Biological threats have historically focused on addressing emerging infectious diseases or the possibility of engineering a virus that could start the zombie apocalypse. Today, as biology continues to converge with the cyber realm, new security challenges will arise. In the area of health care, there is a general failure to recognize biological data as a potential economic driver and therefore a national security concern. This presentation by Special Agent Edward You highlighted the need to radically redefine what we consider a biological threat.
A supervisory special agent in the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, Mr. You is responsible for creating programs and activities to coordinate and improve FBI and interagency activities to identify, assess, and respond to biological threats or incidents. He has also been directly involved in policy-making efforts with a focus on biosecurity. His overall goal is to safeguard the scientific community, the life science research enterprise, and the U.S. bioeconomy.
The Georgetown University Global Health Initiative (GHI) and Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security (GHSS) co-sponsored this event as part of the Global Health Security Seminar Series.
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Edward You is a supervisory special agent in the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, currently detailed as a liaison officer at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of National Security. Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. You had worked for three years in autoimmune disease research at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and six years in human gene therapy and retrovirology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.
