Lab Culture

What is the CDC Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS)? In this episode, we learn more about it from two current LLS fellows. Drs. Courtnee Bell and Emily Yarosz discuss how they learned about the fellowship, their experiences and where they see themselves when their fellowships end. CDC Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS) Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) Minnesota Public Health Laboratory Public Health Laboratory Fellowship Program: an APHL-CDC Initiative APHL Blog

Today’s show is a conversation between four past winners of APHL’s Leadership in Biosafety and Biosecurity Award. Jill Power, Christina Egan, Carrie Anglewicz and Andrew Cannons share their thoughts on the past, present and future of biosafety in public health laboratories. Andrew C. Cannons, PhD Laboratory Director Bureau of Public Health Laboratories –Tampa Florida Department of Health Jill J. Power, MS Deputy Director New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Carrie Anglewicz, MS Biosafety Officer, Laboratory Outreach Bureau of Laboratories Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Christina Egan, PhD Deputy Director, Division of Infectious Diseases Chief, Biodefense and Mycology Laboratories Wadsworth Center New York State Department of Health Links: Leadership in Biosafety and Biosecurity Award Strengthening Lab Biosafety & Biosecurity APHL Blog posts about biosafety

It’s September which means it is Public Health Laboratory Appreciation Month! We are kicking off a month of celebrating by chatting with Scott Becker, APHL CEO, about the exciting work being done by public health laboratory staff as well as the challenges many face. Scott also shares what he’s most looking forward to in the year to come. Don’t forget to follow #ThanksPHLabs and APHL on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok this Public Health Laboratory Appreciation Month! Links: 2022 Public Health Laboratory Appreciation Month Toolkit E.coli Outbreak with Unknown Food Source (August 2022) New Public Health Laboratory Workforce Pipeline Project Receives Historic and Much-Needed $282 Million Investment What is the APHL-CDC Fellowship Program and why should you consider applying? APHL.org/Fellowships APHL ID Lab Con 2023 APHL Newborn Screening Symposium

As the 2022 monkeypox outbreak began to spread around the globe, the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) was prepared with the appropriate test and experienced staff trained to perform it. These frontline responders were the first to test suspected monkeypox samples in the US and continue to be vital to this public health emergency response. As we move into the next phase of this response with commercial laboratories coming online to test patients, what is the role of the LRN? What role do public health laboratories, the largest segment of LRN labs, play? In this episode, two key APHL leaders answer these questions and more: Dr. Ewa King, chief program officer, and Chris Mangal, director of public health preparedness and response. Links: The LRN’s job is to prepare, detect and respond. But what exactly does that mean? APHL Monkeypox Response U.S. Monkeypox Outbreak 2022: Situation Summary (CDC)

Day three of the 2022 APHL Annual Conference was a great one! We started off with the annual awards ceremony which always sets the tone for an exciting day. This mini episode includes an interview with one of the APHL-CDC Bioinformatics Fellows about his first experience at the APHL Annual Conference.

Today was the first full day of the 2022 APHL Annual Conference and it did not disappoint! From COVID-19 to newborn screening to food safety and more, there was a fascinating presentation to intrigue anyone. We kicked off the day with a sunrise walk and line danced together after lunch!

The 2022 APHL Annual Conference kicked off as our first ever hybrid conference! Listen to a few attendees talk about what it means to them to be back in person at our largest conference ever and what they're looking forward to this week.

Every year we commemorate World TB Day on March 24, the anniversary of the day Dr. Robert Koch first announced that he discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes TB. This World TB Day, we are sharing an insightful conversation between two TB laboratory leaders: Angie Schooley, B.S. MT(ASCP), Mycobacteriology/Mycology Unit Manager, Michigan Department of Health & Human Services and Caitlin Miranda, M(ASCP), Microbiologist III, Oregon State Public Health Laboratory. Links: Oregon State Public Health Laboratory Oregon Public Health Division Tuberculosis Program Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Tuberculosis Control Program Bovine TB testing of wild deer wraps up after disease found at Michigan cervid farmsWhat is Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR TB)?12th National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of TuberculosisWorld TB Day APHL Tuberculosis webpage APHL Blog – Tuberculosis blog postsLab Culture Ep. 8: Leaders for a TB free world

