Meet the Biological Safety Team

Benjamin Fontes, MPH, CBSP
Senior Associate Director/Biosafety Officer
At Yale EHS since 1995
203-737-5009
benjamin.fontes@yale.edu

Primary Responsbilities:

  • Manager, biosafety program team
  • Overall responsibility for regulated biological materials, biohazards, and related programs

Maren Schniederberend, PhD, RBP
Biological Safety Supervisor
Safety Advisor Program Co-Manager
At Yale EHS since 2017
203-737-7957
maren.schniederberend@yale.edu

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Manages Human Pathogens compliance program
  • Manages recombinant/synthetic nucleic acid compliance program
  • BSL-3 compliance program team leader
  • Biological safety trainer
  • Yale Biological Safety Committee member/reviewer
  • Human Gene Transfer Committee member/reviewer 
  • BSL-3 Subcommittee member/reviewer

Julia Kontos, MS, RBP
Assistant Biological Safety Officer
At Yale EHS since 2023

203-737-2129
julia.kontos@yale.edu

Primary Responsibilities:

  • BSL-3 work practices training lead
  • BSL-3 compliance program team member
  • Bloodborne Pathogens program coordinator
  • Biological safety trainer
  • BSL-3 Subcommittee member
  • Human Gene Transfer Subcommittee member
  • Biological Safety Committee protocol reviewer
  • Biosafety inspection lead

Emily Bludnicki, MPH
Safety Advisor
At Yale EHS since 2019
203-737-2127
emily.bludnicki@yale.edu

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Infection Prevention program coordinator
  • Bloodborne Pathogens trainer
  • Outpatient clinics inspection lead
  • Infection Prevention trainer
  • BSL-3 compliance program team member

Tylisa Cosby
Training and Program Coordinator
At Yale EHS since 2022

203-785-3211
tylisa.cosby@yale.edu

Primary Responsibilities:

  • BSL-3 research training management
  • BSL-3 compliance records coordinator
  • Biohazard compliance training administrator
  • Clean Air Device program management

Anthony D’Abramo, MS
Assistant Biosafety Officer
At Yale EHS since 2020

203-737-2114
anthony.dabramo@yale.edu

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Biological materials shipping
  • BSL-3 work practices training lead
  • BSL-3 compliance program team member
  • Bloodborne Pathogens program coordinator
  • Biological safety trainer
  • BSL-3 Subcommittee member
  • Human Gene Transfer Subcommittee member
  • Biological Safety Committee protocol reviewer
  • Biosafety inspection lead
  • Clean Air Device program lead

Melissa James, MPS, RBP
BSL-3 Facility Manager
At Yale EHS since 2023

203-737-4228
melissa.james@yale.edu

Primary Responsibilities:

  • BSL-3 compliance program team leader
  • BSL-3 work practices training lead
  • Manages BSL-3 clearance and access program
  • Manages and oversees all BSL-3 documentation
  • Biological safety trainer
  • BSL-3 Subcommittee member

Stephanie Monroe
Program Coordinator
At Yale EHS since 2021

203-737-2118
stephanie.monroe@yale.edu

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Human pathogen registrations
  • Recombinant/synthetic nucleic acid registrations
  • Biological Safety Committee administrator
  • BSL-3 Subcommittee administrator
  • Human Gene Transfer protocol management