SPHTM Alumna Named Biosafety Director at Tulane

Following an extensive national search and interview process, the Tulane University Office of Research announced that Ann-Marie May has been named executive director of biosafety, biocontainment, and quality assurance.

May has been employed at Tulane since 2016, serving as a medical research technician, senior biosafety officer, and most recently as assistant director of biosafety. She was awarded her master's of public health in occupational and environmental health from the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine also in 2016, and earned her bachelor's degree in animal science from Louisiana State University.

She is a Registered Biosafety Professional with the ABSA International Biosafety Association. Her specialties include facilities management of high containment laboratories, validation of laboratory decontamination procedures, vaporous hydrogen peroxide decontamination, and inventory maintenance. Ann-Marie is also the responsible official for the Tulane Select Agents program.

The executive director manages a staff of biosafety specialists who provide expert services on the uptown and downtown campuses and the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC). The executive director also oversees the university's biosafety program, including the quality assurance program and biocontainment operations, and contributes to the operation of the TNPRC's Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL).

May and her colleagues have led the Office of Biosafety since former executive director Angie Birnbaum's passing in June 2023.