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HHEAR Award
Wadsworth Center’s Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource (HHEAR) Laboratory Hub Awarded $2.4 Million in NIH Funding for 2023
Established by NIH in 2019, the goal of HHEAR is to promote the characterization of the totality of human environmental exposures called the "exposome". The exposome includes chemical, physical, and biological stressors as well as lifestyle and social... read more
APHL Winter 2023 Cover
An APHL Fellowship at Wadsworth Center, Camaraderie and a New Career
Read about Dr. Janet Lynch's journey in the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) article, "Laboratory Call Proves Strong for One Fellow."
New York Public Health Now Podcast
Wadsworth Center Scientists Dr. Paul Masters and Dr. Kirsten St. George Featured on the New York Public Health Now Podcast
Wadsworth Center scientists Dr. Paul Masters and Dr. Kirsten St. George recently joined Commissioner McDonald and Acting Executive Deputy Commissioner Morne on the New York Public Health Now podcast. The podcast discusses timely topics with front line... read more
Michael Perry and Elizabeth Nazarian
Two of Wadsworth Center’s Own Receive National Awards
At this year’s annual meeting of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), two Wadsworth Center scientists were honored.   Elizabeth Nazarian, MT (ASCP) received the Silver Award for her contributions including her work to establish the... read more
Wadsworth Center
Visit to Wadsworth Center Reignites Passion for Lab Science
Rana Rahmat, a member of the Public Health Preparedness and Response Team from the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), expected her visit to Wadsworth Center to help her directly observe, better understand, and fully experience the... read more
New York State Department of Health Recognizes Public Health Laboratory Appreciation Month
New York State Department of Health Recognizes Public Health Laboratory Appreciation Month
Department Celebrates the Many Contributions of the Wadsworth Center
Illustration of a deer tick
Emerging Outbreaks and Lyme Disease - Wadsworth Center Researcher Yi-Pin Lin and Colleagues’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Article Provides Insight
Lyme disease presents an ever-increasing burden to the public and the public health system, with an estimated 476,000 cases per year nationwide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In addition, many patients continue to suffer pain, fatigue, and... read more
APHL Lab Matters Winter 2022
Lab Matters Article Highlights Wadsworth Center Scientists
Wadsworth Center scientists Dr. Kimberlee Musser, Dr. Marie Claire Rowlinson, and Tanya Halse were among the featured highlights from the National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of Tuberculosis hosted by the Association of Public Health Laboratories in... read more
Tanya Halse
Tanya Halse Receives National TB Laboratorian Award
Wadsworth Center’s Tanya Halse was the 2022 recipient of the Ed Desmond Award from the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA).  This award honors exemplary service, dedication, or leadership to a tuberculosis (TB) laboratory professional... read more
SeroNet
The Latest Frontier in Antibody Testing for COVID-19 Starts with a Simple Prick of the Finger
Did you know that you only need a few drops of dried blood from a pricked finger to test for COVID-19 antibodies? Indeed, not only does a drop of blood contain a multitude of different antibodies to viruses and other microbes, but Wadsworth Center... read more
Microtiter blood plate courtesy Linda Styer
Innovative Surveillance: A New Tool in the Fight Against COVID-19
Read how Wadsworth Center scientists adapted the tools they already had to increase COVID surveillance capacity.
Fellowship Showcase
Fellowship Showcase: Highlights from the 2021-2022 Wadsworth Center Fellows
Wadsworth Center is committed to the continuing education of the next generation of public health laboratorians. In partnership with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Wadsworth... read more
CRyPTIC Logo
Wadsworth Center Collaborates as part of CRyPTIC: Comprehensive Resistance Prediction for Tuberculosis: an International Consortium
Tuberculosis­­­ - The Tortoise Would you be surprised to know that tuberculosis (TB) was the leading infectious disease killer in the world in 2019? Estimates of deaths attributed to TB were second only to COVID-19 in 2020 (roughly 1.5 million versus 1.8... read more
APHL Lab Week
Lab Week Celebrates the Hard Work and Dedication of Public Health Laboratory Staff
Wadsworth Center joins with the Association of Public Health Laboratories to celebrate Lab Week April 24-30, 2022. Follow the links to learn about the many ways public health laboratorians help to keep us safe every day - from environmental testing to... read more
Courtesy Springer Nature Limited
Wadsworth Center’s Dr. Klemen Strle Featured on the Cover of Nature Reviews Rheumatology
A culmination of work in Lyme arthritis in patients and in animal models, the review highlights the paradigm that infectious agents may trigger immune dysregulation and autoimmunity, leading to persistent post-infectious sequelae. Lyme arthritis: linking... read more
Rachel Fay, Ph.D. candidate
1st Place. 3 Minute Thesis.
