Donations to NWABR help us to promote the public’s trust in ethically conducted biomedical research. Specifically donations support:
Conferences
K12 science outreach
Communications trainings
Resources
Public engagement opportunities
Without research there are no treatments, no cures, no progress. The public demands these advances yet few understand what goes into how we successfully treat any disease in our loved ones and pets. We need to change the conversation and support our scientists, physician researchers and those who care for the animal heroes that make any of this possible. Researcher – Montana
Contact Jen Wroblewski, Public Engagement Manager, at engagement@nwabr.org or call 206-957-3337.
Ken Gordon, NWABR’s Executive Director, training one-on-one with a Research Ambassador
What is the Research Ambassador Program? Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR) is launching a new Research Ambassador Program to accomplish the goal of leveraging the translational research community to dramatically expand our collective outreach to take the message about research and its importance to every household in the Northwest.
Research Ambassadors share their work with members of the public by video chat. When the pandemic is down to a whimper, we will also offer LIVE engagement. Ambassadors engage others about their everyday work, the personal and professional reasons they work in the field and tell stories about the same.
Talk formats will typically be 15-30 minutes for classrooms and up to an hour for other groups. We are even curating pre-recorded 15 minute talks that experts can create and listeners can pull and view.
Ambassadors will have as much or as little support from NWABR as they wish. We will offer periodic trainings, ongoing as-needed support for presentations and hands-on activities, video resources and ingredients for successful presentations. NWABR staff will also be available to accompany Ambassadors to their presentations for support. Get more information about Communication Trainings!
The time commitment is really up to the individual Ambassador, but we expect a minimum of two engagements per calendar year.
Ambassadors exercise listening, humility and empathy to build both rich relationships and trust. To support our Ambassadors we will equip and collaborate with them to use best practices in public communication.
Why Public Outreach Through Research Ambassadors? NWABR has a simple and at the same time expansive mission. What we know is we can build robust public support for biomedical research by enabling people who work in science with the training, tools, stories and forums where they can share their work. Medical scientists are among the most trustworthy community, so who better than to communicate about science (Pew, 2019)?
DId you know that opinion polls show that when someone knows a medical scientist and what they actually DO, they show a 36 percentage point increase towards high trust in medical science, compared to peers who did not know a scientist and their work? The influence of knowing someone who actually does science and talks about it is more than the influence of high scientific literacy alone (19% point increase over people with low scientific literacy) when measuring trust. This is substantial! The bottom line? Medical scientists are the best, most trustworthy source of information in the field, but we have a way to go. The more the public soaks in forthcoming messages, encounters science, and meets people working in biomedical research, the more confidence will grow.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
One person can make a difference by telling why they do research or directly support research in their work, contributions and/or time. Just imagine the impact of the thousands of whys from medical research professionals in Washington State alone.
That’s why we ask you to 1) become a Research Ambassador and 2) why we ask that you use #ThanksResearch in social media whenever you tout, critique, brag, publish or plead about biomedical research happenings.
WHO should be an Ambassador? Ambassadors should be individuals who work along any point of the translational research pathway. We are seeking people in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research in all biomedical fields. You might be a project coordinator, a research tech, a clinical lab tech, a staff scientist, a principal investigator, an institutional review analyst, a data scientist, a registered nurse, a patient care coordinator, a clinical or research safety specialist, an attorney, a veterinary tech, a post-doc fellow or a biostatistician.
Thank you for considering a role as a Research Ambassador. We look forward to working with you and your peers.
Just like our doctors and nurses, NWABR members have also been on the frontlines working at a rapid pace to understand SARS-CoV-2 (novel Coronavirus), how it spreads, how it infects, who it infects, why it shows itself in a variety of symptoms and why progresses in such a deadly way. And now more than 130 million Americans are now directly benefiting from the biomedical research that developed the vaccines that will eventually bring an end to the current pandemic.
These organizations worked at breakneck speed to better understand COVID-19, to find effective diagnostic tools and treatments, and to see if other drugs might be useful to stop disease progression. They developed vaccines that are our best solution to stopping the pandemic and to help the world return to normal.
Every aspect of biomedical research was involved in this unprecedented effort to come to grips with the Coronavirus pandemic. This research involved examining the disease and potential treatments in animal models to steer the direction of human clinical trials that resulted in today’s safe and effective vaccines.
This website and its linked pages are one way NWABR acknowledges all of the work that has been done and continues — with a significant amount underway in Northwest USA.
