Strengthening Global Systems to Prevent and Respond to High-Consequence Biological Threats
About the Authors Jaime M. Yassif, Ph.D. Senior Fellow, Global Biological Policy and Programs, NTI Dr. Jaime M. Yassif is Senior Fellow for Global Biological Policy and Programs at NTI, where she is leading several major biosecurity projects focused on strengthening governance of dual-use bioscience and reducing global catastrophic biological risks. Yassif previously served as a Program Officer at Open Philanthropy, where she led the Biosecurity and Pandemic Preparedness initiative. In this role, she recommended and managed approximately $40 million in biosecurity grants, which rebuilt the field and supported work in several key areas, including developing new biosecurity programming at several leading think tanks, establishing the Global Health Security Index, initiating new biosecurity work in China and India, and framing a new public discourse about global catastrophic biological risks. Prior to this, Yassif served as a Science and Technology Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense and worked on the Global Health Security Agenda at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kevin P. O’Prey, Ph.D. Managing Partner, The Palisades Group, LLC Dr. Kevin P. O’Prey has served as the facilitator for the annual Nuclear Threat Initiative’s Biosecurity tabletop exercises at the Munich Security Conference. As Managing Partner at the Palisades Group, O’Prey oversees analytical and facilitation projects for the U.S. Federal Government, private sector, and international organizations. Previously, he was co-founder and president of Obsidian Analysis, Inc. and president of DFI Government Services. He earned his Ph.D. in political science at MIT’s Security Studies Program. Christopher R. Isaac, M.Sc. Program Assistant, Global Biological Policy and Programs, NTI Mr. Christopher R. Isaac is a Program Assistant for Global Biological Policy and Programs at NTI. Isaac has been involved with synthetic biology through the Internationally Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Competition since the start of his scientific career and brings with him a mixture of skills in policy, biochemistry, and programming. Isaac holds a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Philosophy and a M.Sc. in Biochemistry (Bioinformatics) from the University of Lethbridge. He is an alumnus of the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and is a member of the iGEM Safety and Security Committee.
NTI Paper
32
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