
No Checkered Flag: The Perpetual Race Against Biological Threats
Bipartisan Commission on BiodefenseShow Notes
In this meeting, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense will explore: (1) state and local efforts to strengthen public health and biodefense; (2) special security management of biological threats to mass gatherings; and (3) efforts to understand and mitigate the agricultural impact of biological threats to plants and animals. Learn more here: https://biodefensecommission.org/events/no-checkered-flag-the-perpetual-race-against-biological-threats/ Speakers will include: Governor Eric J. Holcomb Virginia A. Caine, MD, Director and Chief Medical Officer, Marion County Public Health Department Kristina Box, MD, Former Indiana State Health Commissioner Tory Castor, JD, Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Indiana University Health Sergeant Robert Brown Jr., Program Manager, Counter-WMD (CBRNE) Unit, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Special Agent Casey P. Farrell, Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordinator, Indianapolis, Federal Bureau of Investigation Julia Vaizer, MD, Medical Director, Indianapolis Motor Speedway John Ball, Vice President, Security and Event Services, Pacers Sports & Entertainment Darcy E. P. Telenko, PhD, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology, Purdue University Bret D. Marsh, DVM, Indiana State Veterinarian, Indiana State Board of Animal Health Paul Ebner, PhD, Professor of Animal Sciences, Purdue University
More from Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense
July 22, 2025 - In this meeting, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense explores: (1) core requirements for effective national biodefense; (2) Administration biodefense priorities; (3) impacts of department and agency realignment; and (4) strategies for addressing future biological threats.
This Commission meeting, Astrobiodefense: Biological Threats and the Next Frontier, was held on May 8, 2025. The focus of this meeting will be to provide the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense with a better understanding of how to strengthen international astrobiodefense and planetary protection efforts through: (1) current government astrobiodefense efforts; (2) new scientific and technological advances for astrobiodefense; and (3) collaborative efforts and public-private partnerships to improve astrobiodefense. See more information here: https://biodefensecommission.org/events/astrobiodefense-biological-threats-and-the-next-frontier/
The Commission's May 8, 2025 meeting began with Executive Director Dr. Asha M. George delivering the first annual State of National Biodefense address. The increasing biological threat and uncertainty surrounding federal biodefense programs and capabilities necessitates a clear-eyed examination of the threat and US efforts to address critical capability gaps. This address will lay out the current realities of national biodefense and the Commission’s vision for a future where the Nation can more effectively prevent, deter, prepare for, detect, respond to, attribute, recover from, and mitigate biological incidents. Read her written testimony here: https://biodefensecommission.org/the-state-of-u-s-biodefense-written-remarks-by-dr-asha-m-george/
This Commission meeting, Under the Weather: The Nexus of Climate Change and Biodefense, was held on Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 58 East 68th St., New York, NY 10065. The focus of this meeting was to provide the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense with a better understanding of: 1) the effects of climate change on human health and one health, 2) the future implications of migration and shifting disease patterns, and 3) policy considerations to reduce the inevitable impacts of climate change on biodefense. Learn more here: https://biodefensecommission.org/events/fluency-true-expertise-and-effectiveness-in-the-battle-against-influenza-2/
The Commission meeting, FLUency: True Expertise and Effectiveness in the Battle Against Influenza, was held on Tuesday, October 8th, in Washington, DC. The focus of this meeting is to provide the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense with a better understanding of: (1) national leadership to defend food and agriculture against influenza; (2) federal operational requirements for preparedness, coordination, and response; (3) biosurveillance, forecasting, and the need for diagnostic tests; and (4) front-line needs and partnerships in the fight against influenza. Learn more here: https://biodefensecommission.org/events/fluency-true-expertise-and-effectiveness-in-the-battle-against-influenza-2/