Pre-conference Workshops
(22 June 2026)
Pre-conference Workshops
CPD credits to KKM members
Workshops 1
Laboratory risk assessment is a key for regulatory compliance. In supporting this process, the inspection checklist provided by JBK serves as an important practical guide for institutions and laboratories. However, effective implementation requires each facility to adapt and apply the checklist according to the nature of its activities, operational context, and specific risk profile. A strong understanding of biosafety principles forms the essential foundation for the effective use of the checklist and the implementation of safe laboratory practices. These principles guide operational controls and day-to-day laboratory activities to ensure risks are identified, assessed, and managed appropriately at the laboratory level.
The workshop will also highlight the importance of integrating biorisk management as a comprehensive management system approach. A Biorisk Management System (BMS) provides an overarching framework that encompasses administrative responsibility, leadership commitment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and continual improvement.
The Trainer
Dr. Mohana Anita Anthonysamy is the Assistant Deputy Director (Seksyen Penilaian dan Penyelidikan), Jabatan Biokeselamatan (JBK) under Kementerian Sumber Asli dan Kelestarian Alam Malaysia (NRES).
With 16 years of direct experience in the regulation and enforcement of the Biosafety Act 2007 under JBK, Dr. Anita has extensive expertise in biosafety governance, compliance assessment, contained use applications, and regulatory implementation. Her professional experience provides valuable insight into the practical application of biosafety requirements within national regulatory frameworks.
Dr. Anita's formal trainings, local and international working experiences in agricultural biotechnology initiatives
brings valuable perspectives on biosafety and sustainability relevant to the implementation of Biosafety Act 2007 and its regulations.
Workshops 2
The Strengthening Biosecurity: Assessment and Gap Analysis Workshop focuses on enhancing understanding and practical implementation of biosecurity as an essential component of comprehensive Biorisk Management (BRM). While biosafety practices are generally more established, biosecurity principles and applications remain less understood despite increasing global emphasis on biological risk governance.
The workshop introduces key international references, including the World Health Organization Laboratory Biosafety Manual (4th Edition) and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), to strengthen awareness of biosecurity obligations and responsibilities. International non-proliferation frameworks are not entirely new within the Malaysian context. Similar to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), biosecurity under the BWC should likewise be understood and embedded as part of responsible national and institutional practice.
The workshop further introduces the Malaysian Biosecurity Checklist developed by Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE) as a practical tool for conducting biosecurity assessment and gap analysis. Ultimately, the workshop emphasises that biosecurity completes the broader BRM framework, with applications extending beyond weapon disarmament to include protection of biological materials, facilities, knowledge, and emerging technologies.
The Trainer
Associate Professor Dr. Yuwana Podin is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Health and Community Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, with extensive experience in laboratory and field-based infectious disease research since 1999. She holds a PhD in Molecular Microbiology. Her research focuses on disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, and therapeutic discovery, mainly around the bacterial disease, melioidosis.
Dr Podin has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization during two major international health emergencies: the post-tsunami response in Aceh, Indonesia, and the A(H1N1) influenza pandemic at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. She was also instrumental in establishing a COVID-19 diagnostic testing laboratory at the Hospital Pusat Jantung Sarawak.
Certified in Biorisk Management by the International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA) and an alumni of the Malaysian Advanced Biosafety Officer Training (MABOT) 2, Dr Podin has been actively engaged in national and international biosafety and biosecurity advocacy since 2015. She served as a national technical committee member for the Biological Weapons Convention implementation framework and has been a member of the Malaysian Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) since 2024.
Register Now
- Register for the workshop only; or
- Opt for the combined Conference + Workshop package.
