contents
COLUMNS
LAB
MATTERS
2 President/Executive Director’s Message
SECTIONS
analysis|answers|action
Environmental Health
Spring 2017 Issue 2
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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: 240.485.2745
Fax: 240.485.2700
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
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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
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