We have never been more proud of our member organizations and the tens of thousands of scientists, researchers, biological safety experts, animal care staff, clinical research staff, ethicists, members of IBC, IACUC and IRB committees, and all of their funders who are providing the hope that we all need for the future.
Please join us in thanking all of these amazing researchers and please feel free to share their stories.
NWABR will host its annual IBC, Security, and IACUC conferences in a hybrid format in 2023. The hybrid format allows attendees the option of attending the conferences In Person or Virtually.
The hybrid conferences will take place on consecutive days (February 28, 2023 for IBC, March 1, 2023 for Security, and March 2, 2023 for IACUC). There is also an option of a fourth day (March 3, 2023) which be a small group facility tour with a local research institution. This half day will be free for all conference registrants.
Attendees will be able to register separately for each day or register to attend multiple conferences.
CONFERENCE THEME
The Planning Committees have decided that the overarching themes for the three conferences will be “Adaptation. The One Constant in Research”
The programs and speakers for the three conferences are currently being finalized and will be updated here as the programs are confirmed.
IBC CONFERENCE – CONFIRMED SPEAKERS AND TOPICS – FEBRUARY 28, 2023
Time
Speaker(s)
Title/Organization
Topic
8.00am
Ken Gordon James Riddle
NWABR Advarra/NWABR
Formal Conference Opening
8.15am
Kathryn Harris, PhD, RBP
Senior Outreach and Education Specialist at National Institutes of Health
Overview of the NIH Guidelines and IBC requirements
9.30am
Break
9.45am
Shane Gillooly, MS, RBP, CBSP
Manager Biosafety University of Miami
Biosafety Culture
10.45am
Break
11.00am
Chris Doyle, PhD
James Riddle, BA, MCSE, CIP, CPIA
Kelly Lawrence, JD
Director IBC Services, WCG IBC
Vice President Research Services & Strategic Consulting, Advarra
Manager and Regulatory Attorney, Office of Institutional Assurances, Seattle Children’s Research Institute
IBCs, IACUCS and IRBs need to work together
12.15pm
Lunch Break
1.00pm
Levi O’Loughlin, PhD
Associate Director University Biosafety Officer Office of Research Assurances Washington State University
A day in the life of a Biosafety professional
2.00pm
Break
2.15pm
Adam Lacy-Hulbert. PhD
Ken Gordon
IBC Chair, Benaroya Research Institute
Executive Director, NWABR
Onboarding and orientating new IBC Committee Members and Guidance for Effective Meetings
3.15pm
Break
3.30pm
Ashley Vaughan, PhD
Center for Global Infectious Disease Research Seattle Children’s Research Institute
Transgenic Plant, Mouse and Mosquito Research
4.30pm
Steve Libby, PhD
Former IBC Chair Emeritus Professor
Changes and Adaptations in IBCs Over the Years
5.00pm
James Riddle Ken Gordon
Advarra/NWABR NWABR
Conference Close and Hosted Happy Hour
SECURITY CONFERENCE – CONFIRMED SPEAKERS AND TOPICS – MARCH 1, 2023
Time
Speaker(s)
Title/Organization
Topic
7.30am
Ken Gordon Karen Taylor Dione Mazzolini
NWABR PNNL FBI
Conference Open
7.45am
Edward H. You
National Counterintelligence Officer for Emerging and Disruptive Technologies National Counterintelligence and Security Center Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Security as it applies to Biomedical Research/Biotech
8.45am
John Sancenito
President INA Associates
Preventing Intrusions and Update on Worldwide Activism Trends
9.45am
Break
10.00am
Kate Murphy and Brandon Taylor
Special Agents FBI
Counter Intelligence and Domestic Terrorism Updates
11.00am
Scott Kelly
Security Manager Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
A Day in the Life of a Security Professional
Noon
Karen Taylor Dione Mazzolini
Networking Lunch
12.45pm
Charles Fracchia, MS
Board Chair BIO-ISAC
Current and Near-Future Digital Threats to the Bioeconomy
1.45pm
Break
2.00pm
Matt Yeager
Supervisory Special Agent FBI Seattle
Foreign Malign Influence: Subversive, Undeclared, and Coercive Actions by Foreign Powers
3.00pm
Ronald D. Watters Jr, GSLC
Cybersecurity Advisor CISA Region 10 (AK, ID, OR, WA) Department of Homeland Security
How to prevent, and respond to, RansomWare
4.00pm
Break
4.15pm
Bill Reed
Office of the Chief Information Security Officer Google
Security Mutations: How Digital Transformation in Life Sciences is changing the role of the CISO.
