Lab Matters Spring 2026 | Page 11

CAREER PATHWAYS

By Hailey Reiss, specialist, Academic Partnerships

In 2026, APHL expects to see more Public Health Laboratory Ambassadors engage with members of their communities through outreach events. Several ambassadors are also collaborating to develop a four-part webinar series on how to prepare for a public health laboratory career intended for high school, undergraduate and graduate students. Ambassadors will also be able to continue collaborating in monthly Ambassadors Connect calls, which first launched during 2025 to foster community and cooperation among program volunteers in a virtual setting. g

Public Health Laboratory Ambassador Heather Seymour attends an outreach event at a science fair. Photo: Flint Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

The APHL Public Health Laboratory Ambassadors Program has sought to connect public health laboratory professionals with students and local community members to share the value of public health laboratory careers. The program is volunteer-based and has been in operation since May 2023. In 2025, the program continued to grow and positively impact more communities across the United States.

As of November 30, 2025, there were 194 Public Health Laboratory Ambassadors in the program. Eighty-seven ambassadors joined the program in 2025 and now represent 32 US states, the District of Columbia and one US territory.

“ I’ m glad the Public Health Laboratory Ambassadors program is growing, and people are promoting careers in public health,” said Jayme Parker, PhD, chief and CLIA director at the Alaska State Public Health Laboratories.“ It may seem like a challenging time in public health to do this outreach work, but the students remain very open to this career field and excited that we are still here promoting public health.”

Public Health Laboratory Ambassadors planned or participated in 121 outreach or recruitment events in 2025, varying from career fairs to classroom visits to guest lectures and more in 22 US states. Through these events, ambassadors connected with up to 6,382 participants, many of whom were high school and collegiate students. These events allowed ambassadors to speak to students and other members of the public about their careers in public health laboratory science and illustrated the value of public health laboratories in the community.

“ Participating in an outreach event was incredibly rewarding,” said Linh Al Chalabi, research scientist I at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.“ I enjoyed sharing my knowledge and career journey while helping students gain confidence in a laboratory setting. The experience also reminded me of the impact we can have through mentorship and community outreach. I would absolutely volunteer again and highly recommend this program to others.”

The Public Health Laboratory Ambassadors program is always looking for more public health laboratory scientists and professionals interested in participating in outreach and recruitment events designed to spread greater awareness of public health laboratory science and provide exposure to public health laboratory careers to support workforce development. Learn more at https:// www. aphl. org / Career-Pathways / Academic- Partnerships / Pages / PHL- Ambassadors. aspx.