Public Health Leaders Honored by APHL

SILVER SPRING, MD--(Marketwired - Jun 3, 2014) - The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) is pleased to announce the winners of its annual awards for outstanding achievements in laboratory science, creative approaches to solving today's public health challenges and exemplary support of laboratories serving the public's health. Awardees were honored during a ceremony at the 2014 APHL Annual Meeting & Eighth Government Environmental Laboratory Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The following awards were presented:

Champion of the Public Health Laboratory - This award recognizes federal, state and local elected officials and executive branch employees who have recognized the importance of state and local governmental laboratories that perform testing of public health significance either through support of legislation or federal agency decisions. 

• Senator Kay Hagan, North Carolina

Lifetime Achievement Award - This award recognizes individuals who have established a history of distinguished service to APHL, made significant contributions to the advancement of public health laboratory science or practice, exhibited leadership in the field of public health, and/or positively influenced public health policy on a national or global level. This year's award is shared by two honorees:

• Dr. Steve Hinrichs, professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and Microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center
• Dr. Mary Gilchrist, consultant in biosafety and public health

Presidential Award - The presidential award recipient is selected by the APHL president and given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the Association's work to promote policies that strengthen public health laboratories.

• Dr. May Chu, assistant director for public health, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President of the United States

Healthiest Laboratory Award - This award is given to member laboratories committed to safety, environmental process, environmental policy, and employee health and wellness.

• First place winner: New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Laboratory
• Runner-Up: Minnesota Public Health Laboratory Division
• Honorable Mention: Florida Department of Health Bureau of Public Health Laboratories

Silver Award - This award honors a laboratorian with 10 to 15 years of service in a governmental laboratory (either public health or environmental/agricultural laboratory). The honoree is recognized as a leader both within their home laboratory as well as outside their laboratory.

• Dr. Sanwat Chadhuri, chief of the chemical and environmental laboratory at the Utah Public Health Laboratory

Emerging Leader Award - This award honors a laboratorian whose leadership has been instrumental in one or more advances in laboratory science, practice, management, policy or education.

• Dr. Scott Shone, newborn screening program manager at the New Jersey Department of Health's Public Health and Environmental Laboratories

On the Front Line Award - This award honors an individual or laboratory outside of the APHL membership who makes significant contributions to the advancement of public health laboratory science and/or practice.

• Lara Phelps, senior advisor and quality assurance officer in the Office of the Science Advisor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Thomas E. Maxson Education, Training and Workforce Development Award - This award is given to an APHL member who is a public health or clinical laboratory practitioner, trainer or educator who has made significant contributions to public health laboratory practice by creating, delivering or developing continuing education opportunities, programs, policies or practices for the laboratory community. This year's award is shared by two honorees:

• Dr. Christina Egan, chief of biodefense at the Wadsworth Center, New York State's Public Health Laboratory
• Dr. Martin Evans, consultant in public health informatics

The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) works to strengthen laboratory systems serving the public's health in the US and globally. APHL's member laboratories protect the public's health by monitoring and detecting infectious and foodborne diseases, environmental contaminants, terrorist agents, genetic disorders in newborns and other diverse health threats.

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