The Battle Against Deadly Biological Threats

By Elizabeth (Beth) E. Cameron, PhD

Beth Cameron is NTI’s Vice President for Global Biological Policy and Programs. She previously served as the Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense on the White House National Security Council staff, where she was instrumental in developing and launching the Global Health Security Agenda and addressed homeland and national security threats surrounding biosecurity and biosafety, biodefense, emerging infectious disease threats, biological select agents and toxins, dual‐use research, and bioterrorism. From 2014-2016, she also served on the White House Ebola Task Force. From 2010‐2013, Beth served as Office Director for Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) and Senior Advisor for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense programs. In this role, she oversaw implementation of the geographic expansion of the Nunn‐Lugar CTR program. For her work, she was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exception Civilian Service. From 2003‐2010, she oversaw expansion of Department of State Global Threat Reduction programs and supported the expansion and extension of the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. Prior to her work in the executive branch, she served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellow at the State Department and in the health policy office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy and as a manager of policy research for the American Cancer Society. Beth holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the Human Genetics and Molecular Biology Program at the Johns Hopkins University and a BA in Biology from the University of Virginia. She an affiliate of the Georgetown Center for Health Science and Security, a Senior Fellow of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs in the Texas A&M University Bush School of Government and Public Service, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

A five month-long outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached dangerous levels and the risk of further spread is high. Thirty-six new cases were reported during the week of November 21 – 27.

The U.S. and the international community are assisting in response and containment, but there is little real global capability to stop outbreaks in insecure areas.

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