On February 10, 2026, the Wadsworth Center’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences (DEHS) hosted the 2026 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 State/Territory Laboratory Group Meeting at the Biggs Laboratory facility at Empire State Plaza. The annual meeting convenes environmental laboratory leaders and partners from federal, state, and territorial agencies across EPA Region 2, which spans New York to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

In October 2023, the New York State Newborn Screening Program launched a landmark one-year pilot study to screen every infant born in the state for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV). The results of this study, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, were recently published in JAMA Network Open, confirming the feasibility of using dried blood spots for large-scale cCMV screening. While cytomegalovirus is common and often harmless in most people, infection in utero can lead to severe complications.

Scientists in the Wadsworth Center’s Division of Genetics published a study in the journal, mBio, (DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03445-25) identifying an unknown molecular switch that controls how dangerous Vibrio bacteria transition from acting as individual cells to functioning collectively. The study focused on the master regulator of bacterial “group decision-making,” or quorum sensing, in Vibrio vulnificus – a pathogen responsible for severe seafood-associated and wound infections.

Dr. Abhishek Jain of the Wadsworth Center has been selected to serve as a judge for the Bioanalysis Rising Star Award 2026, presented by Bioanalysis Zone, Taylor & Francis Group. Judges for this award are recognized as leading experts in the bioanalytical community, responsible for evaluating and identifying the most promising early-career scientists whose research demonstrates innovation, rigor, and potential to advance the field. Serving as a judge highlights Dr. Jain’s expertise, leadership, and influence in shaping the next generation of bioanalytical researchers.

The New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center and Division of Epidemiology are collaborating on the investigation of a Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) outbreak in northern New York State. RSV primarily causes clinically significant illness in children under five years of age and older adults, often presenting as influenza-like illness or pneumonia, and commonly requiring hospitalization in severe cases. 

A press release from Governor Hochul announces that construction is underway for the new Wadsworth Center laboratory.

In January 2026, the Wadsworth Center successfully completed routine federal inspections required under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) across the Biggs Laboratory, Griffin Laboratory, and the David Axelrod Institute (DAI). A team of five CLIA surveyors conducted a comprehensive three-day on-site evaluation of clinical laboratory operations. 

Beginning in early November 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), initiated an investigation into a multistate outbreak of infant botulism associated with ByHeart Whole Nutrition powdered infant formula. Early epidemiologic findings demonstrated a strong association between illness and consumption of the product, prompting a voluntary recall.

The Wadsworth Center Fellowship Program Committee hosted the Winter Fellow Research Symposium on January 22, 2026, at the David Axelrod Institute (DAI) and the Life Sciences Innovation Building (LSIB) Collaboratory. Eight fellows representing three Divisions—the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Division of Genetics—participated in the event. 

Several Wadsworth Center Research Scientists and their trainees attended the 2026 Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, held January 10-17, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona. Participants included Drs. Patrick Parsons, George Donati, and Christopher Palmer; Ms. Kayla Mehigan; and Dr. Sarah El Din, an APHL Postdoctoral Fellow. University at Albany doctoral students Deanna Luneau and Joseph Teson from Dr. Parsons’ laboratory also attended the meeting.

For the second consecutive year, scientists from the Wadsworth Center are participating in a community outreach partnership with Rise High, a Schenectady-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program serving students in grades 6-12. The initiative is designed to introduce students to public health science and to encourage interest in STEM and public health careers.

The Wadsworth Center investigated the deaths of five common loons (Gavia immer) collected from New York State waters for suspected type E botulism, a rare type that is usually associated with birds and aquatic environments. Four of the birds were recovered from Lake Erie in Erie County, and one was collected from Lake Ontario in Oswego County. Liver samples from all five loons, along with gastrointestinal contents (pooled samples from the Lake Erie loons and an individual sample from the Lake Ontario loon), were collected on November 19, 2025. 

The Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP) within the Wadsworth Center at the New York State Department of Health has regulatory oversight responsibility for laboratories that test environmental samples collected in New York State.  These laboratories analyze samples for a wide range of toxins, harmful microorganisms, carcinogens, and other substances that may affect public health and the environment. 

Nicole Cairns, Assistant Director of the Wadsworth Center, was elected Chair of The NELAC Institute (TNI) Chemistry Expert Committee on January 7, 2026.  TNI is a national, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the generation of environmental measurement data of known and documented quality through the development and maintenance of consensus standards.  These standards are used to accredit environmental laboratories, accreditation bodies, and proficiency testing providers nationwide.  Ms.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a significant public health challenge in the United States.  According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 29.5 million individuals aged 12 and older had an alcohol use disorder, while 24 million had a drug use disorder.  Beyond the direct health impacts of substance use, individuals with SUD may also face increased exposure to harmful environmental chemicals that can further compromise health.  Drugs produced through clandestine and unregulated manufacturing processes can expose individuals to a range of contaminan

The Wadsworth Center has identified Borrelia mayonii in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) collected in New York State – the first time this Lyme disease-like pathogen has been detected outside the upper Midwest. B.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant proposals are reviewed for scientific merit by study sections composed of expert scientists. These panels carefully evaluate and rank submitted applications, with funding decisions based on scientific rigor, innovation, feasibility, and potential impact. Study section service requires a substantial commitment of time and effort, including extensive reading and re-reading of applications, objective evaluation, written critiques, in-depth discussion with peer reviewers during meetings, and submission of final scores and summary statements.

The Single Use Permit process has replaced the Non-Permitted Laboratory request process.  Applications for a Single Use Permit must be submitted by the TESTING LABORATORY using eCLEP. We will no longer accept requests from the REFERRING ENTITY.Please refer to the new Single Use Permit webpage for more information.

The Wadsworth Center Bacteriology Laboratory is collaborating with Albany Medical College on a study evaluating whether the use of electrocautery, rather than a traditional scalpel, for skin incisions can reduce surgical site infections in patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty. The study will assess both superficial and deep bacterial cultures to determine differences in bacterial contamination associated with the two surgical techniques.

Patrick Parsons, Director of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the Wadsworth Center, participated in a series of on-camera interviews with Spectroscopy, a technical publication that covers advances in spectroscopic techniques used in analytical chemistry laboratories. Dr.