KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Operation Outbreak conducted an interactive tabletop exercise at the Global Health Security Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last week, where it was joined by Dr. Susan Cropp, the newest member of its biosecurity team.
Supported by Operation Outbreak’s Bluetooth-based simulation platform, the program challenged conference attendees to practice decision-making under uncertainty during the early stages of a fictional biosecurity incident. The exercise is designed to support discussion around early outbreak detection, response coordination, mitigation strategies, and the difficult policy questions that emerge when scientific information is incomplete.
The latest version of the exercise builds on Operation Outbreak’s growing biosecurity training portfolio. Adapted versions have previously been facilitated at international training events hosted by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.
During the program, participants used simulated data generated by the Operation Outbreak platform to evaluate evolving disease dynamics and consider how stakeholders should coordinate during a developing biosecurity incident. The format combined tabletop discussion elements with live simulation outputs to connect participant decisions with epidemiological feedback.
Dr. Cropp co-facilitated the exercise alongside Operation Outbreak Co-Founder and COO Kian Sani and Biosecurity Education Lead Curtis Hoffmann. Dr. Cropp’s involvement follows more than two decades of service with the United States FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, where her work focused on biosecurity, threat mitigation, and national security.
In her role, Dr. Cropp will support the continued development of Operation Outbreak’s biosecurity exercises, helping strengthen their realism, strategic depth, and relevance for professional training audiences.
“We are honored to bring our programming to the Global Health Security Conference, and to be joined there by Dr. Cropp as we continue expanding Operation Outbreak’s role in biosecurity education and preparedness,” Sani said. “Her experience will help us deepen the realism and impact of this work for partners around the world.”
Operation Outbreak’s biosecurity exercises are part of a broader effort to use simulation as a practical tool for education, training, and research. By pairing realistic scenarios with digital outbreak modeling, Operation Outbreak helps participants explore both how diseases spread, and how people, institutions, and governments respond under pressure.
Media Contact:
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About Operation Outbreak, Inc.
Operation Outbreak is a nonprofit organization that uses experiential learning and outbreak simulations to build practical outbreak preparedness skills among students, professionals, and policymakers worldwide.