ID LabCon 2025

​Monday, March 24, 2025

Pre-Conference Workshops

The Power to Resist: Labs vs. Antimicrobial Resistance

1. BioMerieux; Kristen L. Smith, PhD, D(ABMM)
2. Carbapenen-resistance Acinetobacter baumannii; Robert Potter, PhD, D(ABMM)
3. Carbapenem-resistance Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex (CRAB); Kimberly McCullor, PhD, MSc
4. Fight against AMR - Thermo Scientific Sensititre System; Jim Merickel
5. Full Workflow Solutions for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) from QIAGEN; Joshua Boston
6. Hologic; Ashley Nenninger, PhD
   
7. Hot Topics in AMR; Romney Humphries, PhD, D(ABMM) and Paula Snippes Vagnone, MT(ASCP)
8. Phenotypic vs. Genotypic Recommendations for AMR Testing; Jean B. Patel, PhD, D(ABMM)

Diagnostic Approaches to Emerging Infectious Diseases

1. Arthropod-Borne Virus Diagnostics: Academic Clinical Laboratory Decision-Making; Benjamin Pinsky, MD, PhD
2. Considerations for Parasitology Tests in a Public Health Laboratory; Henry Bishop
3. DPDx Case of the Week; Sarah Sapp
4. Emerging Fungal Threats; Julianne Kus, MSc, PhD, FCCM and Marty Soehnlen, PhD, MPH, PHLD(ABB)
5. Parasitology Workshop - Clinical Lab; Anisha Misra, PhD, D(ABMM)
6. Post-COVID Re-Emerging Pathogens: Respiratory Pathogens; Kimberly McCullor, PhD, MSc and Amy Leber, PhD
7. Re-emergence of Pertussis; Kimberly McCullor, PhD, MSc and Amy Leber, PhD
   
8. Vector-Borne Diseases Test Catalog in a Public Health Lab; Amy B. Dean, PhD

Next Steps for Next Generation Sequencing

1. Applications and Advancement of NGS Data; Kelsey Florek, PhD, MPH
2. Genomic Epidemiology; Daniel Evans, MS, MB(ASCP), CIC, REHS, CPH
3. Metagenomics for Pathogen Genomics; Kelly F. Oakeson, PhD
4. Opening Remarks; Christin L. Hanigan, PhD
5. To NGS or Not to NGS; Kelly F. Oakeson, PhD
   

Assuring Regulatory Compliance in an Era of Change: What's a Lab to Do?

1. Industry Perspectives; Karen Harrington, PhD, HCLD(ABB)
2. LDT Final Rule: Resources and Impacts for Public Health Laboratories; Kara Levinson, PhD, MPH, D(ABMM)
3. LDT Validation at the Wadsworth Center; Kimberlee Musser, PhD
4. The LDT Final Rule: Stage 1 Requirements and Regulatory Update; Jonathan Genzen, MD, PhD, MBA

Optimizing Mycobacteriology Laboratory Operations: Strategies for Supervisor Success

1. Coordination of Tuberculosis Clinical and Laboratory Services; Julie Higashi, MD, PhD and Hector Rivas, BS, MPH, PHM
2. Mycobacteriology Testing Considerations and Best Practices; Angie Schooley, MT(ASCP) and Marie-Claire Rowlinson, PhD, D(ABMM)
   
3. Opening Remarks; Erin Estes, MBA, MLS(ASCP)
   
4. Quality Assurance & Quality Control for the Mycobacteriology Laboratory; Emily Craig, MS, M(ASCP)
   
5. Valuable Lessons on Enhancing Workforce Retention in Laboratories; Drew Francis, M(ASCP)

Biosafety Practices for the Clinical and Public Health Laboratorian

Biosafety Practices for the Clinical and Public Health Laboratorian; Erin Bowles, BS, MLS(ASCP), Shoolah Escott, MS(MLS), MT(ASCP), Michael Pentella, PhD, D(ABMM) and Michael Perry, DrPH, MS Ed

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Conference Sessions: Day 1

Welcome and Opening Session Keynote Session

Welcome to Pasadena: Marty Soehnlen, PhD, MPH, PHLD(ABB), and Nicole M. Green, PhD, D(ABMM)

Keynote Address: Grace Aldrovandi, MD, CM

Late Breaker! Responding to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Moderator: Emily Travanty, PhD

1. Zoonotic Spread of Influenza A(H5N1); Julie E. Breher, DVM, MPVM
2. Monitoring the Outbreak in Cats; Brandon Bonin, PhD
3. The Academic Medical Center Perspective; Benjamin Pinsky, MD, PhD
4. Influenza A (H5N1) Outbreak Response in California; Anthony Tran, PhD, (ABMM)

