Biosecurity: Changing the Game

Dr. Dinah Nasike and her guest Dr. Issa Makumbi, an expert in public health and epidemiology who serves as the Deputy Director of the Uganda National Institute of Public Health (UNIPH), have an in-depth conversation on disease surveillance, and why it is so important for preventing, detecting, and responding to biological threats.

Dr. Dinah Nasike concludes her conversation with Professor Judy Omumbo, a renowned public health expert and epidemiologist, on the role communities play in epidemic preparedness and response and why communities are not just beneficiaries of health systems but critical partners in stopping outbreaks before they spread.

In this episode, Dr. Dinah Nasike sits down with Professor Judy Omumbo, a renowned public health expert and epidemiologist, to explore the vital role communities play in epidemic preparedness and response. From grassroots mobilization to trust-building and rapid response systems, Professor Omumbo offers insight into why communities are not just beneficiaries of health systems but critical partners in stopping outbreaks before they spread.

In this second and final part of Biosecurity: Changing the Game's discussion of genomic surveillance, Dr. Dinah Nasike and guests from Ginkgo Bioworks - Joshua Griffin Dunn who is the Senior Director, Computational Biology and Head of Design; and Mitchell Wolfe who is the Vice President for Global Engagement and Governance at Ginkgo - explore one of the most powerful tools we have for preventing the next pandemic or bioterror event.

"It’s a story about technology, intelligence, and trust — and how sequencing tiny bits of genetic code can help us detect threats early, attribute their origins, and even deter malicious actors."

This episode of Biosecurity: Changing the Game is all about genomic surveillance — one of the most powerful tools we have for preventing the next pandemic or bioterror event. It’s a story about technology, intelligence, and trust — and how sequencing tiny bits of genetic code can help us detect threats early, attribute their origins, and even deter malicious actors.

Dr. Dinah Nasike explores this topic with guests from Ginkgo Bioworks - Joshua Griffin Dunn who is the Senior Director, Computational Biology and Head of Design; and Mitchell Wolfe who is the Vice President for Global Engagement and Governance at Ginkgo.

In the conclusion of Dr. Dinah Nasike's conversation with her guest, Dr. Julius Lutwama, a virologist and expert in viral hemorrhagic fevers, they continue their discussion on the increasing number of infectious disease threats in the world and how to prepare for future outbreaks.

Dr. Dinah Nasike and her guest, Dr. Julius Lutwama, a virologist and expert in viral hemorrhagic fevers, discuss the increasing number of infectious disease threats in the world and how to impact preparedness for future outbreaks.

In this episode of Biosecurity: Changing the Game, Dr. Dinah Nasike presents a narrative of a case study on Unit 731 to wrap up the Biological Weapons Covention series. Unit 731 was a secret biological weapons research operation unit operated by the Imperial Japanese Army that was responsible for large-scale biological and chemical warfare research.

Links for more information:

• The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

In the third and final part of this conversation, Dr. Dinah Nasike, Dr. Alex Kyabarongo (a veterinarian, former Political Affairs Intern at the Biological Weapons Convention, and currently a Masters of Biodefense Candidate at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University) and Sandra Matinyi (Biosecurity Game Changers Fellow and the Executive Director of Nuo Bioscience, Uganda) conclude their discussion of the Biological Weapons Convention.

Links for more information:

• ScienceDirect
• Siege of Caffa
• British Forces in North America
• Germany's Anthrax Horses
• Japan’s Unit 731 (1930s–1945)
• Rajneesh Cult and Salmonella
• What is dual-use research of concern?
• The German BW Program
• The Japanese BW Program
• The Soviet Biological Weapons Program and Its Legacy in Today’s Russia
• U.S. Biological Warfare and Biological Defense Programs
• The Impact of Biological Warfare in the Cold War Era - AMO
• 1925 Geneva Protocol – UNODA
• Nuo Bioscience
• The Youth for Biosecurity Initiative – UNODA
• Dual-Use Research | NIH Office of Intramural Research
• Mirror Life Science
• The BWC Confidence-Building Measures
• Revolutionizing the Biological Weapons Convention: Integrating Science Diplomacy for Global Security | Science & Diplomacy
• Implementation Support Unit – UNODA
• Biowarfare, bioterrorism and biocrime: A historical overview on microbial harmful applications - ScienceDirect
• Scythian Wars
• iGEM
• The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

In the second part of this conversation, Dr. Dinah Nasike, Dr. Alex Kyabarongo (a veterinarian, former Political Affairs Intern at the Biological Weapons Convention, and currently a Masters of Biodefense Candidate at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University) and Sandra Matinyi (Biosecurity Game Changers Fellow and the Executive Director of Nuo Bioscience, Uganda) continue their discussion of the Biological Weapons Convention.

Links for more information:

• ScienceDirect
• Siege of Caffa
• British Forces in North America
• Germany's Anthrax Horses
• Japan’s Unit 731 (1930s–1945)
• Rajneesh Cult and Salmonella
• What is dual-use research of concern?
• The German BW Program
• The Japanese BW Program
• The Soviet Biological Weapons Program and Its Legacy in Today’s Russia
• U.S. Biological Warfare and Biological Defense Programs
• The Impact of Biological Warfare in the Cold War Era - AMO
• 1925 Geneva Protocol – UNODA
• Nuo Bioscience
• The Youth for Biosecurity Initiative – UNODA
• Dual-Use Research | NIH Office of Intramural Research
• Mirror Life Science
• The BWC Confidence-Building Measures
• Revolutionizing the Biological Weapons Convention: Integrating Science Diplomacy for Global Security | Science & Diplomacy
• Implementation Support Unit – UNODA
• Biowarfare, bioterrorism and biocrime: A historical overview on microbial harmful applications - ScienceDirect
• Scythian Wars
• iGEM
• The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)