Lab Matters Spring 2020 | Page 31

FELLOWS APHL Fellows Assist with COVID-19 Response by Heather Roney, MA, manager, Fellowship Programs Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Newborn Screening Bioinformatics and Data Analytics Fellows are engaging in remote collaborative activities including a journal club, professional development courses, and preparing for future bioinformatics calls with the newborn screening community. The journal club occurs every Friday and fellows discuss topics relevant to newborn screening and bioinformatics, such as tools for genomic analysis, new disorders or novel technology and algorithms. These activities are in addition to bioinformatics projects from their host labs that they continue to work on independently from home, since the data do not include patient-sensitive information. Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Laboratory Fellows continue to work on testing and surveillance activities. Some AR Fellows and Infectious Diseases Fellows are also using their laboratory skills in the COVID-19 response to assist their host labs in this unprecedented public health event. Several Bioinformatics Fellows are assisting with their laboratory’s COVID-19 response, and Bioinformatics Fellow Kate Prussing has accepted a permanent position at the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center where she will play a bigger role in the COVID-19 response efforts. The AR and Bioinformatics Fellowship Programs have completed recruitment for the 2020-2021 fellows. AR fellows will be placed in AR Lab Network regional laboratories and up to three state or local public health laboratories. Bioinformatics fellows will be matched to laboratories at CDC or in state or local public health laboratories. New fellows will begin their postings in the summer. n APHL membership has benefits. Don’t miss out! Renewal notices have been emailed to current members. www.aphl.org/ membership Member portal: www.web.aphl.org/portal colLABorate PublicHealthLabs @APHL APHL.org Spring 2020 LAB MATTERS 29