Rachel Fay, Ph.D. candidate in Wadsworth Center’s Arbovirology Laboratory, under the mentorship of Dr. Alex Ciota, took first place in the University at Albany’s fourth annual Three Minute Thesis competition with her talk titled, “Increasing the... read more
Mantis news square
Dr. Nicholas Mantis Awarded $9 Million Contract to Aid in Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment of Lyme Disease
Dr. Nicholas Mantis, of Wadsworth Center's Division of Infectious Diseases, was awarded a five-year, $9 million contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to study human antibody responses to the Lyme disease pathogen, ... read more
Game plan - Paczkowski
A New Game Plan - Wadsworth Center’s Dr. Jon Paczkowski Awarded $1.8 Million NIH Grant to Study Regulation of Virulence Factors
​Current antibiotics work by interfering with bacterial growth, which is a fine game plan… until it stops working. More and more, bacteria are finding ways around this approach, resulting in a huge antibiotic resistance problem. Dr. Jon Paczkowski may... read more
Cytokine Heat Map
Radical Solutions: Diagnosing and Even Predicting COVID-caused MIS-C
As we’ve seen repeatedly during the pandemic, it isn’t always easy to get our hands on everything we need, hmmm, cue the toilet paper, especially new things. This reality translates to addressing patients who have COVID today. By using tools we already... read more
APHL Lab Matters Spring 2022 Edition
Wadsworth Center Scientists Featured in Association of Public Health Laboratories' Lab Matters
Dr. St. George is quoted in the feature article beginning on page 5 and our own Infectious Disease Fellow Nora Cleary is featured on pg 19. Nora has been selected for the Edith Hsiung Memorial prize for her abstract/presentation on Hep A whole genome... read more
Construction
Under Construction…Permanently. 25 Years of Wadsworth Center’s Clinical Laboratory Information Management System (CLIMS)
Having spent a lot of time in our homes recently, most of us are probably contemplating a dream renovation. If that project requires several professionals - plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc., we might have second thoughts. Critical to our mission... read more
APHL Lab Matters Fall Winter 2021
Detecting Antimicrobial Resistance in Biological Threat Agents
Read on page 26 of Association of Public Health Laboratories' Fall/Winter Lab Matters Issue about Wadsworth Center's Collaboration with CDC's Biodefense Research and Development Laboratory.
NYS DOH image https://www.flickr.com/photos/nysdoh/48682896723/in/album-72157710703391248/
Wadsworth Center’s Laboratory of Organic Analytical Chemistry Continues to Test Vaping Fluids Suspected of Causing Illness From New York State
In 2019, cases of a mysterious illness related to vaping, formally referred to as “e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury” (EVALI), were identified across the United States.  A significant number of cases affected young New Yorkers.  In... read more
Image courtesy of Erica Lasek-Nesselquist
Wadsworth Center Leads the Way in Number of NYS COVID Variants Sequenced
SARS-CoV-2, like all viruses, is constantly creating new variants through mutation of its RNA genome. Most mutations are of little or no consequence. However, every once in a while, a new mutation can increase transmissibility, increase disease severity... read more
World TB Day logo courtesy CDC web resources
Wadsworth Center, at the forefront of the fight against tuberculosis in NYS and globally, celebrates World TB Day 2021
The World Health Organization estimates that almost 4,000 people lose their lives to TB and close to 28,000 people contract TB every day.  Currently, 13 million people in the United States live with latent (hidden) TB infection. Wadsworth Center, led by... read more
Michael Perry
Wadsworth Center's Michael Perry Receives Two National Awards
