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Academic Partnership Newsletter | Winter 2023
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Academic partnerships are essential in supporting the recruitment and retention efforts for the public health laboratory workforce. These efforts include forging collaborative
relationships between academic partners and public health laboratories for the promotion of experiential learning opportunities through an APHL-CDC initiative for fellowship, internship and leadership programs
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Applications submitted by
December 4, 2023, will be considered for the Spring 2024 Cohort (first possible start date being April 1, 2024). For more information on key dates and requirements, please visit our
website.
Eligible candidates are students currently enrolled at an accredited institution and in pursuit of a relevant certificate, associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree. Interns are selected
for a 12- to 16-week placement.
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Name: Marie-Line Kam
Preferred pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Location & name of Public Health Laboratory: Ewing, New Jersey / New Jersey Newborn Screening Laboratory
Academic institution: Tulane University School of Medicine
Education: Master of Science, Medical Genetics and Genomics
How did you hear about the APHL-CDC Public Health Laboratory Fellowship Program?
I heard about the APHL-CDC Public Health Laboratory Fellowship through the CDC. I was finishing my final semester in graduate school and decided that I wanted to take a break
from school after graduating. I was taking a biochemistry genetics course, which was centered around Newborn Screening and I found it fascinating. After a few Google searches on ways I could pursue newborn screening, without being a clinical geneticist or
a physician, I found the APHL-CDC Newborn Screening Fellowship. I knew I wanted to go back to school again soon to pursue a doctorate, but wanted to do something in the meantime that was directly related to my interests and current passions, and the Newborn
Screening Fellowship was exactly that.
How has your degree helped prepare you for a career in public health laboratory science?
My undergraduate degree was in public health science, and my graduate degree was in medical genetics and genomics. I think both degrees have been monumental in preparing me for a career in
public health laboratory science. Public health encompasses nearly any and everything as we see it, while genetics is a bit more of a smaller discipline. Taking the graduate level genetics courses that I took – such as dysmorphology, molecular genetics, biochemistry
genetics, cytogenetics, and population genetics all tie into all the work that I am doing in my fellowship, especially as it pertains to rare genetic disorders and errors of metabolism. Learning about these aspects of genetics in the academic space, prior
to engaging with it in the laboratory space was an amazing journey.
Which professors or mentors inspired your journey into public health laboratory science?
Dr. Andersson and Dr. Brown inspired me immensely during my journey into public health laboratory science. Dr. Andersson was my biochemistry genetics professor in grad school, and Dr. Brown
was my cytogenetics professor. They were both amazing professors and they really equipped me with the necessary tools to be a successful public health laboratory scientist.
What advice would you share with colleagues or alumni that are interested in the public health laboratory science field?
The advice I would give colleagues or alumni that are interested in public health laboratory science is simple – apply! Any and every opportunity you see that catches your eye, apply! I didn’t
think I would become a finalist for this specific public health laboratory science opportunity, but figured it was worth a shot, and I couldn’t be more grateful for having taken that initiative to just apply and try my absolute best.
Please share your thoughts about working in a public health laboratory? Working in a public
health laboratory is an ever-changing, dynamic, heartwarming experience. The work that we do in the laboratory directly translates to the real world and has the possibility to save lives and improve health outcomes for others. I believe that laboratory staff
are real-world heroes in a sense, and I am grateful for the work that we do each and every day.
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APHL Student Membership
Did you know that APHL offers a student membership? For only $35 per year, the APHL Student Membership offers benefits such as deeply discounted conferences and trainings, volunteer opportunities, and resources. Apply online at
www.aphl.org/student to start your free 60-day trial today!
Submit Poster Abstracts
for APHL 2024
May 6–9, 2024 | Milwaukee, WI
Poster abstracts due: January 26, 2024
Help shape the course of the
APHL 2024 Annual Conference by submitting poster abstracts. Review the
Call for Posters for all the details and the submission link.