Like most things in public health science, food safety is complicated. The nuance can be difficult for non-scientists to understand and difficult for scientists to communicate. On this episode of Lab Culture, Shari Shea, APHL’s director of food safety, discusses some of what makes food safety fascinating and complex along with guests Ben Chapman, Associate Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist at North Carolina State University, and Don Schaffner, Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist in Food Science and Professor at Rutgers University. Links: Food Safety Talk 242: Invisible Poop Particles Risky or Not episode 217: Homemade Treats From Neighbors Risky or Not episode 87: 27 Lbs of Unrefrigerated Feta Cheese Risky or Not episode 214: Having a Romantic Flour Fight “Modeling the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on cut cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon” “Ranking the disease burden of 14 pathogens in food sources in the United States using attribution data from outbreak investigations and expert elicitation” “Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions for SARS-CoV-2 on norovirus outbreaks: an analysis of outbreaks reported by 9 US States” Hello Fresh: Food Safety/Recall Notices CDC MMWR: “Decreased Incidence of Infections Caused by Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, 10 U.S. Sites, 2017–2020” “Labs with No One to Run Them: Why Public Health Workers Are Fleeing the Field” “APHL: Historic Investments Will Strengthen Public Health Laboratory Workforce” Lab Culture Ep. 22: Life as a public health lab scientist testing for COVID-19 “DO NOT RINSE YOUR TURKEY! And other Thanksgiving food rules for every day” Don Schaffner on Twitter Ben Chapman on Twitter Shari Shea on Twitter Food Safety Talk podcast Risky or Not podcast

Eric Bind and Andrew Steffens, scientists at the New Jersey Public Health and Environmental Laboratories, knew their lab was capable of screening expectant mothers and newborn babies for lead and mercury. But creating a program that also included important clinical interventions was unprecedented. On this episode of Lab Culture, they share how they pioneered this valuable program and established a precedent for others. Links: NJ Biomonitoring Website Lead and Mercury Educational Materials (English) Prenatal Screening Mercury Questionnaire NJDEP Fish Advisory Boston Birth Cohort Study: Lead Paper Boston Birth Cohort Study: Mercury Paper CDC: Heavy Metals during Pregnancy CDC: Pregnancy Information Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs) Lead and Mercury Educational Materials (Spanish) Lead and Mercury Educational Materials (French Creole) Lead and Mercury Educational Materials (Polish) Lead and Mercury Educational Materials (Portuguese) “New Jersey Laboratory Pioneers Prenatal Lead and Mercury Screening” (Lab Matters magazine)

In October 2020, Dr. Rick Bright resigned in protest as director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) because of the Trump administration’s political interference in the COVID-19 response and their efforts to spread dangerous misinformation. Since then, Dr. Bright has joined The Rockefeller Foundation as senior vice president of pandemic prevention and response. Dr. Bright joined APHL CEO Scott Becker for a discussion as part of APHL’s Member Assembly – this episode is a recording of that conversation.

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has been a major topic of discussion among APHL’s members, staff and partners as well as in the national discourse. Understanding the minority experience is important so that individual and systemic progress can be made. But what is it like for public health laboratory staff who identify as being in a minority group? The Emerging Leader Program’s (ELP) 13 Fall Cohort decided to tackle this topic as part of their final project. In this episode, four members of this cohort shared pieces of the conversations they had with their colleagues and their overall thoughts on DEI within the public health laboratory as a workplace. The ELP 13-Fall Cohort is a larger group, but only four members participated in this episode. They are: Chenelle Norman Association of Public Health Laboratories Newborn Screening and Genetics Manager, Newborn Screening Quality Improvement Kim Smith Houston Health Department Quality and Compliance QA/QC Officer Alyssa MacMillan New Jersey Department of Health Public Health & Environmental Laboratories Microbiology Program Manager Jill Simonetti Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory Newborn Screening Operations Supervisor Links: How racism makes us sick | David R. Williams “Why Diverse Teams Are Smarter” by David Rock and Heidi Grant "Why The Phrase ‘Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps’ Is Nonsense" Lab Culture Ep. 9: What is the APHL Emerging Leader Program? Lab Culture Ep. 10: Public health labs do that?! Lab Culture Ep. 11: What if there were no public health labs? Lab Culture Ep. 12: Bitten by the public health bug — How I found my lab niche APHL Emerging Leader Program APHL on Twitter APHL on Facebook APHL on Instagram APHL Blog

On August 27, 2020, APHL joined The Story Collider for a very special edition of their show featuring four true, personal stories about from APHL members about how COVID-19 has impacted their lives. This episode is a recording of that show. The Story Collider produces dozens of live shows all over the country, and recently has moved to an exciting online format. Links APHL.org The Story Collider September is Public Health Laboratory Appreciation Month APHL 2020 Virtual Conference

Jessica Bauer and Matt Sinn are scientists at the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory. On this episode, they shared their experiences performing COVID-19 testing, working long hours seven days a week, supporting their staff while trying not to burnout themselves. As they describe in this conversation, the experience has been nothing they ever could have expected. Jessica Bauer, molecular unit chief Matthew Sinn, molecular laboratory manager Links: Missouri State Public Health Laboratory APHL: Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic COVID-19 posts on APHLblog.org

