COLUMNS FEATURE

2 President ’ s Message 3 CEO ’ s Message 4 Focus on Fellows : Megan Nelson

FROM THE BENCH

6 Preparing and Practicing for Chemical Threats in Florida

7 Thallium Toxicity : A Case Study in Collaboration

8 Biosurveillance Shows Fentanyl ’ s Role in Rhode Island ’ s Overdose Epidemic

INDUSTRY MATTERS

10 Four Ways to Design Wellness into Public Health Laboratories

11 Meeting the Challenge for Measuring Trace Levels of PFAS in Water

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12 The Need for LRN Modernization Through the Lens of an Outbreak

FEATURE SPOTLIGHT

Public Health Preparedness & Response

18 APHL and the Laboratory Response Network

19 Texas Laboratory Response Network Members Meet In Person

8515 Georgia Avenue , Suite 700 Silver Spring , MD 20910 Phone : 240.485.2745 Fax : 240.485.2700 info @ aphl . org aphl . org

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 .

LAB MATTERS STAFF

Gynene Sullivan , MA Editor

Brittany Robertson Art Director

David Fouse Advisor

To submit an article for consideration , contact Gynene Sullivan at gynene . sullivan @ aphl . org .

APHL PROGRAMS

2022 – 2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Daphne Ware , PhD President

Timothy Southern , PhD President-elect

Godfred Masinde , PhD , MBA , HCLD ( ABB ) Secretary-Treasurer

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Sharon Massingale , PhD , HCLD / CC ( ABB ) Public Health Institutional State Representative

Environmental Health

20 Supporting Polio and Mpox Population Surveillance Through Wastewater Testing

22 Water Reuse in the United States : A Growing Practice with Public Health Implications

Food Safety

24 Building Collaboration in Asia Through PulseNet International

Global Health

25 Liberia Accredits Four Biosafety Cabinet Certifiers

Informatics

26 Sharing Is Caring : Informatics Experts Collaborate on LIMS

28 New Analysis Services for Public Health in Next Generation Sequencing

Michael Pentella PhD , D ( ABMM ) Public Health Institutional State Representative

Scott Shone , PhD , HCLD ( ABB ) Public Health Institutional State Representative

Sally Flowers , PhD Public Health Associate Institutional Member Representative

Megan Crumpler , PhD Local Institutional Member Representative

Denise Toney , PhD , HCLD ( ABB ) Past President

Scott Becker , MS Ex Officio , Chief Executive Officer , APHL