, university, and industry who are positioned in the Homeland Defense and Security sectors will address critical national security issues, regional actions and initiatives in biodefense and homeland security, chemical-biological defense tools and perspectives, taking preparedness to the next level and integrating translational research, product manufacturing and education.
Currently the growing list of keynote speakers and moderators include Dr. Harold Timboe, VP, UTHSCSA and former Commander, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Judge Jay Kimbrough, Texas GovernorÂ’s Office of Homeland Security, Dr. Ron Blanck, President, University of North Texas HSC, Dr. Jay Valdes, Scientific Advisor for Biotechnology to US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Dr. Johnathan Kiel, Senior AFRL/USAF Scientist, Brooks CityBase, Dr. Scott Lillibridge, Director, Center for Biosecurity and Public Health Preparedness UTHSCH and former Director for CDC Biopreparedness, Dr. John T. McDevitt, Professor University of Texas at Austin, Dr. David Gorenstein, UTMB Medical School Office of Translational Research, Dr. Doug Watts, NIAID Regional Research Center for Excellence, UTMB Galveston, Dr. Randy Goldsmith, SATAI Network, San Antonio; Dr. Kathy Sykes, Vaccines Director, Macrogenics Inc.; Dr. Steve Kornguth, Institute for Advanced Technology, University of Texas at Austin; Dr. Eric Stephens, Human Systems, Brooks City-Base and Technology Research; Dr. Rasa Silenas, TC-MEDSTAR, and Dr. Steve Presley, Research Coordinator, AZ National Program for Countermeasures to Biological and Chemical Threats, Texas Tech University.
"Texas has an incredibly rich history of military, academic, medical and technological innovations that lie at the heart of Texas’ ability to play a major role in global biodefense,” said Dr. Moyer. “However, because Texas is a large state with many strong programs, it is important to bring together the various communities of scientists, government officials, medical doctors, public health specialists, and industry to develop more integrated partnerships and collaborative strategies to further strengthen Texas activities and leadership in the biodefense and Homeland Security sectors.”
The event will center on how Texas government, industry and academic groups can work together at the local, state and federal levels to implement actions that will bring about significant and lasting change to thwart the threat of bioterrorism and to improve public health.
The San Antonio-Austin Life Science Association (www. bio-salsa. org) is a Texas grassroots membership organization that sponsors programs and fosters actions related to life science industry issues in education, technology commercialization, government policies, community relations, workforce, and regional public relations and marketing.
