Newborn Screening Leaders Honored by APHL

SILVER SPRING, MD--(Marketwired - March 08, 2016) - The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) presented awards to leaders in the field of newborn screening during a ceremony held March 1 at the 2016 APHL Newborn Screening and Genetic Testing Symposium. We commend the exceptional and innovative work of all those who were nominated.

The following awards were given:

George Cunningham Visionary Award in Newborn Screening - Unique this year, two individuals were honored:

• Stanton Berberich, PhD, newborn screening program manager for the State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa, has implemented significant improvements to the Iowa newborn screening program which have provided important benefit to newborns in his state, and demonstrated model practices for other newborn screening programs. He has been credited with improving timeliness of newborn screening in Iowa by establishing a courier system that operates daily and on holidays. He also established a night shift in the newborn screening laboratory to eliminate delays in screening. Dr. Berberich's approach to identifying, garnering support for and implementing these quality improvement practices within the Iowa newborn screening program is a testament to his dedication.
• Michael Glass, MS, the late director of the Office of Newborn Screening at the Washington State Department of Health Public Health Laboratories, oversaw the screening of over 2 million newborns during his 40 years of service. Mr. Glass served for many years as the director of the Washington state newborn screening program; during his tenure, Washington developed the first assay for congenital adrenal hyperplasia, integrated the first molecular testing in routine newborn screening for hemoglobinopathies and collaborated with researchers to design a multiplex assay for detecting several lysosomal storage disorders in a high-throughput setting. He also served as a keynote speaker during the 2014 Newborn Screening and Genetic Testing Symposium. Mr. Glass was widely known for his cheerful determination in navigating the policy arena to improve and expand newborn screening in his state, and in supporting colleagues in other programs.

Harry Hannon Laboratory Improvement Award in Newborn Screening - This year's recipient was Michele Caggana, ScD, FACMG, director of the Newborn Screening Program at the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center. Under the leadership of Dr. Caggana, New York has established one of the most advanced molecular testing laboratories for newborn screening disorders in the nation with testing for cystic fibrosis, medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD), Krabbe disease, severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), and Pompe disease. Dr. Caggana boldly led her program through the addition of screening for Krabbe disease and X-ALD by quickly developing a screening methodology, molecular testing and follow-up protocols. When other states needed protocols or assistance, she and others in her program have quickly shared the knowledge they have gained through the implementation and screening of these disorders.

Judi Tuerck Follow Up and Education Award - This year's recipient was Lisa Feuchtbaum, DrPH, MPH, chief of the Program Development and Evaluation Branch of the Genetic Disease Screening Program at the California Department of Public Health. Dr. Feuchtbaum has been instrumental in leading research activities which have advanced our understanding of many newborn screening conditions. Through her authority and influence in follow-up, translational research, and biostatistics and epidemiology, she has become a recognized leader in the newborn screening and public health communities. Numerous publications in the last 10 years are strong testimony to her desire to advance knowledge in newborn screening follow-up. She has significantly improved follow up for many newborn screening conditions, and has provided remarkable new insights on outcomes and effectiveness of newborn screening. She has been central in establishing new and novel approaches for providing innovative screening and follow-up for these conditions.

Congratulations to all award winners.

This program was supported by Cooperative Agreement #U60HM000803 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services.

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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