The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) is pleased to announce the winners of its annual awards (page 32) for outstanding achievements in laboratory science, creative approaches to solving today’s public health challenges, and exemplary... read more
Biofilms of Mycobacterium smegmatis cells
Deciphering the sleep/wake cycle of ribosomes in mycobacteria
Infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb),  the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB) in humans, are difficult to eradicate with antibiotics: a 6-month long multidrug regimen is necessary for the treatment of TB.  The drug recalcitrance of TB... read more
Seven Fellows
Seven Fellows, One Goal
Wadsworth Center has long been committed to providing the next generation of public health professionals with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities. More than 300 students have made Wadsworth Center their summer home over the course of nearly 30... read more
Dr. Kimberlee Musser
Dr. Kimberlee Musser Appointed Director of Clinical Testing for Wadsworth Center’s David Axelrod Institute
Wadsworth Center’s David Axelrod Institute, and all of Wadsworth Center for that matter, may be known to many as a place for research and education. But there’s a lot of clinical testing that goes on here too. You could even say the work performed here... read more
Dr. Christina Egan and Michael Perry with 2019 3Rs Award
Dr. Christina Egan & Michael Perry Receive the 2019 North American Global 3Rs Award from AAALAC International and the IQ Consortium
This award recognizes those who effectively advance ethical science through significant, innovative contributions to the 3Rs of animal research - Refinement, Replacement and Reduction. Up to four such awards are presented annually – one each from North... read more
Dr. Jon Paczkowski
Bacterial FOMO
Wadsworth Center Welcomes Dr. Jon Paczkowski Dr. Paczkowski received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2014 and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Bassler Laboratory at Princeton University prior to joining the Wadsworth Center. Here he uses the model... read more
Candida auris
Funding Opportunity: Screening for Candida auris at point-of-care
New questions and answers added September 27, 2019! The Wadsworth Center and Health Research Inc. are requesting applications from up to three investigators/inventors/companies to work closely with the Wadsworth Center to develop and optimize a point-of-... read more
Summer 2019 Cover Image APHL Lab Matters
Nod to Wadsworth Center Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory
The Summer 2019 issue of the Association of Public Health Laboratories' (APHL) publication Lab Matters features an article recognizing the work of the Wadsworth Center's Antibiotic Resistance Lab Network (AR Lab Network) - Northeast Regional Lab.  
Statue of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis
Wadsworth Center Unveils Statue of Ignaz Semmelweis
Wadsworth Center Director Dr. Jill Taylor welcomed to the ceremony honored guests and speakers including Dr. Howard Zucker, New York State Health Commissioner; H.E. Ambassador István Pásztor, Consul General, New York; and Dr. Jonathan Jakus, Director of... read more
Greg Farrell Earns CDC Lifetime Achievement Award
Greg Farrell Earns CDC Lifetime Achievement Award
Virology Laboratory staff member Greg Farrell is the inaugural recipient of the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) Lifetime Achievement Award. Unsolicited. Inaugural. Lifetime Achievement. Weighty words. An unexpected... read more
Polarized light image of glucose. Richard Cole, Wadsworth Center
New Wadsworth Center Fellowship Program
The application period is closed. Check back Spring 2020.   About the Wadsworth Center Fellowship Program The mission of the Wadsworth Center Fellowship Program is to provide scientists with broad experience in laboratory science and research in... read more
American Association for the Advancement of Science Rosette. Photo credit AAAS. Used with permission.
