PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Evolution and Transition
I am excited to see what
future advancements there will be
in informatics and data analytics
and their applications in infectious
disease, newborn screening and
environmental science.”
Joanne Bartkus, President, APHL
2
LAB MATTERS Spring 2019
When I started as director of Minnesota’s
public health laboratory in 2007, I had
little working knowledge of newborn
screening. Fortunately, I had a team of
knowledgeable (and patient) staff, and the
exceptional resources provided by APHL
to help me develop a working knowledge
of the myriad disorders, tests and
treatments, and to better appreciate both
the successes and challenges of newborn
screening. Having just attended the 2019
Newborn Screening and Genetic Testing
Symposium April 7-10, I realize how far
things have come in the past 11 years, and
how much I have yet to learn.
The feature article in this issue of Lab
Matters describes the changing nature
of newborn screening and the challenge
of bringing on testing for increasingly
complex disorders. Because some of
the disorders may not cause symptoms
until the child is older, or maybe not at
all, it will be increasingly important for
newborn screening programs to collect
and analyze data to improve their ability
to predict which children may go on to
develop disease and which may not. In
addition, the increasing use of molecular
methods, including DNA sequencing,
as second or third tier tests will require
that programs develop or enhance
their bioinformatics capability. At the
symposium, CDC presented their efforts
surrounding data analytics for newborn
screening, including creation of data
analytic tools, providing training for
newborn screening staff, and funding for
bioinformatics fellows to work in newborn
screening programs.
The priority that I chose to emphasize
for my year as APHL president was “data
science” (aka data analytics). In choosing
that priority, I was hoping to underscore
the need for informatics and analytic
capabilities beyond that which we have
developed for whole genome sequencing.
Therefore, I am particularly gratified to
see CDC’s emphasis on developing data
analytics and bioinformatics in newborn
screening. And now that environmental
laboratories are also acquiring high-
resolution mass spectrometers that
generate large data files, we can utilize
the sequencing infrastructure that
we have developed to deal with those
massive files. As we continue to develop
our bioinformatics capabilities while
implementing whole genome sequencing
for an increasing number of microbial
pathogens, I am excited to see what future
advancements there will be in informatics
and data analytics and their applications
in infectious disease, newborn screening
and environmental science.
I write this message as my year as APHL
president is coming to an end. I feel like I
am just starting to get the hang of it. Still,
I look forward to handing the reins over
to our very capable president-elect, Grace
Kubin, at APHL 2019 and to supporting her
next year as the past-president.
See you in St. Louis! n
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org