The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) is pleased to announce the winners of its annual awards for outstanding achievements in laboratory science, creative approaches to solving today’s public health challenges and exemplary support of laboratories serving the public’s health. Awardees were honored on June 25, 2020 during a virtual ceremony. A recording of the awards ceremony is available on APHL’s Facebook page. Congratulations to all award winners!
Celebrate the 2020 APHL Award Winners from APHL on Vimeo.
The following awards were presented:
Lifetime Achievement Award – This award recognizes individuals who have established a history of distinguished service to APHL, made significant contributions to the advancement of public health laboratory science or practice, exhibited leadership in the field of public health and/or positively influenced public health policy on a national or global level. This is not a retirement award, but a true Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Judith C. Lovchik, Indiana State Department of Health
- John (Jack) M. DeBoy (posthumous), formerly Maryland State Department of Health Laboratories Administration
Gold Standard Award – The award is given to an APHL member who makes or has made significant contributions to the technical advancement of public health laboratory science and/or practice.
- Noel V. Stanton, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
Silver Award – This award honors a laboratorian with 10 to 15 years of service in a Governmental public health laboratory (either Public Health or Environmental/Agricultural laboratory). The honoree will be recognized as a leader both within their home laboratory as well as external to their laboratory.
- Michael J. Perry, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center
- Robert Nickla, Oregon State Public Health Laboratory
On the Front Line Award – This award honors an individual or laboratory outside of the APHL membership who makes significant contributions to the advancement of public health laboratory science and/or practice.
- Ronald S. Klein, Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Emerging Leader Award – This award honors a laboratorian whose leadership has been instrumental in one or more advances in laboratory science, practice, management, policy or education within five to 10 years of working at a publicly funded laboratory that conducts testing of public health significance.
- Marty K. Soehnlen, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Laboratories
Leadership in Biosafety and Biosecurity Award – This award honors a laboratorian with over 10 years of related service in the field of biosafety and biosecurity in a state and/or local public health laboratory. The honoree will be recognized as a leader both within their home laboratory as well as external to their laboratory (for example, by serving in a leadership role in committees/taskforces at the national level).
- Michael J. Perry, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center
Champion of the Public Health Laboratory Award – This award recognizes federal, state and local elected officials or executive branch employees who have recognized the importance of state and local governmental laboratories that perform testing of public health significance either through support of legislation or federal agency decisions.
- CDC National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) E-cigarette/Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) Laboratory Task Force
Presidential Award – The APHL Presidential Award was selected by Dr. Grace Kubin during her Presidential year (2019-2020) for the significant contributions that were made to the association’s work to promote policies that strengthen public health laboratories.
- Wendi Kuhnert-Tallman, CDC’s Infectious Disease National Centers
Healthiest Laboratory Award – This award is given to an APHL member laboratory that is committed to safety, environmental process, environmental policy and employee health and wellness.
Thomas E. Maxson Education, Training and Workforce Development Award – This award was established in August of 1998 in memory of Dr. Maxson, and honors an APHL member who is a public health or clinical laboratory practitioner, trainer or educator who has made significant contributions to public health laboratory practice by creating, delivering or developing continuing education opportunities, programs, policies or practices for the laboratory community.
- Robert Nickla, Oregon State Public Health Laboratory
- Karen Stiles, Nebraska Public Health Laboratory
Beautifully done job! Congratulation to everyone who won the award and also to those who worked hard towards making this possible!!