Dr. Keith Derbyshire Named AAAS Fellow
Dr. Derbyshire joins the ranks of distinguished scientists recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) since 1874 - from Thomas Edison and Linus Pauling, to four of the 2018 Nobel Prize laureates. AAAS recognized Dr.... read more
Laura Kramer, Ph.D., Director of the Arbovirology Laboratory
Dr. Kramer Garners International Award for Career Contributions in Arbovirology
Every three years, the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH) bestows the Richard M. Taylor Award on an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of arbovirology throughout his or her career.  In 2018, Dr.... read more
Wadsworth Center TB Laboratory Featured in CAP TODAY
Wadsworth Center's TB Laboratory Featured in CAP TODAY
Wadsworth Center scientists from the Mycobacteriology and Bacteriology Laboratories, the Bioinformatics and Statistics Core, and the Sequencing Core, supported, developed and validated a test based on whole genome sequencing that provides comprehensive... read more
New lab will be located at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus
New Wadsworth Lab in the City of Albany
As announced in the Executive Budget Briefing Book The Budget supports a $750 million State commitment for construction of a new, world‐class, state‐of‐the‐art public health laboratory to replace the Wadsworth Center’s aging facilities. Redesigned as “A... read more
Dr. St. George Receives Alumni Award. Image: University of South Australia, photo by Aise Dillon
Australia to Albany and Back
On the heels of receiving the 2017 Diagnostic Virology Award, an international career achievement award, Dr. Kirsten St. George, Chief of the Laboratory of Viral Diseases, was presented with the Alumni Award from the University of South Australia (UniSA... read more
Aedes albopictus mosquito
Longer seasons and higher virus levels in 2018 for some pathogens carried by mosquitoes
Each year, Wadsworth Center’s Arbovirology Laboratory undertakes the seasonal surveillance of mosquitoes for arboviral pathogens. Surveillance is important for control of vector-borne viruses. First, it tells us which mosquito species are present and... read more
Dr. Patrick Parsons
Cover Story - Colorful Crustacean
This colorful crustacean comes to us as part of a larger research investigation into environmental exposures among the Upstate New York Chinese community. The NIH-funded, home-based study looked at some unique cultural foods, personal care products, and... read more
SouvenirsSouvenirs
Souvenirs: What did you bring home from your last trip to the hospital?
The stuff we carry around says a lot about us. If I were to dump my purse right now, you'd find a shell from my last trip to the ocean, a garnet from a hike up north and a penny pressed from an amusement park. Bacteria tell us a lot about themselves from... read more
AR Lab Network
Fighting Antibiotic Resistance with Printing Technology
Wadsworth Center's Antibiotic Resistance (AR) Regional Laboratory was chosen by CDC as one of four labs in the AR Lab Network to serve as a pilot site, "printing" with new drugs rather than ink, in order to find the most effective antibiotic.
TB Testing
Wadsworth Center’s TB Lab Launches New Testing Algorithm Based Upon Years of Development and Evaluation
Magnitude of Disease Impact Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) is a group of closely related and very important pathogens, infecting a quarter of the world’s population; New York State ranks 3rd in the nation for highest number of cases,... read more
Co-recipients of the 2018 Legacy of Hope Award
Dr. Joe Orsini Receives Legacy of Hope Award
In commemoration of the organization’s twentieth anniversary, the Hunter’s Hope Foundation presented Wadsworth Center’s Dr. Orsini and Duke University School of Medicine’s Dr. Kurtzberg with the Legacy of Hope Award. Co-recipients in the area of science... read more
Life Sciences Initiative
Governor Cuomo Announces Another Major Milestone in Life Sciences Initiative
Merck's ILÚM Health Solutions Will Invest up to $48 Million and Create up to 115 New Jobs Over Five Years    
Biofilms of Mycobacterium smegmatis cells - Ojha Laboratory
Research Opportunities / Tenure Track Faculty Position in Bacteriology
We are seeking an outstanding scientist at the Assistant or Associate Professor level to establish a competitive, grant-funded research program. Research areas of specific interest include studies on basic biological processes in bacteria, and mechanisms... read more
Mosquito after feeding.
$10 million CDC grant establishes the Northeast Center for Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases (NEVBD)
Why  A just-released CDC report concluded that disease caused by tick, mosquito and flea bites more than tripled in the US between 2004 and 2016, and that 9 new diseases were either discovered or detected here for the first time during that same period.... read more
Scientific Image
The randomness of breakthroughs
Times Union article about Dr. Joachim Frank, Nobel laureate and former Wadsworth Center research scientist.
Influenza virus. Photo Credit: Frederick Murphy; Content Provider CDC/Erskine Palmer, Ph.D.; M.L. Martin
Weekly Influenza Surveillance Reports
Wadsworth Center's Virology Laboratory contributes results of influenza type/subtype identification as well as antiviral resistance testing to the Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report compiled by the New York State Department of Health. 
Antibiotic Resistance Lab Network
Wadsworth Center Welcomes Two New Fellows to the Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network
2017 marks the first year the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has sponsored fellows in the Antimicrobial Resistance Track. Per the sponsors, “The fellowship’s... read more
ELISA plate
Two Zika Studies. Two Site Visits. Two Approaches to One Problem.
