Caltech Hosts Biodefense Public Forum
The speakers will be Dr. Steven Koonin, Caltech provost, professor of theoretical physics, and adviser to the federal government on civilian biodefense; Dr. Alan Zelicoff, chief scientist, National Security and Policy Planning Division of Sandia National Laboratory; and Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of Public Health and Health Officer for Los Angeles County in the county Department of Health Services, professor of public health and pediatrics at UCLA and codirector of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities.
The forum will present a realistic picture of society's vulnerabilities to bioterrorism, a sense of the science underlying the associated problems and solutions, and some of the steps that local, state, and federal agencies are, or should be, taking.
Caltech president David Baltimore will give the welcome, and veteran Los Angeles television journalist Jess Marlow of KCET's "Life and Times" will moderate the panel. Following the presentations, there will be a question and answer period.
Beyond his scientific work in nuclear physics and climate observations, Koonin has many years of experience advising the government on technical aspects of national security. Several years ago he led a large study on civilian biodefense chartered by the Department of Defense. That work examined aspects of the detection of biological weapons and their use, as well as pre- and postrelease public health measures.
Zelicoff developed the Rapid Syndromic Validation Project (RSVP), a medical database intended to report and contain outbreaks of disease. It helps physicians, hospitals, the state health department and epidemiologists in New Mexico to distinguish between benign sicknesses and deadly diseases faster than has been possible until now. It could also improve responses to a bioterrorism attack because real-time reporting of illnesses could help determine whether a novel disease had been introduced naturally or intentionally, where it first appeared, how it spread, and where it originated. Such information would not only improve the ability of the public health community to contain an epidemic, but would also provide a significant deterrent to those considering acts of bioterrorism.
As director of public health and health officer, Fielding is responsible for the full range of public health activities for 10 million Los Angeles County residents. He is the former commissioner of Public Health for Massachusetts, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, and is the editor of the Annual Review of Public Health.
The forum is free and open to all; no tickets or reservations are required. No backpacks or bulky bags will be allowed into the auditorium. Beckman Auditorium is located on Michigan Avenue south of Del Mar Boulevard in Pasadena. Free parking is available. For more information call the Caltech Ticket Office at (626) 395-4652 or 1-888-2CALTECH (222-5832). Persons with disabilities can call (626) 395-4688 (voice) or (626) 395-3700 (TDD) weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
CONTACT: Jill Perry, Media Relations Director (626) 395-3226 [email protected]
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