Public Health Laboratory Leaders Honored by APHL

SILVER SPRING, MD--(Marketwired - June 13, 2017) - 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 2017 APHL Annual Meeting & Eleventh Government Environmental Laboratory Conference in Providence, RI.

The following awards were presented:

2017 Healthiest Laboratory Award - This award is given to a member laboratory that is committed to safety, environmental process, environmental policy and employee health and wellness.

• City of Milwaukee Health Department Laboratory

On The Front Line Award - This award honors an individual or organization outside of the association's membership who makes significant contributions to APHL, its membership and mission.

• Dr. Donald Sharp, associate director, Food Safety Office, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Emerging Leader Award - This award honors an individual whose leadership has been instrumental in one or more advances in laboratory science, practice, management, policy or education within his or her first five to ten years in the profession.

• Erin Bowles, WI Clinical Laboratory Network (WCLN) coordinator, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

Thomas E. Maxson Education, Training and Workforce Development Award - This award was established in August of 1998 in memory of Dr. Maxson. The Maxson Award honors 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.

• Susanne Zanto, deputy laboratory director, Montana Public Health Laboratory

Leadership in Biosafety and Biosecurity Award - This award honors a laboratorian with over 10 years of related service in the field of biosafety and biosecurity in a state and/or local public health laboratory. This year there are two recipients of this award:

• Dr. Christina Egan, director of the biodefense laboratory, Wadsworth Center
• Dr. Michael Pentella, clinical professor, Epidemiology Department, University of Iowa

Silver Award - This award honors a laboratorian with roughly 10 to 15 years of service in a governmental public health laboratory that is recognized as a leader both within their home laboratory as well as external to their laboratory.

• Dr. David Warshauer, deputy director of the Communicable Disease Division, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

Gold Standard Award - This award recognizes an individual who makes or has made significant contributions to the technical advancement of public health laboratory science and/or practice.

• Dr. Kimberlee Musser, director of the Bacteriology Laboratory, Wadsworth Center

Presidential Award - Recipients of this award are 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. This year there are two recipients of this award.

• Rebecca Sciulli, Laboratory Preparedness and Response Program manager, State Laboratories Division, Hawaii State Department of Health
• Kelly Wroblewski, director of infectious diseases, Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)

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 there are two recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

• Dr. Michele Caggana, director of the Newborn Screening Program, Wadsworth Center
• Dr. Bala Swaminathan, executive vice president, IHRC, Inc.

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