Dr. Susan Wong, Director of the Diagnostic Immunology Laboratory at the Wadsworth Center, recently traveled with a team from Columbia University’s Global Health Program to serve as a resource for evaluating laboratory testing issues. San Juan, Puerto... read more
Dr. Frank at his Wadsworth Center Laboratory in Albany
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Goes to Former Wadsworth Scientist
Groundbreaking work performed in Albany leads to revolution in science and medicine Dr. Rajendra Agrawal has long expected his former Wadsworth Center colleague Dr. Joachim Frank to win the Nobel Prize. This year, it happened. On October 4th, Dr. Frank... read more
Newborn Screening Program Prepares Other States for New Test Implementation
Wadsworth Center’s Newborn Screening Program Prepares Other States for New Test Implementation
Laboratory and follow-up staff (those who communicate results to the medical community) from six states (MA, OH, TN, TX, VA and WA) attended a two and a half-day workshop in Albany co-sponsored by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and... read more
Dr. Kirsten St. George, Chief of the Laboratory of Viral Diseases,
Wadsworth Center's Dr. Kirsten St. George - Developing Diagnostic Capabilities for Arboviruses
Dr. Kirsten St. George, Chief of the Laboratory of Viral Diseases at Wadsworth Center, was recently invited to speak at a technical workshop hosted by the Trust for Science Technology and Research of Puerto Rico, the Brain Trust for Tropical Diseases... read more
Joseph Orsini, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Newborn Screening Program
Wadsworth Center Senior Staff Gets National Recognition for Newborn Screening
For the second year in a row, a Wadsworth Center director has received the Harry Hannon Laboratory Improvement Award in Newborn Screening from the Assocation of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). Joseph Orsini, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Newborn... read more
Dr. Frank at his Wadsworth Center Laboratory in Albany
Former Wadsworth Center Researcher Receives Nobel Prize
New York State Department of Health Press Release October 4, 2017 Statement from Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker on Dr. Joachim Frank's Nobel Prize in Chemistry "Scientific discoveries propel humanity to ever greater heights and further our... read more
2017 Master of Science in Laboratory Sciences Graduation
2017 Graduates on a Mission
On August 16, 2017 Wadsworth Center’s Master of Science in Laboratory Sciences (MLS) Program graduates its fourth class. One component of Wadsworth Center’s mission is education. The work of this year’s three graduates links the MLS Program to the Center... read more
Wadsworth's Winning Team
Wadsworth Center’s Winning Team
“Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.” -Babe Ruth As any fan or parent who spends countless hours at the field can tell you, it’s baseball season. Just as the baseball stars we watch on TV have put decades of hard work into becoming the best in... read more
ARLN Workshop
Wadsworth Center Trains Laboratorians from Seven States to Test for Antimicrobial Resistance
Members of Wadsworth Center’s Bacteriology Laboratory, along with a guest lecturer from the CDC, provided a 2-day classroom and hands-on workshop in culture, susceptibility and DNA detection of antibiotic resistant bacteria for 12 laboratory... read more
FDA accredits Wadsworth Center as a 3rd party reviewer
FDA accredits Wadsworth Center as a 3rd party reviewer
FDA accredits Wadsworth Center as a 3rd party reviewer for selected premarket notifications or 510(k)s, which allows the Center to review, on FDA’s behalf, certain devices that fall under this classification. This accreditation represents the recognition... read more
Dr. Kirsten St. George
Wadsworth Center’s Dr. Kirsten St. George receives the 2017 Diagnostic Virology Award
At the recent Clinical Virology Symposium in Savannah, Georgia, Dr. St. George, Chief of the Laboratory of Viral Diseases at the Wadsworth Center, was presented with the 2017 Diagnostic Virology Award. Established in 1985, this international career-... read more
A new screening test for cystic fibrosis will use next generation sequencing.
