MEMBERSHIP
Promoting Community Wellness,
Water Quality in Western New York
by Nancy Maddox, MPH, writer
Erie County, New York, is situated along
the northwestern-most foothills of the
Appalachian Mountains and across Lake
Ontario from Toronto, Canada. With
four international border crossings,
almost a million residents (including
a large refugee community), a vibrant
metropolitan core and over 13,000 acres
of parkland and beaches, it offers both
funky urban amenities and plentiful
opportunities for outdoor recreation. The
only metal kazoo factory in North America
is here, as well as the Flying Bison brewery
in the county seat of Buffalo. Niagara Falls
is a short distance away, down the Niagara
River.
The Erie County Public Health
Laboratory—part of the Erie County
Department of Health (ECDH)—is one
of the major laboratory providers in
both Erie County and the larger Western
New York region, focusing mostly on
community wellness and water quality.
“Even though our summer is short, it’s a
very water-oriented area,” said Laboratory
Director Carleen Pope, MS, MPH. Among
the laboratory’s customers are local public
health clinics, non-profit clinics, other
ECDH programs, area jails, neighboring
county health departments and area
water systems.
Environmental Supervisor Gary Paluca reviews plate counts for
the environmental laboratory section. Photo: ECPHL
Facility
Located on the campus of the Erie
County Medical Center—the primary
trauma center for western New York—the
laboratory takes up 20,000 square feet of
a single-story building that previously
housed the medical technology school
for the University of Buffalo. The public
health laboratory moved into the brick
and concrete facility in 1999, after a
complete remodel. Since then, the
building has gained a BSL-3 suite (in
2003) and a new roof (2017), and will
receive a new HVAC system (fall 2019).
The facility is located in downtown
Buffalo and shared with the Erie County
Health Department’s Environmental
Health Division—a big convenience for
the sanitarians and water engineers who
regularly submit samples to the laboratory
for analysis.
Director
Pope has strong local roots. Born and
raised in Buffalo, she earned a BS in
Biology at nearby Niagara University and
a MS in Natural Sciences at the State
University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY
Buffalo), Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Graduate Division. After completing these
studies, Pope worked as a senior research
technician at SUNY Buffalo and then as
a research scientist in the private sector,
developing molecular infectious disease
assays and producing recombinant
proteins for drug development with the
aid of x-ray crystallography. “Some of the
proteins I worked on were from infectious
diseases, like SARS,” she said. “That
piqued my interest in infectious disease
and I re-enrolled in SUNY Buffalo and got
my MPH.” At about the same time, Pope
also began her public health laboratory
career, starting out as chief of the
emerging infections and biopreparedness
laboratory at the Erie County Health
Department laboratory. She stayed in
that post for about five years, at which
point the laboratory director left for a new
job. Pope said, “We searched for about
a year for a replacement, and we were
unable to find anyone interested in the
position as it was structured at the time
for someone who met all CLIA and state
regulations for directing a clinical lab. So
our health commissioner restructured
the organization of the laboratory—as
she did for the medical examiner’s office
previously—contracted with a physician
to serve as medical director of the clinical
lab, and created the division director
position that I hold.” Since 2014, Pope has
been the administrative director of the
PHL, handling all day-to-day functions.
Staff
Environmental Microbiologist Nicole Hacic prepares samples for water quality testing. Photo: ECPHL
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LAB MATTERS Summer 2019
The public health laboratory employs
about 20 people, including approximately
five environmental scientists, five clinical
medical technologists and various
administrative and scientific support staff.
There are no current vacancies.
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org