Day 1 - Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Session: Animal Health and Welfare (2.5 hours)

Antimicrobial resistance is inevitable.  Narrowing the scope of the problem and slowing the rate of development depends not only upon judicious use of existing antimicrobials, but also development of new options for treating and preventing infectious diseases. The tools of biotechnology provide a wealth of options for expanding the available armamentarium for maintaining animal health and improving animal welfare.

Speaker:

• Alison Van Eenennaam, PhD, Cooperative Extension Specialist Animal Genomics and Biotechnology, University of California, Davis
• Matthew Carr, PhD, Executive Director, Algal Biomass Organization
• Scott Holmstrom, PhD, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs & Global Capabilities, Elanco Animal Health

Session: Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases  (2.5 hours)

More than 60% of infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals. Ebola, Zika and MERS are recent examples of these zoonotic diseases, which are increasing due to land-use changes, urbanization and global migrations.  Successful disease control requires rapid diagnosis and the capacity to respond quickly with new therapeutics and vaccines, all of which can be provided by biotechnology.

Speakers:

• Dennis Carroll, PhD, Director, Global Health and Development, USAID
• James Cummings, MD, Senior Director, Clinical Development, Novavax
• Hadyn Parry, Chief Executive Officer, Oxitec
• Eddie Sullivan, PhD, President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc.

End of Day - Panel Discussion – Barriers to Developing Solutions

Speaker:

Bernadette Dunham, DVM, PhD

Day 2 - Thursday, September 22, 2016

Session: Poverty Reduction and Food Security (2.5 hours)

Animal agriculture is critical to the well-being of resource-poor farmers in developing countries. Not only do animals provide food security and essential dietary protein, they are a source of cash income, fertilizer and draught power.  Because climate change will disproportionately impact developing countries, improving agricultural productivity and sustainability of small holder farmers is of paramount importance.  Fortunately, biotechnology is unique among advanced ag technologies in that many biotech innovations are scale neutral.

Speaker:

• Dave Conley, Director, Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF)
• L. Val Giddings, PhD, Senior Fellow, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
• Mark Walton, PhD, Yorktown Technologies

Session: Biotechnology and Biodiversity (2.5 hours)

Advancement of One Health depends on the preservation of biodiversity.  Not only does the loss of biodiversity increase infectious disease risks, it also lessens the genetic diversity that serves as an invaluable resource for human and animal health.  Biotechnology provides tools for wildlife species conservation, invasive species control and prevention of deforestation. 

Speakers:

• Jonathan Lightner, PhD, Chief Research & Development and Scientific Officer, Genus plc. 
• Ryan Phelan, Executive Director, Cofounder, Revive & Restore
   

Fireside Chat

Speakers:

• David L. Ayares, PhD,  Executive Vice President, Head of U.S. Operations and Chief Scientific Officer, Revivicor, Inc.
• John Swart, PhD, President at Exemplar Genetics
   

End of Day - Panel Discussion – Barriers to Developing Solutions 

Speakers:

• Stephen Sundlof, DVM, PhD, CSO and Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality, Kindred Biotherapeutics

Day 3 - Friday, September 23, 2016

Workshop: Using Social Media in Advocacy and Outreach

Social media has transformed the socio-political landscape, altering forever the nature of public discourse and the tactics and strategies of effective advocacy campaigns.  Whether you advocate for science, rational policy, or specific products, the playing field has shifted and the rules have changed. Today, advocacy is rooted in digital technology, and successful advocates rely on social media to effect the change they seek.

Participants in this workshop will learn who is driving the conversations that are impeding industry’s freedom to operate and the realization of public benefits of new technologies, how these opponents influence public opinion, and what you can do to effectively participate in and shape discussions that matter by appropriately introducing facts and your shared values.  

When supportive facts begin to influence the public dialogue, technology opponents often attack the credibility of the person who is shedding light on the subject. Workshop participants will learn how to use social media to ensure their credibility and reputation are protected and enhanced. Finally, we will provide basic instruction on how to use essential social media tools.

Workshop Instructors:

• Leah Beyer, Manager, Global Corporate Communications, Elanco Animal Health.  Ms. Beyer will describe the Elanco Pulse Institute^TM, which listens to and analyzes 80 million pieces of sound bites in social media every day.
• Jay Byrne, President, v-Fluence Interactive.  Mr. Byrne helps individuals and organizations involved in food, agriculture and related research use all types of media in reputation and issues management to ensure accurate information and facts are shared effectively to influence public policy development and market access.