New Test for Cystic Fibrosis Will Reduce Diagnostic Testing by 81%
Wadsworth Center Newborn Screening Program Sequences the Gene Responsible for Cystic Fibrosis Good news for new parents: the Wadsworth Center’s Newborn Screening Program has developed a more precise screening tool for cystic fibrosis (CF), alleviating... read more
Masters of Laboratory Science students exhibit interactive public health activities during the Albany March for Science
Wadsworth Center at the Albany March for Science
New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center Masters of Laboratory Science students exhibit interactive public health activities during the Albany March for Science at the New York State Capitol on Saturday, April 22, 2017. Celebrated in cities... read more
Candida. Content Credit: CDC/James Archer; Photo Credit: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Medical Illustrator
Wadsworth Center tests some of the first cases of an emerging fungal pathogen reported in the United States
In a November 4 press release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioned that Candida auris had been detected for the first time in the US in four states: New York, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey. These results follow CDC’s Clinical... read more
Dr. Matthew Kohn, REU Program Director at the 2017 Open House
Wadsworth Center Hosts Another Successful Open House
The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and Wadsworth Center’s Master of Science in Laboratory Sciences (MLS) Programs welcomed interested students to their annual open house. Faculty, laboratory staff and program graduates were on hand to meet... read more
Dr. Kannan
Dr. Kurunthachalam Kannan Receives Sturman Excellence in Research Award
Dr. Kannan, of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, is recognized as the 2017 recipient of the Lawrence S. Sturman Excellence in Research Award for his profound impact and contribution to the field of biomonitoring and environmental exposure... read more
Representation of GHOST output courtesy of the CDC.
A GHOST at Wadsworth Center
Wadsworth Center One of Four Laboratories in the Nation Chosen to Pilot Use of a Web Application and Next Generation Sequencing to Fight HCV Transmission The CDC estimates that between 2.7 and 3.9 million people in the United States have chronic... read more
Mosquito after feeding.
Wadsworth Center Scientist is Co-inventor of a Better Test for Zika
An article published recently in EBioMedicine describes a new multiplex serologic assay developed by Wadsworth Center’s Diagnostic Immunology Laboratory Director, Dr. Susan Wong, in collaboration with Dr. Pei-Yong Shi of the University of Texas Medical... read more
Picture of a tomato.
You say tomato. I say Solanum lycopersicum.
How can scientists, who represent approximately 2.5% of the total workforce, communicate effectively with the rest of us? This was the topic of an interactive workshop held recently at the Wadsworth Center. The American Society of Microbiology’s (ASM)... read more
Cryo-TEM image of T4 bacteriophage, vitreously frozen and imaged with phase plate
What’s Really COOL at Wadsworth
Pushing the Boundaries of Cryo-Electron Microscopy We’ve all left a water bottle in the freezer overnight only to find it bulging the next morning. That’s what water does when it freezes. It expands, right? Not always. Did you know, it is possible to... read more
Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) Exercise
Wadsworth Center Laboratories Participate in Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) Exercise
FERN was formed in response to the anthrax attacks that followed 9/11. It was then and is now a network of local, state and federal laboratories which contributes testing capability and capacity, relieving the burden to other agencies that also test food... read more
Dr. Woodall
Wadsworth Center Bids Farewell to One of Its Own
Former Arbovirus Laboratory Director and ProMED Co-founder Jack Woodall January 13, 1935 – October 24, 2016 Dr. Woodall lived in many countries and worked in even more throughout his lifetime. What follows is by no means a complete list: Senior Scientist... read more
Dr. Gray and Derbyshire Laboratories
New Study First to Describe Mycobacterial Cell - Cell Communication
For bacteria, sharing genetic information can be critical to survival. It can also make them fitter, better pathogens, and more able to evade the immune system and resist antibiotics. One way bacteria share their genetic information is by a process... read more
Alok Mehta, Manager of Information Technology Services and CLIMS Project Lead
20 Years of CLIMS
“This is special. This is really special,” says Nellie Dumas, Associate Director of the Bacteriology Laboratory in regard to Wadsworth Center’s Clinical Laboratory Information Management System (CLIMS), an electronic way of tracking sample information... read more
Dr. Mantis presenting at the14th Annual International Conference on Public Health and Emerging Microbial Threats
Wadsworth Center Scientists Participate in the 14th Annual International Conference on Public Health and Emerging Microbial Threats