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PHL Ambassadors develop the laboratory workforce by promoting public health laboratory careers
to students. Are you interested in having an ambassador present to your students in person or virtually? Email
academic.p...@aphl.org.
Visit the APHL Job Center
Do you have a student or recent graduate seeking a career in public health? Encourage them to consider applying to the latest public health laboratory job openings by visiting:
Laboratory Jobs - APHL's Job Center
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Manager, Academic Partnership
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Check out these
events near you to find out what's happening with Career Pathways. Look for our booth and introduce yourself!
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Name: Rachel Zinner
Preferred pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Current role/title: Assistant Director, Kentucky Division of Laboratory Services
Education: MS, BS Animal Sciences
Tell us about your path into the public health laboratory career?
Like many others I’ve met, I had never heard about public health throughout my years of university education. Granted, I am a bit of an anomaly in my corner of the public health
world as both my degrees are in the Animal Sciences. I was fortunate to obtain a part-time position during my freshman year performing lab work and continued this on and off throughout my undergraduate years, then obtained further experience with additional
lab techniques during my own thesis research. I truly had no intention of pursuing a full-time lab career, however, when I started my fated job search, I was willing to apply to any positions I qualified for, including those in state government. I was offered
a position in the state public health lab, specifically in the Mycobacteriology section, and happily accepted as I was thrilled to have my first full-time job. Over the following years I learned a tremendous amount regarding tuberculosis, as well as the many
other services our laboratory provides to the citizens of our wonderful state. I discovered an entirely new way to give back to my community, and it was gratifying to know the work I was doing had an impact on a patient’s diagnosis and treatment. I’ve now
worked in public health for nearly 18 years and I’m still learning every day. I certainly didn’t envision myself working in this field, yet I discovered a fulfilling career path that allows me to help others in ways I never imagined and now I love to share
these potential opportunities in public health with others.
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Learn more about the LLS fellowship
What is the
CDC Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS)? In this episode, we learn more about it from two current LLS fellows. Drs. Courtnee Bell and Emily Yarosz discuss how they learned about the fellowship, their experiences and where
they see themselves when their fellowships end.
CDC NERD Academy
The CDC NERD Academy is an educational resource to teach your science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students (grades 6-12) about public health, epidemiology, and related careers!
Designed as a collaboration between STEM teachers and CDC public health experts, the curriculum modules are age-appropriate and use relatable scenarios that will keep students
engaged while learning about public health and its many career opportunities.
Learn more.
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The Fall season is keeping the Academic Partnerships team busy with career fairs and conferences! We had the pleasure of participating in the following in-person and virtual
outreach events. Many thanks to our public health laboratory partners who collaborated with us to promote career pathways in public health laboratory science at these events. Thank you for having us!
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Brigham Young University - Idaho
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Emory University – Rollins School of Public Health
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Harris Stowe State University
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Hispanic Serving Institutions Career Expo
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Johns Hopkins University
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Lincoln University
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Michigan State University
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New York University
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Ohio State University
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Texas Southern University
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University of California - Davis
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University of California - Los Angeles
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University of California - San Diego
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University of Illinois - Chicago
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University of Massachusetts - Amherst
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University of Minnesota
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University of Missouri
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University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
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University of Pennsylvania
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University of Texas - Dallas
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University of Texas - Austin
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University of Virginia
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Washington University - St. Louis
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Women’s Colleges & Universities Diversity Career Expo
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2023 National HBCU Week Conference
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2023 National Diversity in STEM Conference (SACNAS)
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Thank you, HACU!
Representatives of the Career Pathways team attended the
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)
Ninth Prek-12/Higher Education Collaboration Symposium on Saturday, October 28th as well as the
37th HACU Annual Meeting from Oct 28 – Oct 30. It was an amazing experience to connect with so many amazing individuals from over 600 HSIs.
Many cheers to HACU for a successful event!
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Association of Public Health Laboratories
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