Bioterrorism in the New World Order: Managing a Multifaceted Problem

Goals and Objectives

The Conference will examine biological terrorism in the context of 9-11 and the subsequent anthrax letters. It will look at managing the competing interests of civil liberties, ethics, cost and security in both the public and private sectors. Multidisciplinary collaboration and the utilization of technology will be emphasized. Bioterrorism is an international, national, regional and local problem. Clinicians, policy makers, biowarriors, technologists, intelligence and law enforcement will examine these dimensions. The conference will discuss the means to prevent, deter and respond to acts of bioterror. The microbial agents themselves will be examined. The Biological Weapons Convention and Protocol and the means to facilitate political dialogue will be discussed. The conference will include the top managers from both the former US and Soviet offensive bioweapons programs.

The conference will take place at University Synagogue located at 11960 Sunset Blvd. located 1 mile west of the 405 freeway, May 29-30,2002, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM. There is a $30.00 fee that includes lunches. The student fee is $10.00. Parking is free. Call the Burkle Center for International Relations for a reservation @ 310 825-0604

Sponsors

The conference is sponsored by COMMET, The Center of Medical Multimedia Education Technology (COMMET), a California non-profit organization.

The co-sponsors are:

Biological Threat Mitigation
The UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations (BCIR)
The UCLA International Studies and Overseas Programs (ISOP)
The University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC).
The Infectious Disease Association of California (IDAC)
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles Terrorism Early Warning (TEW) Group
Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) - Public Health and Emergency Medical Services
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)

Speakers

• Dr. Bill Patrick, former head of product development of the US offensive biological weapons program, will be a keynote speaker
• Dr. Ken Alibek, Distinguished Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, George Mason University, President of Advanced Biosystems, former First Deputy Director of Biopreparat, the Soviet offensive bioweapons program, trained as a physician, author of Biohazard. He will be a keynote speaker
• Dr. Peter Katona, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Member, UCLA, Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC) & LA County Bioterrorism Task Forces, Conference Program Director
• Dr. Scott Layne, Associate Professor, UCLA School of Public Health, Justice Department course instructor on bioterrorism, physicist and infectious diseases physician, worked at the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, co-editor, Firepower in the Lab: Automation in the Fight Against Infectious Disease and Bioterrorism
• Sergeant John P Sullivan, Officer-in-Charge, Los Angeles Terrorism Early Warning (TEW) Group
• Dr. Al Zelicoff, Senior Scientist, Center for National Security and Arms Control, Sandia Laboratories, expert on syndromic surveillance and the Biological Weapons Protocol
• Dr. Laurene Mascola, Chief, Acute Communicable Disease Control, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS)
• Dr. Greg Treverton, RAND expert on federal policy issues, worked on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Church Commission, National Security Council, Vice-Chairman of the National Intelligence Council
• Dr Miriam Cotler, bioethicist, Chairperson, Health Sciences, CSUN
• Dr Michael Aratow, NASA Ames Research Center at the California Menay Institute, ER physician
• Jack Weiss, Los Angeles City Councilman, 5th District
• Zev Yaroslavsky, Chairman, LA County Board of Supervisors, 3rd District
• Dr Jonathan Fielding, Director of Public Health and Health Officer, LA County DHS
• David Pegues, Associate Professor of Medicine, UCLA, Chairman, BT Task Force and Infection Control Committee, UCLA Medical Center
• Dr Linda Neuhauser, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, Principal Investigator, Center for Community Wellness and e-Health
• Dr Richard Burton, Associate Director, California Department of Health Services, former President of the California Conference of Local Health Officers
  Jeff Modisett, former Attorney General, Indiana
• Alvin Toffler, Futurist, author of Future Shock, The Third Wave, War and Anti-War (on video)
• Dr. John Celentano, Disaster Medical Officer, EMS Agency, LA County
  

Agenda for Wednesday May 29, 2002

8:00 Welcome
The History of Biowarfare and Bioterror - Peter Katona

9:00 What Policy, Intelligence and Law Enforcement? - Greg Treverton

10:00 Coffee Break

10:30 The Ethics of Counterterrorism - Miriam Cotler

11:30 The Past Offensive Soviet Bioweapons Program - Ken Alibek

12:30 Lunch break

1:30 The Mission Impossible Challenges for Los Angeles - Jonathan Fielding

2:30 Public Health and the Control of Exotic Bugs - Laurene Mascola

3:30 What Politicians are Thinking About – Jack Weiss, Zev Yaroslavsky, and Jeff Modisett