Wadsworth Center Scientists, including graduates of the Masters of Science in Laboratory Sciences Program, laboratorians, research scientists, principal investigators, and the current and former Directors took part in the conference recently held at the... read more
LCM Poster Session
Poster Day Kicks off the 31st Year of Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology Seminars
Recently, the 10th annual Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology (LCM) Poster Day was held at the David Axelrod Institute. LCM Research Seminars take place monthly, September through June. This annual poster session kicks off the 31st year of seminars.... read more
B. anthracis Sterne strain
Wadsworth Center Cultivates a Culture of Biosafety Awareness and Best Practice
Failing to work with a microorganism at the correct Biosafety Level (BSL) in the laboratory has the potential to place people at risk of accidental exposure to infectious agents, so it is not a surprise that the June 5, 2014 incident at the Centers for... read more
Digitally colorized transmission electron micrograph of Norovirus virions. Photo credit: Charles D. Humphrey, CDC
Wadsworth Center Virology Laboratory Receives Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Funding for CaliciNet Outbreak Support Center
Norovirus is a primary cause of acute gastroenteritis and foodborne disease in the United States where, according to the CDC, it is responsible for "19 - 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis, 1.7 - 1.9 million outpatient visits and 400,000 emergency... read more
Next-generation sequencing
Wadsworth Center Chosen as a Pilot Site for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)
New York’s Wadsworth Center Laboratory was one of five state public health laboratories selected by the Association of Public Health Laboratories as a pilot site for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). The Wadsworth... read more
National Institutes of Health
Wadsworth Center Receives Award From NIH
NYSDOH Lab Part of a Consortium to Investigate Effects of Environmental Factors During Early Development on the Health of Children and Adolescents ALBANY, N.Y. (September 23, 2016) - New York State Department of Health today announced that its renowned... read more
HIV (yellow) attacking T cell. Credit: Seth Pincus, Elizabeth Fischer, Austin Athman, NIAID, NIH
Wadsworth Center’s Bloodborne Viruses Laboratory Participates in the HIV Nucleic Acid Testing Referral Demonstration Project
In 2014 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) made the first changes to the recommended HIV testing algorithm in a quarter of a century. According to the new scheme, a small portion... read more
Little brown bat Myotis lucifugus
Dr. Sudha Chaturvedi Fights Fire with Fire - Literally Using One Fungus to Fight Another
White-nose syndrome, first identified in the US in New York during the winter of 2006-2007 has killed millions of North American bats, and as of May 2016, has been confirmed in 29 states and 5 Canadian territories. Threatened and endangered bat species... read more
Tissue Culture Tube
Wadsworth Center’s Virology Laboratory Finds Clue in New York City Mumps Outbreak
Considering that the number of mumps cases per year has decreased by more than 99% since the introduction of vaccines against the disease, it is relatively rare these days to hear about a mumps outbreak. But that is just what has happened this summer as... read more
MLS Commencement 2016
Wadsworth Center Graduates its Third Class of Master of Science in Laboratory Sciences Students
In Albany, as in many places, August is the time when college students start back to school. But this August 17th at the Wadsworth Center, the Master of Science in Laboratory Sciences students are just finishing. As the only master’s degree program... read more
Bacteriology Laboratory
NYSDOH Wadsworth Center is One of Only Seven in the US Designated by CDC as Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Regional Laboratories
On August 3, 2016 New York State Commissioner of Health Dr. Howard A. Zucker announced the Wadsworth Center has been awarded $1.8 million to serve as one of seven labs in the nation designated as an Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Regional Laboratory.... read more
Dr. Matthew Kohn welcomes the 2016 incoming class of REU students
Wadsworth Welcomes 2016 Summer Undergraduate Scientists
During the summer, the Wadsworth Center hosts undergraduate students from across the country to conduct research under the mentorship of our Principal Investigators.  Students work in the labs on independent research projects and are supported through a... read more
Gram stain of Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-positive bacterium that is capable of causing human infections.
Wadsworth Lab part of CDC antibiotic tests
WASHINGTON – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated Albany's Wadsworth Laboratory as one of seven regional labs to tackle the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.  Read More at The Times Union.
