World BioHazTec

The -ABSA Symposium was an incredible gathering of biosafety professionals, thought leaders, and innovators—and we’re proud to have been part of it as a lunch sponsor and exhibitor.

A special congratulations to our own Kerstin Haskell (Past President) and Tracey Brown (Treasurer) as they wrapped up their terms on the ChABSA Council. Their leadership and dedication have made a meaningful impact on the organization and the broader biosafety community.

One of the standout moments was celebrating Biosafety Day, marked by an official proclamation signed by Governor Wes Moore—a powerful recognition of the importance of biosafety in protecting public health.

The keynote presentations delivered fresh and energizing perspectives:
👉 Kelly Schulz, CEO of the Tech Council
Rebecca Bradford, Vice President of Federal Programs at ATCC

Both highlighted the strength and growth of the life sciences ecosystem across Maryland, Virginia, and the global landscape, reinforcing the critical role biosafety plays in advancing innovation.

We also enjoyed an insightful panel discussion on the history of biosafety, featuring:
👉 Sherry Bohn (Immediate Past President, ABSA)
👉 Joe Kozlovac
👉 Bob Hawley
👉 Moderated by David Harbourt (ABSA Council Member)

The conversation offered valuable perspective on how far the profession has come—and where it’s headed.

There were many more great moments, conversations, and connections throughout the symposium. Events like this continue to strengthen our shared mission.

World BioHazTec looks forward to continuing our involvement with ChABSA—now as members—and to supporting the new leadership team as they take the organization to even greater heights.

A successful BSL-3 laboratory project doesn’t start at certification.

It starts much earlier, with the right commissioning expertise at the table.

A commissioning agent helps ensure a new or renovated BSL-3 laboratory operates safely, effectively, and in alignment with its design intent.

That means evaluating how critical systems work together under real-world conditions, including HVAC, pressure controls, alarms, directional airflow, containment features, and decontamination systems.

Through performance testing, verification, and detailed documentation, commissioning helps identify issues before they become operational risks, costly modifications, or project delays.

For high-containment laboratories, commissioning isn’t just a final step.

It’s a safeguard for personnel, the environment, and long-term operational success.

Read more about the critical role of a commissioning agent in BSL-3 laboratory design and operation: https://loom.ly/QU47vTI

🌍 Today is Biosafety Day in the State of Maryland! 🌍🧪

On June 10, 2026, we are proudly celebrating the professionals who work behind the scenes to protect public health, advance scientific discovery, and ensure the safety of laboratories around the world.

This day has been officially proclaimed by Governor Wes Moore for the second year in a row in recognition of the vital role biosafety plays in our lives — from disease prevention to secure research environments.

Today is especially fitting as we honor this day at the Chesapeake Area Biological Safety Association Annual Biosafety Symposium!

Biosafety impacts us all, whether it’s ensuring the vaccines we take are safe, preventing outbreaks, or enabling life-saving research. 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬

We invite you to take a moment today to reflect on how biosafety has made a difference in your life or community. Whether it’s thanking a biosafety professional, sharing a story, or learning more about the field, every acknowledgment helps elevate the importance of this essential work.

Let’s continue to celebrate the people and protocols that keep science safe!🔬

That’s a wrap on EBSA Conference 2026!

World BioHazTec was proud to exhibit at this year’s conference in Bruges, Belgium, where biosafety professionals from around the world came together to share ideas, challenges, research, and real-world solutions.

e're especially proud that Lia Vizzotti gave a presentation on Implementing a Risk-Based Commissioning Process for High-Containment Laboratories in Colombia, a topic that reflects much of the work we care about: helping teams move from design intent to operational readiness with safety, performance, and risk at the center.

Thank you to EBSA for hosting such a fantastic event, and to everyone who stopped to connect with us!

We’re leaving Bruges grateful for the conversations, energized by the work ahead, and proud to be part of this global biosafety community.

Biosafety is no longer just a laboratory concern.

As biological research becomes more complex, biosafety has become an enterprise risk issue tied to operations, funding, governance, reputation, and long-term resilience.

A biosafety incident doesn’t stay inside the lab. It can disrupt operations, trigger regulatory scrutiny, create legal exposure, and weaken stakeholder trust.

That’s why forward-looking organizations are moving beyond a checklist approach and treating biosafety as part of their broader risk management strategy.

At World BioHazTec, we believe the question is no longer just, “Are we compliant?” It’s: “Are we protected?”

