CEO Perspective: A Response to The 2022 National Biodefense Strategy

Thirty-two times.

That is how many times COVID is mentioned in the October 2022 National Biodefense Strategy and Implementation Plan for Countering Biological Threats, Enhancing Pandemic Preparedness, and Achieving Global Health Security that updated the 2018 National Biodefense Strategy.

COVID has changed our world and there are many entities from all over the world who are continuing to work on this global pandemic response and our future response strategy.

There are numerous goals, priorities, targets, and actions outlined in the Strategy. Public-private collaboration, sharing, Community efforts, and training programs are highlighted throughout…

GOAL 2: Ensure biodefense enterprise capabilities to prevent bioincidents.

 

Encourage routine peer-to-peer sharing development of a domestic and international cohort of biosafety and biosecurity experts.

 

GOAL 3: Ensure biodefense enterprise preparedness to reduce the impacts of bioincidents.

 

Recruit, train, and sustain a robust, flexible, permanent cadre of essential critical health infrastructure workers, public health laboratory scientists, technicians, and data quality managers.

The Strategy also highlighted that “A swift response necessitates engaging at the local, national, and international levels” and the “United States must continue to exhibit catalytic global leadership by working with multilateral institutions, foreign governments, public and private sector partners, and communities for coordinated, whole-of-society action to strengthen health security systems throughout the world.” If we all can engage and support in some way, this will help to ensure future swift and coordinated responses.

One way that International Scientific Advisors (ISA) is contributing to this effort, is by training DoD/Federal Agency personnel and military spouses with medical backgrounds to facilitate private industry collaborations with Federal entities.

Following their DoD/Federal careers, we lose a lot of unique medical expertise. To keep them in the fight, we train, resource, and support them in a purpose-driven Community to advise, facilitate collaborative teams, and advance lifesaving technologies. This can be remote work, especially for military spouses who face extensive challenges working all over the world, or completed in addition to continued clinical and healthcare practice. We also support their work in all health-related sectors, so that they can implement the significant value add that is possible through public-private collaborations.

Thank you to all of you who have and continue to contribute to the COVID-19 response. If you can contribute to future biothreat responses, please pursue these efforts in some way to stay in the fight and encourage/assist others to participate.