The Backbone of Genomics: Building Infrastructure for Next Generation Sequencing

Moderator: Megan Fuschino, MS

1. Building Cloud-base Bioinformatics Capacities — A Public Health Laboratory Perspective; Jie Lu, PhD
2. Validation of Multiple, Ind​ependent Analysis Platforms for Bacterial Sequencing Data in the Next Generation Sequencing Laboratory​​; ​Eric Vaughn, DrPH, MPH
3. A Sustainable Solution for Tracking NGS Workflows; Sarah Preston, MS
4. Integrating Quality Systems Essentials in Next Generation Sequencing; Noah Hull, PhD, MPH

Novel Approaches in Antimicrobial Resistance Detection: Innovations in Laboratory Testing

Moderator: William A. Glover II, PhD, D(ABMM), MLS(ASCP)

Combating Misinformation in Laboratory Science with Those Nerdy Girls

Moderator: Susan E. Realegeno, PhD, D(ABMM), M(ASCP)

Combating Misinformation in Laboratory Science with Those Nerdy Girls; Amanda M. Simanek, PhD, MPH, Gayle Mendoza, MPH, BSN, RN and Roopa Seshadri, PhD, AM

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Conference Sessions: Day 2

Next Generation Sequencing Applications in Infectious Disease Testing

Moderator: David Payne, PhD

1. Genomic and Epidemiologic Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Persistent Infections in California, January 2021 – July 2023; Rahil Ryder, MS
2. Whole-genome Sequencing Surveillance of C. Auris Nevada Reveals the Evolution of a Novel Amphotericin B Non-susceptibility and a Potential Pan-resistant Isolate; David Hess, PhD
3. Implementation of a CLIA-compliant Targeted Next Generation Sequencing Assay for the Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antimicrobial Resistance Mutations; Matthew Schimenti, MPH, M(ASCP)
4. Threat Agnostic Sentinel Surveillance (TASS) Pilot in NY: Evaluating Metagenomic Sequencing; Michael Perry, DrPH, MS Ed

A Review of This Year's Literature: Session A

Moderator: Michael Pentella, PhD D(ABMM)

1. The State of the Science: Changes in Nomenclature; Ryan F. Relich, PhD, D(ABMM), MLS(ASCP) SM
2. The State of the Science: Mycobacteriology; Edward P. Desmond, PhD, D(ABMM)
3. The State of the Science: Respiratory Viruses; Emily Toth Martin, PhD, MPH

Discoveries and Investigations in Emerging Infectious Diseases

Moderator: Casey L. C. Schroeder, PhD, MLS(ASCP), MB, SM

1. Recognition of a New Rickettsial Pathogen, Candidatus R. lanei, as the Cause of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever-like Illness in Northern California; Chantha Kath, PHM, BS
2. Outbreak Response Testing of Measles in Migrant Shelters — Chicago, 2024; Kendall Anderson, MS, MPH, MB(ASCP)
3. Once Bitten, Twice Shy; Andrea Morrison, PhD, and Marie-Claire Rowlinson PhD, D(ABMM)

Sewage Sleuths: Tracking Health Trends Through Wastewater

Moderator: Nicole M. Green, PhD, D(ABMM)

1. From Pipes to Patterns: Tracking Antimicrobial Resistance in Hawaiian Wastewater; Doris Di, PhD
2. COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance: Sampling Frequency and Hospitalization Trends; Ryan Jepson
3. Wastewater-based Surveillance of Norovirus in Wisconsin: A Comparison of Wastewater Concentrations with Clinical PCR Positivity Rates; Devin Everett

Reaching the Hard-to-Reach Populatiosn in Infectious Disease Diagnostics

Moderator: Marilyn Bibbs-Freeman, PhD, M(ASCP)

Point-of-Care Diagnostics Provide Better Access to Healthcare; Omai Garner PhD, D(ABMM)

Update on Laboratory Aspects of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Moderator: Max Salfinger, MD, FAAM, FIDSA, ATSF

1. Epidemiology of NTM Pulmonary Disease and Healthcare Provider’s Need for the Mycobacteriology Laboratory; Jane E. Gross, MD, PhD
2. Environmental NTM: Ways to Protect the Public Via the Laboratory; Jennifer R. Honda, PhD, ATSF
3. Workup of Clinical Samples for NTM in a Clinical Laboratory; Susan Butler-Wu, PhD, D(ABMM), SM(ASCP)
4. ​Workup of Clinical Samples for NTM and the Role of Whole Genome Sequencing in a Public Health Laboratory; Alana Sterkel, PhD, D(ABMM), SM(ASCP)

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Conference Sessions: Day 3

A Review of This Year's Literature: Session B

Moderator: Vaneet Arora, MD, MPH, D(ABMM)

1. State of the Science: Wastewater Surveillance; Shannon R. Matzinger, PhD
2. State of the Science: Antimicrobial Resistance; Kimberlee A. Musser, PhD
3. State of the Science: Vector Borne Diseases; Natasha Tilston-Lunel, PhD

Alternative Specimen Sourcing for Effective Infectious Disease Testing

Moderator: Randal Fowler, PhD, D(ABMM)