Dr. Robert A. Heckert, BSc(Ag), DVM, PhD, CBSP
Robert Heckert Consulting
Ph: 301-262-7121 | E mail: rheckert@safevet.com
Web: www.safevet.com
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Dr. Heckert is the president of Robert Heckert Consulting, which provides biosafety
consulting and training all over the world. He is a veterinarian with a PhD in virology
who has over 25 years of experience working in animal health at various levels of
biocontainment. He is internationally recognized as an expert in biosafety and is
accredited by the American Biological Safety Association as a Certified Biosafety
Profession (CBSP). 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. He
has participated in the design, preconstruction and review of many different laboratories
working at various biosafety levels. He has extensive experience training laboratory staff
on safe operating procedures, 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
intimately familiar with various biocontainment levels (BSL2/ABSL2, BSL3/ABSL3,
BSL3-Ag) and all the enhancements required for working with US select agents.
As a scientific expert and biosafety professional Dr. Heckert has supported the US
Department of State Bioengagement Program (BEP), the Canadian Global Partnerships
Program, the World Bank and the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization by
traveling to various countries, providing scientific guidance, reviewing facilities,
providing building design and construction advice, biosafety program development,
biosafety/biosecurity training, and biosafety officer program development. For four years
he has supported the US BEP by providing advice and guidance to the program
managers, extensive biosafety/biosecurity training to various countries and helping to
establish several new country-specific biosafety associations. He has provided this incountry work in Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana,
Indonesia, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines,
Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.