Conferences & Symposia

Avian Flu: What Can We Do?

Friday, January 13, 2006

A Symposium

Friday, January 13, 2006
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
University of Maryland School of Law
Baltimore, Maryland

Sponsored By:

University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security
The Law & Health Care Program, University of Maryland School of Law
The Baltimore City Public Health Department
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research

Purpose

The Nation is now bracing for what may be the most serious public health threat in decades – the onset of a pandemic influenza. Comparisons are made to the "Spanish Flu" pandemic the world confronted in 1918, a disease that is estimated to have caused approximately 50,000,000 deaths worldwide and 500,000 nationally. The media is filled with dire predictions about its potential severity; the timelines for the onset of this disease; specifics about its nature; vaccines and antivirals that may control it; and the policies federal, state, and local governments might adopt to limit its spread. Yet, even within expert scientific and public health communities, questions and debates abound about the disease and tactics to be employed to counter it.

The purpose of this symposium is to bring together expert researchers, academics, public health officials, medical care providers, hospital officials, attorneys, and pharmaceutical manufacturers to give their assessment of critical issues pertaining to a threatened pandemic and to recommend realistic and practical countermeasures and strategies that could effectively be deployed to fight a pandemic. The further purpose of this symposium is to create networks among the experts and the attendees for future discussions and planning on this topic.

Friday, January 13, 2006

8:00-8:30 Registration and Breakfast*

8:30-8:45 Opening Remarks

Michael Greenberger, JD
Director, University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security
Professor, University of Maryland School of Law

8:45-10:00 The Science Underlying Avian Flu

Daniel Perez, PhD
Director, "Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza in the U.S." Grant
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Assistant Professor, Avian Influenza Virus Program
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

Steven Salzberg, PhD
Director, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland
Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park
Adjunct Investigator, The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR)

James Chambers, PhD
Director, Center of Excellence in Biotechnology and Bioprocessing Education and Research (CEBBER)
Professor of Biochemistry, University of Texas, San Antonio

James Maguire, MD, MPH
Head and Professor, Division of International Health
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
Former Chief, Parasitic Diseases Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Question & Answer Session

10:00-11:30 Avian Flu Vaccines

James Campbell, MD
Clinical Vaccine Trial Specialist
University of Maryland Center for Vaccine Development, Baltimore
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Community Studies Section
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore

Roland Levandowski, MD
Chief, Influenza, SARS, and Other Viral Respiratory Diseases Section
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Rahul Singhvi, PhD, MBA, MS
President and Chief Executive Officer
Novavax, Inc., Corporate Headquarters
Former Director, Vaccine and Sterile Operations, Merck Manufacturing Division
Merck & Co.

U.S. Army Major General Philip Russell, MD (USA Ret.)
Former Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Former Acting Director, Office of Research and Development Coordination
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Former Director, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Professor Emeritus, Department of International Health
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

James King, MD
Vaccine Researcher
University of Maryland Center for Vaccine Development, Baltimore Head, Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Clinical Studies Section University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore

Question & Answer Session

11:30-11:40 BREAK*

11:40-12:20 Quarantine and Isolation

Elin Gursky, ScD
Principal Deputy for Biodefense, National Strategies Support Directorate
ANSER Institute for Homeland Security
Former Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies
Former Director, Epidemiology and Preventable Disease Control
Prince George’s County, Maryland

Barbara Billauer, JD, MS
President, Foundation for Law and Science Centers, Inc.
Adjunct Professor of Law, Scientific Evidence Seminar
University of Maryland School of Law

Question & Answer Session

12:20-1:00 LUNCH*

1:00-1:45 AntiVirals

John Beigel, MD
Staff Clinician, Collaborative Clinical Research Branch, Office of Clinical Research
Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Gary Smith, PharmD, FASHP, FCCP
Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore

Question & Answer Session

1:45-2:55 What Can Healthcare Institutions Do?

Matthew Payne, MPA
Senior Advisor, Public Health
The CNA Corporation, Institute for Public Research
Former Deputy Director for Operations, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Harold Standiford, MD, FACP
Medical Director, Infection Control and Anti-Microbial Effectiveness
University of Maryland Medical Center
Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore

Mary-Claire Roghmann, MD, MS
Associate Professor and Head, Division of Healthcare Outcomes Research
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
Hospital Epidemiologist, VA Maryland Health Care System

Julie Casani, MD, MPH
Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Question & Answer Session

2:55-3:05 BREAK*

3:05-4:30 What Can Federal, State, and Local Governments Do?

Christa-Marie Singleton, MD, MPH
Chief Medical Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response
Baltimore City Health Department

David Blythe, MD, MPH
State Epidemiologist
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Sherry Adams, RN
Executive Director, Office of Emergency Health & Medical Services
District of Columbia Department of Health

Michelle Davis, PhD, MPH
Deputy Secretary of Health Planning and Assessment
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Adjunct Professor, Drexel University School of Public Health

Michael Greenberger, JD
Director, University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security
Professor, University of Maryland School of Law

Question & Answer Session

4:30-5:00 What is the Role of the Practitioner?

James "Seamus" P.G. Flynn, MD
Vice President for Medical Affairs, University Specialty Hospital
Secretary, MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society

Question & Answer Session

5:00-5:15 Closing Remarks

Reception to Follow


*A continental breakfast, boxed lunches, light snacks, and refreshments will be provided for registered attendees.