JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) joins clinical and public health laboratories nationwide in celebrating Medical Laboratory Professionals Week from April 14th to 20th.
The annual event, in its 49th year, was created to acknowledge the indispensable contributions of the behind-the-scenes scientists to public health. There are roughly 300,000 clinical laboratory science practitioners in the United States, according to the American Society for Microbiology,
The Mississippi Public Health Laboratory (MPHL), a cornerstone within the state and national public health laboratory frameworks since 1910, plays a pivotal role in disease prevention, outbreak control, and health monitoring, enriching the quality of life for all Mississippians. MSDH will spotlight several laboratory staff on its social media and website throughout the week.
“Our lab consists of mostly Mississippians doing work for Mississippians, so the work is important to us,” said Dr. Daphne Ware, MPHL Director. “We're heavily certified through federal regulatory agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency for our drinking water testing, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare for our clinical testing, and the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for some of our rapid response tests. The testing requires expertise in broad subjects that contain multiple certifications, so we're doing complex science that keeps citizens safe and the state prepared for immediate testing if there is a threat. I'm proud of our lab and the people who work here.”
MPHL scientists conduct over 400,000 tests annually across various sample types including:
- Disease diagnosis and surveillance ranging from foodborne illnesses to respiratory outbreaks.
- Environmental testing to assess water quality for bacterial contamination and chemical pollutants, ensuring safe drinking water for communities.
- Biological and chemical threat response through collaborations with law enforcement.
For this year’s theme, “The Future is Lab,” the CDC and American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science have created digital and printable games. We encourage you to join in on the celebration and thank a laboratory professional for their contributions to a healthy Mississippi.
More about our laboratory professionals →
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