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