5.15pm
Ken Gordon Karen Taylor Dione Mazzolini
NWABR PNNL FBI
Conference Close and Hosted Happy Hour
IACUC CONFERENCE – CONFIRMED SPEAKERS AND TOPICS – MARCH 2, 2023
Time
Speaker(s)
Title/Organization
Topic
7.30am
Ken Gordon Sally Thompson-Iritani Shannon Reynolds
Executive Director, NWABR Immediate Past President, NWABR Secretary, NWABR
Formal Conference Opening
7.45am
Cynthia Pekow, DVM, DACLAM, CPIA
Chief, Veterinary Medical Unit VA – Puget Sound
A Pithy History of IACUCs
8.25am
Kimberly Ray, MPH, MS, CPIA
Assistant Research Integrity Officer (IACUC) Oregon Health and Science University
Facility and Program Review
9.05am
Heather Sidener, DVM, DACLAM
Clinical Medicine Unit Head ONPRC/OHSU
Protocol review: Preventive Medicine for Lab Animals
Microphysiological Systems (MSP): Applications and Use in Drug Development
12.45pm
Lunch Break
1.30pm
Kristina Carter Bartley, B.Sc. M.Sc. CLABP
Director, Behavior Management and Enrichment Program QA Education Specialist Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Non-Aversive Handling
2.30pm
Break
2.45pm
Megan LaFollette, MS, PhD (Moderator)
Kristina Carter Bartley, B.Sc. M.Sc. CLABP
Lisa Houser
Elizabeth Nunamaker
Executive Director, The North American 3Rs Collaborative
Director, Behavior Management and Enrichment Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Primate Training Coordinator, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Director, Animal Welfare, Charles River Laboratories
Non-Aversive Handling Panel Discussion
3.45pm
Break
4.00pm
Sally Thompson-Iritani, DVM/PhD, CPIA
Paula Clifford, MLA, RLATG, CVT
Assistant Vice Provost, Animal Care, University of Washington
Executive Director Americans for Medical Progress
Updates on Openness
5.00pm
Ken Gordon Sally Thompson-Iritani Shannon Reynolds
NWABR University of Washington, NWABR Allen Institute, NWABR
Conference close and wrap-up
OPTIONAL BRIDGING THE GAP FACILITY TOUR – MARCH 3, 2023 (IN PERSON ATTENDEES ONLY)
NWABR, in partnership with the University of Washington, Office of Animal Welfare, is offering a free add on session that will allow a small group of registered attendees to participate in a tour of a local research institution’s animal care and use facilities. The Bridging the Gap Tour is only available for In Person attendees. This year a group of up to 20 attendees will have the opportunity to tour research facilities at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute downtown Seattle campuses, including State of the Art facilities in the Building Cure and Jack R. MacDonald buildings.
Time
Speaker(s)
Title/Organization
Topic
9.45am
Ken Gordon
Rajesh Uthamanthil
Preston Van Hooser
Executive Director, NWABR
Chief Medical Officer, Preclinical and Translational Research Seattle Children’s Research Institute
Review Scientist; Compliance Manager, Office of Animal Welfare, University of Washington
Bridging the Gap Facility Tour at Seattle Childrens
9.45am – Gather at Children’s new research building.
10.00am – Group of 20 approx attendees breaks into two smaller groups. 1 group to tour new facilities and the other group to tour existing facility (a small walk in involved).
11.00am – Tour groups switch.
Noon – Group gathers for lunch and discussion.
1.00pm
Ken Gordon Rajest Uthamanthil Preston Van Hooser
Tour closes
IN PERSON CONFERENCES
Conference Venue
The Conference is being hosted at the Laurel Place Conference facility. The address of the Laurel Place venue is: 911 N. 145th Street, Seattle WA 98133.
Coronavirus Precautions
At the conference registration desk we will ask that you show us your vaccination card or proof of a recent Coronavirus infection. We will be checking temperatures with an infrared thermometer. We are also recommending masking, although this is not mandatory. We are also encouraging attendees to test prior to leaving their accommodation on the day of the event. The actual conference venue is a large ballroom with plenty of space for distancing if this is important for you. Tables will be limited to a max of 4 people each.
VIRTUAL CONFERENCES
For those attendees attending the Conferences Virtually, we will broadcast the programs using the GoToWebinar service. This program allows the sharing of presenter slides and videos and limited audience interaction. With the permission of the presenters all presentations will be recorded and will be available by March 4, 2023.
COSTS
Virtual attendance at each conference will be $135 and if attendees want to attend two or three days then the combined fee will be $270.
