Lab Matters Winter 2023 | Page 5

PRESIDENT ’ S AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ’ S MESSAGE

Scott Becker , MS and Tim Southern , PhD

Southern : A physical wound can often be seen . It can be touched , it can be bandaged , it can be tended . But emotional and mental wounds are often unseen , and it really requires an introspective person to be able to articulate , “ This is how I ’ m feeling , and I don ’ t know if I have all the tools I need to manage this .” That was one of the remarkable things about the pandemic . As the frenetic pace continued , the time I spent interacting with my staff grew to be less about science and more about the scientist and the person . I remember the most profound conversation I had with my lead COVID-19 scientist had nothing to do with the laboratory ; she lost her father during the pandemic , and she was having a conversation with a very small group of us about that loss . I think one of the things that helped her most profoundly wasn ’ t that we tried to make her feel better , but that we were listening and sharing the simple message , “ You ’ re not alone . I have been there . We are here for you .” Those personal connections brought my team closer and continue to hold us close .

Becker : Yes . You go through something with a group , and it can be profound . The pandemic was that sort of groundchanging experience for all of us . For me , it was the second time in my career that I thought , “ Is this really the place for me ? Is this the kind of thing I want to do right now ?” It ’ s a totally legitimate question that individuals must answer on their own . I know people who have left the field and that was the best thing for them . And I know people who have stuck by the field and are transforming it . For me the answer was yes — this is where I want to be . I ’ m not the person I was before because of the things that we went through . And honestly , a lot of that was because of communication . What we were conveying , and how we were saying it , were the things that elevated our voice . We ’ re still undergoing profound changes .

Southern : We absolutely continue to experience profound changes . Federal funding has allowed our public health laboratories to invest in our workforce and infrastructure in meaningful ways . Our association is growing and changing , in terms of our amazing APHL staff and our membership . But much of the change we continue to experience post-pandemic is home-grown . It ’ s laboratory leaders and staff coming together to lift each other up and to lift the communities we serve . I hope as a community we can continue to take advantage of that positive momentum . I hope we continue our advocacy for our most vulnerable communities and find innovative ways to improve public health laboratory service accessibility and equity . I hope we continue our advocacy for our federal partners like CDC and FDA to affect positive change in the wake of the pandemic . I hope our member laboratories will continue partnership building and advocacy with and for one another . And I hope we as an association can continue to work towards building a national public health laboratory system that helps ensure our preparedness for whatever comes at us next . g