Dr. Keith Derbyshire
Keith Derbyshire Receives Sturman Excellence in Research Award
Twenty-four years at the Wadsworth Center have given Keith Derbyshire, Ph.D., a career’s worth of MEMOs. Not the interoffice paper shuffle made obsolete by email and text messages, but a laboratory dedicated to MEMOs – Mobile Elements in Micro-Organisms... read more
Corded TB acid fast stained by Ziehl-Neelsen method
Mycobacteriology Laboratory Lends a Hand in New York City Case
Earlier this year, the Wadsworth Center became the first and only state public health laboratory in the nation to perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) of tuberculosis (TB) specimens. One case illustrates the enormous impact of WGS on TB testing and its... read more
Dr. Michele Caggana
Newborn Screening Director Receives National Award
Dr. Michele Caggana has been honored by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) for her leadership in improving laboratory screening of newborns for genetic disorders. Dr. Caggana, director of the Newborn Screening Program at the New York... read more
Yi-Pin Lin, Ph.D.Lyme Disease Bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi Credit: NIAID, NIH
Wadsworth Welcomes Dr. Yi-Pin Lin, Lyme Disease Researcher
Lyme disease, transmitted by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne disease in U.S. Vector-borne diseases are carried by mosquitoes, ticks or fleas. The bacterium is introduced during a tick bite and then survives in the... read more
NYS DOH
NYSDOH Epidiolex® Expanded Access Studies For Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy In Children and Young Adults
STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES COMPASSIONATE USE STUDIES OF CANNABIDIOL FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH TREATMENT-RESISTANT EPILEPSY Studies to be regulated under FDA’s Expanded Access Program 100 Children and Young Adults in New York Will be... read more
Colorized SEM Legionella. Photo credit: Janice Haney Carr; Content: CDC/Margaret Williams, Claressa Lucas, Tatiana TravisDeborah Baker performing Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis on water samples received during the Legionella investAnalysis on water samples received during the NYC South Bronx Legionella investigation.
Wadsworth Center’s Bacteriology Laboratory Plays a Pivotal Role in New York City's Legionella Outbreak
The Wadsworth Center’s Bacteriology Laboratory played a pivotal role in the recent Legionella outbreak in New York City. The classical approach to Legionella testing is culture, but, as Legionella are slow growing and fastidious organisms and the water... read more
Drs. Jill Taylor, Jon Wolpaw, and Commissioner Howard Zucker cut the ribbon.NCAN Open HouseNCAN Open House
National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies (NCAN) Open House
Commissioner of Health, Dr. Howard Zucker reflected that Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology frees those who, like Stephen Hawking, are locked-in by allowing the silent to speak and the immobile to move. It aids those with injury, illness and... read more
Newborn Screening ProgramMelissa Wasserstein, MD
Newborn Screening Program Pilot Study: Hurler Syndrome
The New York State Newborn Screening Program screens all infants born in the state for 47 different diseases. In addition, the program is currently performing a pilot study with Dr. Melissa Wasserstein (pictured left), from the Icahn School of Medicine... read more
NYS Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Wadsworth Director Dr.  Jill Taylor and Health Commissioner Dr. Howard ZuckerLt. Governor Hochul's tour of Wadsworth Center.Lt. Governor Hochul's tour of Wadsworth Center.
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Visits Wadsworth Center's David Axelrod Institute for Public Health
On Monday June 15th the Lieutenant Governor, the Honorable Kathy Hochul, visited the David Axelrod Institute. She had specifically asked to learn more about our preparedness and biodefense activities, so the first stop was a tour of the Biodefense... read more
Pallavi Ghosh, Ph.D.
New Wadsworth Researcher Studies Tuberculosis Drug-Resistance
When new risks to public health increase, the Wadsworth Center finds new scientists to address them. One of the newest is Pallavi Ghosh, Ph.D., who joined the Wadsworth Center as a new researcher in November 2014. Her target: Multi-drug resistant strains... read more
Dr. Anil OjhaChest radiograph with lower lobe activity. Credit: CDCDifferential response of mycobacterial biofilms taken by the Ojha Laboratory using a multi-dimensional scope
Dr. Anil Ojha - Turning the Tide on Tuberculosis
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 2 million people are infected and 23,000 people die annually from drug resistant bacteria in the United States alone. Drug resistant tuberculosis in particular is described by CDC as... read more