Stewardship or Censorship?
Balancing Biosecurity, The Public's Health, and The Benefits of Scientific Openness
This book tackles the thorny issue of how several distinct communities – bioscience research, public health, and national security – relate to each other in the complicated post-September 11 legal and policy environment. While tensions between science and government have a long pedigree, this study brings the story up to date, and outlines some of the passionate disagreements that have arisen over new limitations and requirements imposed on scientific research in the biosciences since the anthrax scare and the enduring concern about terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
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About the Author
Julie Fischer is a senior associate at the Henry L. Stimson Center. She joined the staff of the Stimson Center in July 2003 for a year-long term as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow. Her areas of interest lie at the intersection of public health and security, and include medical emergency preparedness, biological security measures and their impact on research, and how the global disease burden and efforts to reduce it affect international security.
Dr. Fischer worked previously for Senators John D. Rockefeller IV and Bob Graham on the staff of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. As a Congressional Science Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2000-2001), and subsequently as professional staff, she worked on issues related to biomedical research, domestic terrorism preparedness, and the potential health consequences of biological, chemical, and radiological exposures during military service. Her experiences in laboratory and public health research in the US and Southeast Asia have focused on infectious diseases, particularly those that cause respiratory illnesses.
Dr. Fischer received a BA in English and Biology from Hollins College in 1992, and completed her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University in 1997.