Association of Public Health Laboratories Presents Emerging Leader Award to Dr. Maria Ishida, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - May 23, 2012) - The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) awarded its 2012 Emerging Leader Award to Maria Ishida, PhD, molecular administrator at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The award was presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, May 22 during APHL's 2012 Annual Meeting and 6th Environmental Laboratory Conference in Seattle, Washington.

Dr. Ishida joined Florida's agriculture laboratory in 2007 as a biological scientist in the Molecular/Rapid Preparedness and Response Section after pursuing research and post-doctoral studies in Plant Pathology at the University of Florida. She quickly became certified in PFGE, attending laboratory and software workshops at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Over her five-year tenure at the laboratory, Dr. Ishida has immersed herself in food testing, effectively managing the molecular laboratory charged with detection of foodborne diseases. Among her many achievements, Dr. Ishida supplanted a method for fish speciation that was more than 20 years old with DNA sequencing. Florida's agriculture laboratory is evaluating use of Ishida's method for regulatory testing.

Dr. Ishida was an active member of the second APHL Emerging Leader Cohort organized by the National Center for Public Health Laboratory Leadership. She continues to be active within the alumni cohort and also serves as the agriculture laboratory member on the Laboratory Response Network Operational Workgroup.

"In five years, Dr. Ishida has established herself as a leader in molecular diagnostics of food. She contributed significantly as a member of APHL's Emerging Leader group. We look forward to her continuing involvement in the association," said Scott J. Becker, MS, APHL executive director.

The Association of Public Health Laboratories is a national nonprofit located in Silver Spring, MD, that is dedicated to working with members to strengthen governmental laboratories with a public health mandate. By promoting effective programs and public policy, APHL strives to provide public health laboratories with the resources and infrastructure needed to protect the health of US residents and to prevent and control disease globally.