Dr. Diane DiEuliis of National Defense University

The world is entering a new era of biotechnology, highlighted by the advancing ease with which the genomes of organisms can be engineered for specific purposes, potentially more rapidly than the world is prepared to assess, and deal responsibly with the ramifications.  Synthetic biology and associated genome editing tools will be essential for addressing the global challenge of resource scarcity, provide unprecedented advances in public health and medicine, and create innovative products that can support national defense, as well as commodities that stimulate the US economy. At the same time, new dual-use technologies will present significant challenges to biosecurity, biosafety, and have already begun to generate ethical and moral dilemmas.  The US will need to address these issues in ways that do not stifle the technology’s advancement nor America’s competitiveness in the global bioeconomy. It is becoming clear that current regulations and compliance mechanisms are not scalable to the changes happening in biotechnology, and a further challenge for governance is the “democratization” of the science and its accessibility by varied actors.  This talk will cover these issues and prompt discussion on solutions.

Biography:

Dr. Diane DiEuliis is a Senior Research fellow at National Defense University.  Her research areas focus on emerging biological technologies, biodefense, and preparedness for biothreats.  Dr. DiEuliis also studies issues related to dual use research, disaster recovery research, and behavioral, cognitive, and social science as it relates to important aspects of deterrence and preparedness.

Prior to joining NDU, Dr. DiEuliis was the Deputy Director for Policy, (and served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While there, she coordinated policy in support of domestic and international health emergency preparedness and response activities, including implementation of the Pandemic All-Hazards Preparedness Act, the National Health Security Strategy, and the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE).

From to 2007 to 2011, Dr. DiEuliis was the Assistant Director for Life Sciences and Behavioral and Social Sciences in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President.  During her tenure at the White House, she was responsible for developing policy in areas such as biosecurity, synthetic biology, social and behavioral science, scientific collections, ethics, STEM education, and biotechnology.  Dr. DiEuliis also worked to help coordinate agency response to public health issues such as the H1N1 flu.

Prior to working at OSTP, Dr. DiEuliis was a program director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she managed a diverse portfolio of neuroscience research in neurodegenerative diseases.  She completed a fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, and completed her postdoctoral research in the NIH Intramural research program, where she focused on cellular and molecular neuroscience.

Dr. DiEuliis has a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Delaware, in Newark, Delaware.

Address:Washington, District of Columbia, United States