Are we already at the end of 2019?! While to many of us it felt like the year flew by, APHL staff, members and partners accomplished a LOT in an effort to protect the public's health. In this episode, Scott Becker, APHL's executive director, reviews some of the highlights of the year along with Gynene Sullivan, APHL's manager of communications, who is finalizing our Annual Report. Follow APHL on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so you don't miss anything! Links: APHL: Lung Injury Response Associated with Vaping CDC: Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with the Use of E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products APHL work on opioids Data: Elemental to Health advocacy campaign Supporting rapid exchange of public health data is urgent, crucial and laden with challenges APHL AIMS Platform Lab Matters (Fall 2019): Making Data Fly NewSTEPs Data Repository APHL Newborn Screening Systems Quality Improvement Projects Award Recipients Announced APHL Public Health Laboratory Fellowships APHL Emerging Leader Program Lab Culture Ep. 9: What is the APHL Emerging Leader Program? CDC: US Measles Cases and Outbreaks in 2019 “Launching Whole Genome Sequencing in the Public Health Realm” Lab Matters (Fall 2013) Accreditation for Human and Animal Food Labs APHL Conferences Lab Culture Extra: Progress in Sierra Leone APHL Global Health Program: Countries we serve Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP) Laboratory Response Network (LRN) Lab Culture Ep. 20: 20 Years of the Laboratory Response Network “Two Decades of Preparedness Excellence: The Laboratory Response Network” Lab Matters (Fall 2019) The LRN’s job is to prepare, detect and respond. But what exactly does that mean? Strengthening Lab Biosafety & Biosecurity “Ensuring Readiness for Rabies in Puerto Rico” Lab Matters (Spring 2019) “Public Health System Recovery in Full Swing: Hurricane Response in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands” Lab Matters (Spring 2019) In Puerto Rico, a new molecular bacteriology lab allows better control of foodborne outbreaks APHL Publications “US officials identify 'strong culprit' in vaping illnesses” Associated Press (video interview)

This year marks 20 years since the inception of the Laboratory Response Network (LRN). Founded by APHL, CDC and the FBI, the LRN exists to protect the public from biological and chemical threats. How did the LRN get its start? And how has it evolved over the past 20 years? This episode of Lab Culture features an interview with two public health laboratory scientists and LRN experts. Maureen “Moe” Sullivan Emergency Preparedness and Response Laboratory Supervisor Public Health Laboratory, Minnesota Department of Health Stefan Saravia Biomonitoring and Emerging Contaminants Unit Supervisor Public Health Laboratory, Minnesota Department of Health Links: Minnesota Laboratory Emergency Preparedness About the Laboratory Response Network (APHL.org) The Laboratory Response Network Partners in Preparedness (CDC.gov) What is biomonitoring? (Video) “Pine County man charged with government center threats, more” (StarTribune)

APHL has a long history of involvement in Sierra Leone where we’ve provided technical assistance to strengthen the nation’s laboratory system for over a decade. Following the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, we were invited back to build laboratory response capability for Ebola and other highly infectious diseases. We found there was a lot to be done: a strategic plan for the laboratory system, renovation of the central lab, training and mentoring of lab staff, reducing turnaround time for Ebola testing, and much more. With the engagement completed earlier this year, APHL Executive Director Scott Becker and Manager of Global Health Sherrie Staley share insights from APHL’s on-the-ground experience, which include the value of a healthy ram. Links: Photo album -- Progress in Sierra Leone APHL joins partners in Sierra Leone to strengthen lab capacity in Ebola’s wake High profile APHL team explores MOHS public health laboratory priority needs APHL in Sierra Leone: Building a resilient lab system Sierra Leone and Guinea: Building a resilient lab system

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, author of What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, joins us for an interview about the importance of storytelling in public health. Did Dr. Mona's successful use of narratives allow Flint's story to be as resilient as the people who lived it? Links Is water in Flint safe to drink? It’s not just a question of chemistry. [Op-ed by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha] What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City

Today was day three of the annual meeting! We started the day with awards ceremony and concluded with the member assembly, listening to many great speakers in between. For many, the highlight was the Dr. Katherine Kelley Distinguished Lecture delivered by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha. Dr. Mona is a pediatrician, scientist, researcher, activist and author of What the Eyes Don’t See. Her research and the work of her team exposed the deliberate effort to cover up the Flint water crisis and the lead poisoning of Flint, Michigan's children. APHL honors public health leaders at 2019 annual meeting What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City

It was another great day at the annual meeting in St. Louis! As the attendees interviewed on this episode will share, some of the highlights included Poster Speed Dating, learning about new technology from exhibitors and, of course, networking. Follow #APHL on Twitter and Instagram for more updates!