Dr. Heckert provides biosafety advice and training all over the world. He is a veterinarian with a PhD in virology who has over 30 years of experience working in animal health at various levels of biocontainment. He is internationally recognized as an expert in biosafety and has extensive experience training laboratory staff on safe operating procedures He is also an expert in creating biosafety management programs, designing laboratory manuals and conducting oversight and review. He has worked for both the US and Canadian governments in various capacities of animal health and veterinary diagnostics and has authored over 50 publications in peer reviewed journals. He is familiar with various biocontainment levels (BSL2/ABSL2, BSL3/ABSL3, BSL3-Ag) and all the enhancements required for working with select agents. He received his BSc in Agriculture from the University of British Columbia in 1980, a DVM degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1984, a PhD in preventive medicine and epidemiology from The Ohio State University in 1990.