Read our latest blog on why biosafety is becoming a boardroom issue. Link in the comments 👇

We didn’t take home the Maryland Tech Council Life Sciences Innovation Company of the Year Award on May 21, but we left feeling like winners.

Being recognized alongside so many extraordinary organizations in Maryland’s life sciences community is an honor in itself. Thank you to Kelly Schulz and the team at the Maryland Tech Council for bringing this community together.

Honestly, the highlight of the evening?

Our employee Diego Garzon surprised us with a one-of-a-kind, hand-made knit doll… of our President, Kerstin Haskell. A true original—and now a WBHT keepsake. 😊

It was also a pleasure celebrating the success of fellow innovators like Toni Toomey of SECOM, and reconnecting with mentors like Christina Wrobel-Holt of ExecuSense, LLC, whose leadership continues to shape Maryland’s entrepreneurial community with her partnership at .

Moments like that remind us what truly defines World BioHazTec: our people, our purpose, and our commitment to safeguarding the communities around us.

We’re proud to be part of Maryland’s uniquely interconnected life sciences ecosystem, where science doesn’t happen behind closed doors; it happens right next door.

World BioHazTec is proud to exhibit at this year’s EBSA Conference and Preconference Courses, taking place June 2–5, 2026, in Bruges, Belgium.

From BSL-3 facility planning to biosecurity, One Health surveillance, safety equipment best practices, and biosafety competency, the EBSA Conference 2026 program is centered on the conversations shaping safer science.

These conversations matter across the full lifecycle of a laboratory: design, commissioning, certification, training, operations, and long-term readiness.

We’re looking forward to connecting with biosafety professionals from around the world and continuing the work we care deeply about: helping science happen safely.

If you’ll be attending EBSA 2026, we’d love to connect. More information: https://loom.ly/2jE9Wko

EBSA Conference 2026 and Preconference courses About EBSA Conference 2026 and Preconference courses Back to meeting overview EBSA Conference 2026 and Preconference courses Tuesday, 02 June 2026 08:30 - Friday, 05 June 2026 16:30 (CET) BMCC , Hotels in Bruges EBSA , 2026 AboutScheduleSpeakersConference venue & hotelsRegisterTicket price overview....

The future of biosafety is being shaped by the conversations happening now.

On June 10, we’re joining the Chesapeake Area Biological Safety Association for its Annual Scientific Symposium, a full day of insight, innovation, and connection with leaders across biosafety, research, and emerging technology.

This year’s agenda will explore timely topics, including:

🧪 High-containment decontamination challenges
🧪 Risk-based approaches to decontamination
🧪 Airflow mapping in biosafety cabinets
🧪 AI and robotics in biohazardous research
🧪 Biosecurity and risk mitigation in emerging biotech tools

📍 June 10 | The Universities at Shady Grove | Rockville, MD
🎙️ Featuring Kelly Schulz, CEO of the Maryland Tech Council, and Rebecca Bradford, SVP at ATCC
💻 Attend in person or virtually

If you’re working at the intersection of biosafety, research, and innovation, this is a conversation worth being part of.

Register here: https://loom.ly/5zYKe7A

Tracey Ann Brown, WBHT Training Program Manager, represented the Chesapeake Area Biological Safety Association Scholarship Program at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) Celebration of Scholarships.

ChABSA’s mission, in partnership with USG, is to foster and advance biological safety as a scientific discipline through education, research, and professional development. This collaboration supports students pursuing careers in biosafety and strengthens the future workforce in the life sciences.

During the event, Dr. Anne Khademian, Executive Director of USG, emphasized the essential role that scholarships and mentorship play in preparing career-ready graduates who will meet the scientific and workforce needs of tomorrow.

Grateful for Tom Clifford, Dave Buonora, and Kate Dawson from USG’s Office of Strategic Partnerships. Their collaboration continues to strengthen ChABSA’s scholarships and WBHT’s training pipeline for tomorrow’s biosafety and high-containment professionals.

For more information and to donate to the ChABSA Biosafety and Biosecurity Scholarship Fund, visit: https://loom.ly/Mnqdz6I

In BSL-3 laboratories, directional airflow is not something you can accurately assess by cracking a door.

It is an engineered pressure condition that should be verified quantitatively, under normal operating conditions, using calibrated pressure instrumentation.

Our latest blog breaks down why the “cracked door” test can create misleading results, collapse the designed pressure cascade, and undermine defensible airflow evaluations.

Because in high-containment environments, testing methods matter.

Read the full blog: https://loom.ly/T_Kb3yE