More than 130 participants attended the 6th National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of Tuberculosis which was held in Atlanta, GA, June 21-22, 2010. The two-day conference was co-located with the National TB Controller’s Association’s National TB Conference for the first time.  Speakers addressed recommendations from APHL and CDC regarding verification and validation of new FDA-approved or off-label assays, different approaches to identifying tuberculosis and performing drug susceptibility testing, and best practices in safety and service utilization in the TB laboratory. The keynote address was given by Dr. Peter Small, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

 

Slide Presentations

The conference schedule is listed below; presentations with links have been authorized to be posted on this website. Duplication is not authorized without the express written permission of the authors. The author and “6th National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of Tuberculosis” must be cited once permission is received.

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Monday, June 21, 2010

Opening Session
Moderator –   Max Salfinger, MD, Florida Bureau of Laboratories, APHL TB Steering
                         Committee Chair

Welcome to Atlanta   
-   Max Salfinger, MD, Florida Bureau of Laboratories

Keynote Address: Better Diagnostics for Tuberculosis
-  Peter Small, MD, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

What is CDC Doing to Enhance Domestic Lab Capacity
-  Bonnie Plikaytis, MS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  

 APHL's TB Activities  
-  Rosemary Humes, MS, MT(ASCP) SM, Association of Public Health Laboratories

Regulatory Issues: Everything You Need to Know But Didn't Know You Should Ask
Moderator – Beverly Metchock, DrPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Overview of the FDA Approval Process for TB Diagnostics
- Steven Gitterman, MD, PhD, Food and Drug Administration

Making Sense of RUOs and ASRs  
- Kathleen Todd, MT(ASCP), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 

Everything You Need to Know But Didn't Know You Should Ask
- Beverly Metchock, DrPH, D(ABMM), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Panel Discussion -  Real-time Answers to Hypothetical Situations
- Steven Gitterman, MD, PhD, Food and Drug Administration
- Kathleen Todd, MT(ASCP), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Devery Howerton, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Denise Dunbar, Texas Department of State Health Services
- Raymond Kaplan, PhD, Quest Diagnostics

AFB Identification: Moving Towards Best Practices
Moderator – William Slanta, Arizona Bureau of State Laboratory Services 

The Utah Approach  
- Dan Andrews, MS, MT(ASCP), Unified State Laboratories: Public Health

The Texas Approach  
- Kenneth C Jost Jr, Texas Department of State Health Services

The Michigan Approach
- Dale Berry, BS, Michigan Department of Community Health

The Clinicians Perspective
- Barbara Seaworth, MD, Texas Department of State Health Services  

Best Practices in Safety & Service Utilization
Moderator – Angela Starks, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Performing a Safety Risk Assessment:"A How To"
- Michael Pentella, PhD, D(ABMM), Associate Director, University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory  

 

Sputum Collection Recommendations & Service Utilization
- David Warshauer, PhD, D(ABMM), Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene 

Core TB Laboratory Services of Public Health Laboratories
- Edward P. Desmond, PhD, D(ABMM), California Department of Public Health

Panel Discussion  
- Edward P. Desmond, PhD, D(ABMM), California Department of Public Health
- Michael Pentella, PhD, D(ABMM), Associate Director, University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory
- David Warshauer, PhD, D(ABMM), Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
- Mary S. Kitchen, Fairfax County Public Health Laboratory
- Peggy Mahlmeister, University of Michigan, Microbiology Department   

 

Tuesday, June 22, 2010  

Putting Your Data to Work in Your Lab
Moderator - Tracy L Dalton, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

TB Turn-Around-Times: Getting the Right Answer Faster
- Tracy L Dalton, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Frances Tyrrell, MPH, MT(ASCP), SM, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST)
- Shou-Yean Grace Lin, California Department of Public Health 

Discussion on CDC's DST Service & MPEP
- Beverly Metchock, DrPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Direct Detection
Moderator – Edward P. Desmond, PhD, D(ABMM), California Department of Public Health 

Bringing Molecular Methods into Your Laboratory:"A How To"
- David Warshauer, PhD, D(ABMM), Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene 

Panel Discussion
- David Boyle, PhD, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health(PATH)
- Jeffrey Driscoll, PhD,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Mark Pandori, PhD, San Francisco Department of Public Health
- Debbie Rutledge, MBA, MT(ASCP), Delaware Public Health Laboratory
- David Warshauer, PhD, D(ABMM), Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
- Direct-Detection Poll

 

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