At the 2025 APHL Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon, APHL's current board president, president-elect and CEO sat down for a conversation about the challenges and successes of the past year. APHL President Dr. Megan Crumpler (director, Orange County Public Health Laboratory) and President-Elect Dr. Scott Shone (director, North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health) shared their experiences with major laboratory construction projects and their own approach to leadership. Along with APHL CE...
May 12, 2025•53 min
This episode is coming to you from the 2024 APHL Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! We had the opportunity to chat with APHL’s current President, President-elect and CEO about their experiences and observations from their roles. They are three extremely dedicated public health leaders who have come together at the Annual Conference for learning and collaborating, but also to see their colleagues who they consider friends and family. Don’t miss this episode! Tim Southern, PhD, D(ABMM) APH...
May 08, 2024•25 min
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...
Sep 28, 2023•47 min
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...
Oct 31, 2022•31 min
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 ...
Sep 01, 2022•32 min
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 ...
Jul 07, 2022•28 min
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.
May 19, 2022•7 min
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!
May 18, 2022•9 min
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.
May 17, 2022•8 min
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:...
Mar 23, 2022•34 min
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 ...
Nov 05, 2021•1 hr 22 min
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 (Engli...
Oct 05, 2021•1 hr 12 min
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 discu...
Jul 13, 2021•53 min
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...
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 58 min
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...
Jul 29, 2020•51 min
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 Assoc...
Dec 16, 2019•1 hr 11 min
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, Minneso...
Oct 17, 2019•52 min
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 testin...
Aug 21, 2019•16 min
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 Ameri...
Jun 13, 2019•20 min
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 pois...
Jun 06, 2019•7 min
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!
Jun 05, 2019•6 min
We're in St. Louis for the 2019 APHL Annual Meeting! This episode is a round-up of all the excitement of the first day. It was fascinating and exhausting, just as the annual meeting should be. Follow #APHL on Twitter and Instagram for more updates!
Jun 04, 2019•8 min
Every area of our country is unique in ways that make public health laboratory work vary from one state or locality to another. But just as Alaska is different from the lower-48 states in most ways, their public health lab's work is too. Have you ever considered all the ways it might be different to work in the Alaska state lab in Fairbanks? This episode of Lab Culture reveals some of the many ways in which working in Alaska is unlike anywhere else. Jayme Parker, manager, Virology Unit, Alaska S...
Apr 24, 2019•44 min
In the spring of 2018 patients suffering from profuse bleeding swamped emergency rooms in Illinois and Wisconsin. The cause? Synthetic cannabinoids laced with rat poison. When an outbreak of contaminated synthetic cannabinoids reached Wisconsin in 2018, scientists at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) rushed to develop the first quantitative method for diagnostic testing of brodifacoum, a powerful anticoagulant used in rat poison. Thanks to their work, patients with brodifacoum poi...
Apr 03, 2019•14 min
What happens inside a public health lab when a health threat sends it into overdrive? Find out how the North Dakota lab met a surge in West Nile Virus in 2018 in this APHL in Action Lab Culture Extra. Links: APHL in Action Archives CDC Preliminary Maps and Data for 2018, West Nile Virus CDC ArboNET Disease Map North Dakota Department of Health – West Nile Virus Key Factors Influencing the Incidence of West Nile Virus in Burleigh County, North Dakota...
Feb 19, 2019•12 min
Kevin Libuit went from the APHL-CDC Bioinformatics Fellowship to a contractor to working full-time as a bioinformatician at the Virginia state lab (VA Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS)). First he talks about when he discovered bioinformatics as a field and how the fellowship propelled his career. Then Kevin takes the mic and interviews Dr. Denise Toney, director of Virginia DCLS, about the value and growing need for bioinformaticians in public health labs. Links APHL-CDC Fellow...
Feb 08, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Fifty-five years ago, newborn screening was born. At the time, though, that little heel prick was performed to screen for only one condition: phenylketonuria (PKU). Without early intervention, babies born with PKU faced severe cognitive, behavioral and other neurological disorders. The advent of PKU newborn screening allowed health care providers and families to make critical changes to a baby’s diet to prevent those consequences. Today, December 3, is PKU Awareness Day. It’s hard to say where n...
Dec 03, 2018•28 min
Joanne Bartkus, APHL's board president and director of the Public Health Laboratory at the Minnesota Department of Health, sat down with Scott Becker, our executive director, and Gynene Sullivan, editor of Lab Matters magazine, to talk about priorities for the year. Their conversation ranged from informatics to health equity to... snuggling with a bat?! Joanne Bartkus, PhD, D(ABMM) Director, Public Health Laboratory , Minnesota Department of Health Scott J. Becker, MS Executive director, Associa...
Aug 30, 2018•20 min•Ep. 16
Day 3 of the APHL Annual Meeting was a big one! We had several captivating sessions including this year's Katherine Kelley Distinguished Lecturer, Maryn McKenna, renowned journalist and author. Listen to today's episode to hear a few attendees share what they took away from the day.
Jun 05, 2018•4 min
A huge component of any APHL Annual Meeting is the exhibit hall. This year we were joined by 68 exhibitors, all of whom were sharing new and interesting products, services and technologies with meeting attendees. In today's episode, we chat with representatives from Roche, Bio-Rad Laboratories and Hologic. Learn more about APHL's corporate membership and other opportunities.
Jun 04, 2018•14 min