In Person attendance will be $275 at each conference and if attendees want to attend two or three days then the combined fee will be $500. In person attendees will receive breakfast, lunch, refreshments during the day and will be welcomed to join for a hosted happy hour to conclude each conference.
Staff members of NWABR Member organizations can register at a discounted rate by using the code NWABRMEMBER. A full list of NWABR Member organizations can be found on the member page of the NWABR website. The discounted rate for NWABR members is approximately a 47% saving on the prices noted above.
There is an additional discount if NWABR Member organizations wish to register ten or more attendees. Please contact NWABR staff for this discount code.
Students with a focus on IBC, IACUC, or Biomedical Research Security can register for $10 for the full three-day virtual conference series.
NWABR will be applying for the following CE credits:
CPIA Recertification Credit
ABSA RBP/CBSP Credit
The American Association of Veterinary State Boards RACE non-medical continuing veterinary education credit for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians
SPONSORS/VENDORS
Sponsorship support is key to the successful provision of these events. NWABR acknowledges the following sponsors of these conferences:
Advarra advances the way clinical research is conducted: bringing life sciences companies, CROs, research sites, investigators, and academia together at the intersection of safety, technology, and collaboration. With trusted IRB and IBC review solutions, innovative technologies, experienced consultants, and deep-seated connections across the industry, Advarra provides integrated solutions that safeguard trial participants, empower clinical sites, ensure compliance, and optimize research performance. Advarra is advancing clinical trials to make them safer, smarter, and faster.
WCG Biosafety Services, is the unrivaled leader in IBC management and review. Since its inception in 2001, WCG Biosafety Services has convened more than 4,000 IBC meetings, reviewed more than 400 human gene transfer clinical trials, and e externallyadministered NIH-registered IBCs on behalf of more than 800 institutions globally.
The FBI is the lead federal agency for responding to threats from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. The FBI investigates and collects intelligence on CBRN and explosive-related threats and incidents to prevent attacks and respond to them when they occur.
Established in 2006, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD) is part of the FBI’s National Security Branch. The WMDD leads the FBI’s efforts to mitigate threats from CBRN or explosive weapons. FBI personnel work with academic and industry partners to protect advances in scientific research and biotechnology development and to prevent the misuse of biological knowledge, material, and technology. The FBI also supports U.S. health security in part by coordinating with Global Health Security Agenda partners, Federal, State, Local and Tribal health partners to prevent, detect, and respond to biological incidents.
The traditional distinction between national security and criminal matters is increasingly blurred as terrorists commit crimes to finance their activities and computer hackers create vulnerabilities that can be exploited. The FBI is uniquely positioned and is the lead agency for exposing, preventing, and investigating intelligence activities, including espionage, on U.S. soil and uses its investigative and intelligence capabilities–as well as strategic partnerships–to pursue spies. Additionally, the FBI’s is tasked with investigating cyber-attacks and intrusions. We collect and share intelligence and engage with victims while working to unmask those committing malicious cyber activities, wherever they are.
The partnerships referenced above are crucially important to the success of this vital mission of protecting the United States from these threats. We look forward to interacting with you during the week and thank you in advance for your participation.
As an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution founded in 1929, JAX leverages its unique combination of research, education and resources to achieve its mission: to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in its shared quest to improve human health. For more information, visit www.jax.org.
Additional Sponsors and Vendors are welcome for this conference. Potential sponsors are encouraged to contact Mr. Ken Gordon for more information.
CONFERENCE HOTEL
NWABR has arranged for a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn & Suites Seattle/Northgate (HISSN). The HISSN is approximately 3.6 miles from the conference venue. The address for the HISSN is: 9550 1st Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115. The HISSN is easily accessible to the Light Rail system if attendees are flying into Seattle. NWABR recommends that attendees without access to a vehicle arrange for a taxi or ride share service between the hotel and conference venue. Bookings with the HISSN need to be confirmed by February 6, 2023 to secure the discounted rates that have been arranged.
Booking Link: Book Here Hotel: Hampton Inn & Suites Seattle/Northgate Group Name: Northwest Association of Biomedical Research Arrival Date: February 27, 2023 Departure Date: March 3, 2023
MORE INFORMATION
If you wish more information about these important regional conferences, NWABR and/or NWABR membership then please contact, Ken Gordon on (206) 595-2450 or email executivedirector@nwabr.org. Please note NWABR reserves the right to deny registration for any reason.
The FBI is the lead federal agency for responding to threats from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. The FBI investigates and collects intelligence on CBRN and explosive-related threats and incidents to prevent attacks and respond to them when they occur. 
