Lab Matters Spring 2017 | Page 3

contents COLUMNS LAB MATTERS 2 President/Executive Director’s Message SECTIONS analysis|answers|action Environmental Health Spring 2017 Issue 2 e h t o t n I W eeds 4 Nationwide Drinking Water Study Detects Contaminants of Emerging Concern 5 The PATH to Improved Hormone Testing Partner Profile 12 15 Minutes with John Auerbach Policy Cannabis Testing and Public Health Labs 15 Hill Day 2017: Save the ELC Food Safety 16 How High? Pesticide Levels and Other Food Safety Concerns Rising as Cannabis Use Increases Inside: 5 The PATH to Improved Hormone Testing 20 Kenya Launches National Equipment Calibration Center 32 Realizing a Technological Vision in Alameda County Newborn Screening & Genetics 18 APHL Convenes Meeting to Discuss Gene Sequencing in Public Health Newborn Screening 19 Expanding State Newborn Screening Panels in Missouri and Iowa ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORIES Feature Article: 6 Into the Weeds: Cannabis Testing and Public Health Laboratories Global Health 20 Kenya NPHL Launches National Equipment Calibration Center 22 APHL Moves Laboratories Forward in Manicaland Province 23 APHL Supports Laboratory Capacity in Sierra Leone As it stands today, cannabis is a Schedule I narcotic, on the same US government list as heroin, ecstasy and other illicit drugs deemed to have high abuse potential. For 28 states and the District of Columbia where cannabis is legal for medical and/or recreational adult use, this is a huge problem, especially for state agencies and laboratories tasked with regulatory oversight and public health surveillance of cannabis safety. Infectious Diseases 24 The Best Defense: Routine Public Health Testing 26 Gono-Caucus 2017: Defining Multi-Drug Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Public Health Preparedness and Response 27 Minnesota Department of Health Helps Labs Improve Biosafety and Biosecurity 28 APHL Biosafety Peer Network Links Idaho to New York 29 Colorado Puts Cannabis Testing on High Priority APHL LAB MATTERS STAFF Gynene Sullivan, Editor Steven Oatmeyer, Art Director Jody DeVoll, Advisor Institutional Research APHL BOARD OF DIRECTORS 30 Moving Up or Moving On: Career Advancement and Workplace Satisfaction in State PHLs 31 Data Dive: 2016 Recruitment and Retention A. Christian Whelen, PhD, D(ABMM), president Ewa King, PhD, president-elect Christopher G. Atchison, MPA, secretary-treasurer Member Spotlight Joanne Bartkus, PhD, D(ABMM) member-at-large 32 Realizing a Technological Vision in Alameda County 34 “You name it, we test it” at the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory Grace E. Kubin, PhD, member-at-large Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.aphl.org Scott J. Zimmerman, DrPH, MPH, HCLD (ABB), member-at-large Fellows 36 News from APHL Laboratory Fellowship Programs Maria Lucia Ishida, PhD, public health associate institutional member representative Digital Extra Tamara Theisen, MT(ASCP), local institutional member representative 37 Tools You Can Use Mark Wade, local institutional member representative Judith C. Lovchik, PhD, D(ABMM), past president Scott J. Becker, MS, ex-officio executive director, APHL Download the Lab Matters App! Read articles on your mobile device through the customized Lab Matters app and subscribe to the digital edition by emailing [email protected]. APPLE PublicHealthLabs 8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 700 Silver Spring, MD 20910 @APHL APHL.org ANDROID 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. This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement #NU600E000103, #U2GGH001097, #1U500E000094-01 and #NU2GGH001993 funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); by Cooperative Agreement #U22MC24078 and #UG5MC27837 funded by the Health Re- sources and Services Administration (HRSA); by Cooperative Agreement #1U18FD004710 funded by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and by Assistance Agreement #83483301 funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Its contents are solely the respons ibility of the au- thors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC, HRSA, FDA, EPA or the Department of Health and Human Services. To submit an article for consideration, contact Gynene Sullivan, editor, at gynene.sullivan@ aphl.org. Spring 2017 LAB MATTERS 1