Lab Matters Fall 2024 | Page 142

APHL 2024 POSTER ABSTRACTS

By the time COVID restrictions had been lifted :

• The internship program rebounded

• The fellowship program was thriving , through APHL partnership

• The need to revisit our STEM outreach to younger students , with a structured approach was evident .

Interns were recruited to research STEM efforts in New Jersey and nationally and to initiate partnerships for an integrated approach . Partners within state government and local agencies were identified and joint efforts proposed . We have proposed a program with the Mercer County STEM Council , with representatives from Boys and Girls Club , MillHill of Trenton , Rutgers University , The College of New Jersey , Bristol-Myers Squibb and Johnson and Johnson .

The concept of STEM . was defined and an integrated approach to STEM activity development identified . The CDC Public Health Infrastructure grant NOA # 6 NE11OE000055-01-02 and the ELC Supplemental Enhancing grant NOA # 6 NU50CK000525-01-04 are supporting these efforts .

Presenter : Susan Mikorski , Susan . MIkorski @ doh . nj . gov

Forging the Path for Expanding the Association of Public Health Laboratories ’ Impact

A . Perkins 1 , A . Hughes 2 , E . Bowles 3 , W . Lee 4 , E . Levings 5 , D . Toney 6 , A . Strain 7 , A . Raymer 8 , L . Kurimski 8 , Missouri State Public Health Laboratory 1 , State Hygienic Lab at the University of Iowa 2 , School of Medicine and Public Health , University of WI-Madison 3 , Wadsworth Center / New York State Department of Health 4 , Fairfax County Health Department 5 , Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services 6 , Minnesota Department of Health 7 , Association of Public Health Laboratories 8

The Association of Public Health Laboratories ( APHL ) was founded to connect leadership across various public health laboratories ( PHLs ). That mission has evolved to better focus on community , inclusiveness and fostering connections among PHL staff . APHL delivers tools and resources to the entire public health workforce ; ranging from trainings to strengthen laboratory director ’ s skills to those that address technical gaps amongst bench scientists . In 2022 , the APHL Workforce Development Committee noted that APHL membership was heavily dominated by PHL managementlevel staff with less involvement by bench-level scientists . This raised the question about accessibility of APHL resources to ( non-member ) bench level scientists . In collaboration with the Knowledge Management Committee a new workgroup was developed to address accessibility and help develop a professional identity . The workgroup identified several obstacles to bench scientist engagement that are not solved simply by providing free memberships . One obstacle is a lack of belonging felt by early career ( or new to public health ) bench scientists . Lack of engagement could be due to feelings of exclusion , insecurity engaging long time experienced members , or a failure to realize the importance of collaboration for employees at all levels within the public health community . To help address this , the PHL Bench Scientist Community via ColLABorate was developed . This community aims to help bench scientists overcome barriers to inclusion , highlight how PHLs work together , provide a forum for professional communications with experienced PHL members and encourage the exchange of ideas and questions to develop a network of peers . The site was launched in May 2023 and promoted through a series of communications including other ColLABorate sites , APHL All Laboratory Directors calls , regional consortia calls and eblast membership communications . Current membership stands at just under 250 people with more than two-thirds of those being non-APHL members ( our target audience ). The other participants include APHL staff or APHL members ( including the workgroup ). So far , the workgroup has engaged in biweekly information and resource sharing , including upcoming events , posting of topics and thought-provoking questions to promote participation and dialogue among members . To date , thirty-one of our non-APHL members have either initiated discussion threads or responded to posted threads . This robust initial response strongly suggests that the ColLABorate site will support career development and growth , help individuals gain a stronger understanding of the public health professional identity , engage as part of the larger PHL community and share resources to expand skills and knowledge . More importantly , this community opens a new door for early-career public health professionals to develop a sense of comradery and connection to their PHL community . The conclusion of our workgroup to this point is that this site has achieved its goal of initiating a means for non-APHL members to connect with each other and learn more about what APHL has to offer them . We are excited to see how this ColLABorate group grows as the word spreads with more people joining and engaging in the Bench Scientist ColLABorate Community . The workgroup plans to build upon its initial success by continuing to promote this community and the value of membership .

Presenter : Adam Perkins , adam . perkins @ health . mo . gov

Leadership Techniques to Combat Burnout

A . Lara 1 , E . McCutchen 2 , B . Pope 3 , A . Strain 4 , Houston Health Department 1 , Nebraska Public Health Laboratory 2 , Indiana Department of Health Laboratories 3 , Minnesota Department of

Health 4

Burnout is an emerging area of interest , research and concern among medical health professionals , including public health laboratorians . The significant increase in research in this area of study can be easily seen in the prevalence of burnout-related publications submitted annually in NCBI throughout the previous 20 years . From 2003 to 2023 there was over an 11-fold increase in the number of articles published discussing burnout , from 307 to 3,429 . Further recognition of this emerging topic was evidenced through its addition to the International Classification of Diseases 10th edition , with further definition in the 11th edition ( ICD-11 ), where it was described as an occupational phenomenon “ resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed .” Burnout manifests itself in several ways , such as feeling less professional satisfaction , questioning the value of your work and feeling let down . According to the 2021 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey , which had nearly 45,000 respondents , while 94 % of public health employees feel that their work is important , only 68 % are satisfied with their organization . While there is an understanding and desire to be working in public health , one in three public health employees were considering leaving their organization within the next year . Of those considering their departure , 39 % were more likely to leave due to the COVID-19 pandemic . During this time , excessive demands , insufficient