Jonathan Harris (MSEH ’14) is currently working as a Safety Specialist in the Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) department at MedImmune in Gaithersburg, MD. MedImmune is a biopharmaceutical enterprise that specializes in the research and development of biologics to treat disease. MedImmune, which is owned by AstraZeneca, focuses on the following therapeutic areas: Oncology; Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmune disorders; Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease; and Infectious Disease. Medimmune’s overall pipeline comprises nearly half of AstraZeneca’s overall R&D portfolio. The Gaithersburg campus is primary hub for MedImmune and the largest R&D facility of the company, totaling 335,000 square feet of laboratory space.
At MedImmune, Jonathan manages the biohazardous waste program, is the lead for laboratory assessments, and is the liaison for behavior-based safety in the animal barrier facility. Currently, Jonathan is overseeing a change in vendors for the collection and disposal of biohazardous waste. Under the new vendor, biohazardous waste and laboratory plastics will be treated and recycled in an effort to promote the sustainability goals for the company. As the lead for laboratory assessments, Jonathan has restructured the laboratory assessment program, moving from conducting bi-annual inspections, to quarterly walkthroughs. The Laboratory Safety Walk Through Program, as it is now called, is conducted by members of safety as well as members from each therapeutic area and focus on heavier interaction with the researchers working in the labs to identify and correct unsafe conditions. Over the past year, one of Jonathan’s primary focuses has been establishing a behavior-based safety program within the Animal Barrier Facility. The Animal Barrier Facility is a part of the facility where early-phase trials are conducted with promising medicines within the pipeline, and primarily houses mice and rats. The behavior-based program focuses on reporting at-risk conditions and behaviors, so that these can be addressed prior to them becoming larger incidents or injuries, as well as an emphasis on observations and ownership of safety by the entire group. The program focuses on building a culture of safety, where safe practices are integrated into the overall goals and values of the group and an emphasis on positive reinforcement of safe behaviors and increasing proactive reporting is encouraged.
Jonathan gave an oral presentation at the Chesapeake Area Biological Safety Association (ChABSA) annual scientific symposium on using behavior-based safety to influence safety culture in animal research on this month at Frederick, MD. Jonathan will also be presenting a more in-depth program as part of a panel discussion at the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) National Meeting in Austin, Texas this October 2017.
