CDC OneLab Hosts Workforce-Focused Summit

“Thrive: People, Planning, Preparedness,” is the theme of the annual OneLab virtual summit hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Laboratory Systems on April 16-18. The summit, which coincides with Lab Week, will feature laboratory workforce-focused discussion on the key areas of people (April 16), planning (April 17), and preparedness (April 18). Speakers include workforce experts from the CDC, ASCP laboratory leaders including Dana Powell Baker, EdD, MBA, MS, MLS(ASCP)^CM, and Nathan Johnson, PhD, MASCP, DLM(ASCP), and fellow members of the Medical and Public Health Workforce Coalition, the Association of Public Health Laboratories, and COLA, one of America’s leading laboratory accreditors.

The “People” sessions will cover topics such as the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging in public health workforce development, personal effectiveness as a leader, workforce action alliance, staffing challenges in clinical trials, and innovative student recruitment to MLS and MLT programs.

The “Planning” sessions will cover topics such as maximizing lessons learned from past outbreaks, what a training needs assessment can tell about a laboratory, evaluating a laboratory’s risk management or quality improvement processes, and also a special presentation on what’s new and ahead for the CDC’s free learning management system for laboratory professionals, OneLab Reach.  

The OneLab REACH learning management system has new and emerging content related to the areas of preparedness, core science, safety, quality, and informatics, and offers free on-demand training, job aids, videos, and in some cases, virtual-reality based laboratory educational content. It is also an educational hub that the CDC plans to use to disseminate timely laboratory resources and education in the event of a future pandemic. All ASCP members are encouraged to join the OneLab Network and sign up for access to OneLab Reach.

Finally, the sessions on “Preparedness” will cover topics such as how laboratories should prepare for future responses, understanding CLIA and CAP regulations to advance a laboratory career, biosafety plan development strategies, and how to interconnect people, planning, and preparedness. ASCP workforce staff will attend the summit and present a poster at the Virtual Exhibit Hall on ASCP’s member-driven workforce initiatives.

As Lab Week represents a time to celebrate medical laboratory professionals, ASCP hopes the summit continues to engage in discussion that provides hope and inspiration for a more unified and reinforced clinical and public health laboratory workforce.

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