By Linette Granen, Director of Membership and Marketing, APHL
Last night I watched the Grammy Awards presentations and I noticed that the Oscars will be on TV later this month. What a thrill it must be to be honored with an award that symbolizes recognition of the quality of your work by your peers! I looked up the definition of recognition and it is an “acknowledgment of achievement, service, merit, etc.” Synonyms were listed as “notice” and “acceptance.” Sounds nice!
Wouldn’t it be great if we could acknowledge achievement in laboratory science? Or in public health laboratory science? Or recognize colleagues that demonstrate creativity and support for solving the challenges that face public health laboratories?
And the answer is: yes, it would be great and we can!
APHL is seeking nominations now for its annual awards. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in laboratory science, creative approaches being made to solve today’s public health challenges, and exemplary support of laboratories that protect and monitor the public’s health. I have been with APHL for over 18 years now, so I personally know quite a few of the past recipients. They are amazing people, and I know that there are more individuals like them out there deserving of recognition. Nominate a colleague today for one of the six awards that are available. It only takes a short time to submit a nomination that provides the recognition many of your colleagues so aptly deserve! The deadline for nominations is March 5, 2012. Click here to access the awards and the nomination forms.
In April we will celebrate National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. Currently, the Advance magazines for medical laboratory professionals and for administrators of the laboratory are seeking nominations for their annual Laboratory of the Year and Laboratory Professional of the Year awards. Although there are prizes for the winners and runners-up, the real prize is recognition by the laboratory community of excellence in laboratory practice. Could an APHL member laboratory or someone who works in a member laboratory be nominated? Absolutely!! After all, APHL is one of the thirteen laboratory professional associations sponsoring the week. The deadline for award nominations is Friday February 24, 2012. You can nominate a laboratory professional here. Nominate your public health laboratory here.
So as I watch the award shows on TV, I think of the many ways to recognize the heroes in our lives, and it extends beyond those recognized for excellence in the arts. It extends to the many public health laboratory heroes I’ve known throughout my life.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, I saw first-hand the heroes of the public health labs who lost everything and were still willing to assist in carrying equipment down 125 steps to a truck so that it wouldn’t get destroyed in a mold-infested building. I heard the concern in the voices when I notified them that I had received newborn screening specimens at my house since mail service was totally disrupted following the hurricane. I saw and commiserated with those heroes of the Louisiana State Public Health Laboratory following Hurricane Katrina whose stories are yet to be written.
I know that there are so many like them in all of the APHL member laboratories. Recognize them this year and acknowledge their achievements with a nomination for one of the APHL Awards. Please! And the winner will be all of us!
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[…] And the winner is… APHL Award nominations now open […]