Bioterror conference invites questions

Faculty and staff are invited to submit questions in advance of the planned conference on bioterrorism Tuesday, Nov. 13.

The Medical School and the School of Veterinary Medicine are jointly sponsoring a symposium on bioterrorism from 2-5 p.m. that day at the Wisconsin Union Theater. While targeted to UW–Madison faculty, staff and students, the symposium is also open to the public. Presenters welcome questions in advance from faculty and staff so as to include specific issues that people want discussed.

“Since the real anthrax exposures have occurred, there has been both good information and misinformation permeating public discussion,” says conference organizer George Mejicano, M.D., assistant dean for continuing medical education at UW Medical School. “We want to supplement the formal presentations with answers to questions that people have developed as they listen to sometimes contradictory information.”

Advance questions should be e-mailed to Mary Hughes at UW Medical School, mlhughes@facstaff.wisc.edu.

The three main speakers are scheduled on the hour. Each will make a presentation, followed immediately by questions from the audience. The final speaker will be followed by a community panel discussion. The schedule is as follows:

• 2 p.m.: Chris Olsen, associate professor of public health, UW School of Veterinary Medicine.
• 2:50 p.m.: Dennis Maki, professor of medicine and head of the section of infectious diseases at UW Medical School
• 4 p.m.: Jeff Davis, chief medical officer and state epidemiologist for communicable diseases with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services

Those who cannot stay for the entire program may choose to attend just one or two of the sessions; there will be a very brief intermission between sessions to allow people to enter or leave the Union Theater.

Parking is available in the Lake St. and Frances St. ramps; a small number of spaces may be available in the Helen C. White ramp to the west of the Union.