Lab Matters Winter 2018 | Page 34

fellows From Atlanta to France, APHL Fellows Make Their Mark by Heather Roney, MA, manager, Fellowship Programs APHL’s fellows are thriving in their host laboratory assignments. Some recent updates include: Newborn Screening Fellow Ellen Stevens received training from Illumina on next generation sequencing using the MiSeqDx cystic fibrosis (CF) 139-variant panel at her host laboratory, the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. She also attended the September 2017 APHL Newborn Screening and Genetic Testing Symposium in New Orleans. Infectious Diseases Fellow Chelsea Carman recently spent three weeks training at the Ifremer National Reference and Research Laboratory in Nantes, France. “It was a great opportunity to learn about the ISO testing methods used for norovirus detection, as well as the direction of current research,” she said upon her return. “This was immensely helpful for my own project at the Massachusetts State Public Health Lab as I have been able to apply the techniques and knowledge gained from this trip to the protocol that I have been working to develop to detect norovirus in oysters. I really enjoyed working with a wonderful group of international researchers and laboratorians.” Bioinformatics Fellow Brian Mann began his fellowship in 2016 under the mentorship of John Barnes in CDC’s Influenza Division. In December 2017, he transitioned to a Battelle contractor position within the same lab as a bioinformatician. Congratulations, Brian! APHL’s Antimicrobial Resistance Fellows are now on Instagram (#ARfellows)! Viewers can check out their weekly posts to find out more about them, including why they wanted to become scientists, how they describe their career to non-scientists and the most interesting thing they have encountered in a laboratory. Posts can be found on APHL’s Instagram page; viewers can browse the posts and are encouraged to comment. APHL is currently reviewing applications for the 2018 class of Antimicrobial Resistance Fellows. Applicants will be notified of their status by May 2018 and are expected to report to their host laboratory for the start of the fellowship in summer 2018. n ID Laboratory Fellow Chelsea Carman training in norovirus detection in oysters at Ifremer lab in Nantes, France. DIGITAL EXTRA: Read more about the current class of fellows. APHL LAB MATTERS STAFF Gynene Sullivan, Editor Karen Klinedinst, Art Director Jody DeVoll, Advisor APHL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ewa King, PhD, president Joanne Bartkus, PhD, D(ABMM), president-elect Bill Whitmar, MS, secretary-treasurer Grace E. Kubin, PhD, member-at-large Denise Marie Toney, PhD, HCLD(ABB), member-at-large Scott J. Zimmerman, DrPH, MPH, HCLD(ABB), member-at-large Maria Lucia Ishida, PhD, public health associate institutional member representative ID Laboratory Fellow Caitlyn Daron examines a parasitic worm under the microscope at the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. Tamara Theisen, MT(ASCP), local institutional member representative Mark Wade, local institutional member representative A. Christian Whelen, PhD, D(ABMM), past president Scott J. Becker, MS, ex officio, executive director, APHL 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. 32 LAB MATTERS Winter 2018 PublicHealthLabs @APHL APHL.org