Okay, everyone, we will go ahead and get started. My name is Regina Jarrett, and I am a Health Education Specialist in the Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS) at CDC. A couple of notes before we dive into this webinar. If you're experiencing any technical issues, feel free to email the OneLab inbox for support at onelab@cdc.gov. If you have questions during this session, enter them in the Q&A section below the Q&A icon. We'll hold a Q&A session at the very end of this presentation where we'll review questions, do our best to answer them. And I've also posted a link to the live caption in the chat.

So please keep the caption window open if you use it, in addition to the Teams webinar. Today, we will open with a few words from Victor De Jesus, the Acting Director of the Division of Laboratory Systems at the CDC. Then we'll introduce some of our OneLab resources and today's speaker.

We'll also have about a 10-minute Q&A session at the end, where we'll review questions and do our best to answer those questions. Today's session will end with a discussion of upcoming network events. And for today's webinar, we will be leaving the chat feature open for your engagement.

When using the chat box, please keep the appropriate rules of engagement in mind, and feel free to use the chat to connect with others by reacting to what you've heard, sharing experiences, and asking questions to fellow participants. If you have questions for the presenter today, please use the Q&A function not the chat. Additionally, please engage with respect and professionalism, and any inappropriate language, improper conduct, or discrimination may result in removal from this webinar. Please ensure your comments are relevant to your topic if a moderator gives direction regarding chat behavior, and please comply accordingly.

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So without further ado, I'll turn it now over to our OneLab Network lead, Alicia Branch.

Thank you so much. I would like to wish our OneLab members a happy Lab Week. And it's my pleasure to introduce Dr. Victor De Jesus, the Acting Director of CDC's Division of Laboratory Systems, who will provide the opening remarks.

Over to you, Victor.

Thank you, Alicia. Good day to all of you. My name is Victor De Jesus, and I am the Acting Director of the Division of Laboratory Systems at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is my pleasure to welcome you to today's OneLab Network event on how clinical standardization programs advance the quality of laboratory testing.

While in the U.S., the CLIA regulations do not specifically address the use of standards, laboratory professionals recognize that there is a role for clinical standardization programs and consensus standards to help them strive for high-quality test systems. CDC's clinical standardization program's mission is to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of selected diseases by standardizing clinical laboratory measurements. These programs work to create measurement results with the same analytical accuracy and precision to simplify comparison among them. I want to thank our speaker, Dr. Hubert Vesper for delivering today's valuable presentation. I also want to thank the Division of Laboratory Systems staff who made this event possible. Dr. Branch, back to you.

Thank you so much.

And thank you again for your warm remarks. Before the main presentation, I'll introduce new OneLab resources and then read the PACE disclaimer.

Next slide, please.

We're pleased to announce three new virtual reality specimen handling scenarios available in OneLab VR and on REACH. These simulations provide users with the opportunity to enter our virtual core laboratory to practice blood, urine, and respiratory specimens without the risk of exposure to infectious substances. Next slide, please.

In addition, we're highlighting the What's the Total Testing Process video, which provides early career laboratory professionals with an overview of the clinical testing cycle, including the pre- analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases. Links to both resources have been placed in the chat.

Next slide, please.

Subject matter experts and presenters wish to disclose they have no financial interest or other relationships with the manufacturers of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services, or commercial supporters. I am excited to introduce our presenter today, Dr. Hubert Vesper, who is the Director of the Clinical Standardization Program here at CDC, where he leads national and international programs and activities to enhance patient care through laboratory standardization and harmonization of clinical tests. Dr. Vesper provides scientific leadership and technical expertise to initiatives focused on standardizing and harmonizing disease biomarker measurements. He currently chairs ISO TC 212 Working Group 2, overseeing the development of ISO standards for reference laboratories and materials.

He also is a co-chair of the Partnerships for Accurate Testing of Hormones, better known as PATH, coordinating education efforts among stakeholder organizations to promote quality and clinical testing and standardization.

With over 100 publications, including eight clinical laboratory and practice guidelines and recommendations, Dr. Vesper is a recognized leader in the clinical laboratory test standardization, and he looks forward to presenting on the CDC's clinical standardization program and their impact on improving patient care and laboratory testing. Our speaker for today, Dr. Hubert Vesper. Over to you, Dr. Vesper.

Thank you.

Let me share my screen.

OK, can you all see my screen?

We can.

Well, thank you for the very nice introduction and also would like to thank the organizers of OneLab for giving me the possibility to talk about CDC's clinical standardization programs.

And in my presentation, I will talk about why we conduct these standardization programs, how they relate to proficiency testing, and describe more in detail how we operate these programs.

For those not familiar with our programs, our focus is on chronic diseases. And the five key areas that are covered by our programs are shown in this slide. So for example, for over 60 years now, we ensure that blood lipid measurements conducted in the United States are accurate and reliable.

And the instruments you use in your laboratory to measure total cholesterol, they're calibrated and verified by our programs. In addition to traditional blood lipids, we also cover lipoproteins such as Lp(a) and Apolipoprotein B. The majority of analytes that we address in our programs are hormones like thyroid hormones, parathyroid hormones, and vitamin D for kidney and bone diseases and steroid hormones for certain cancers and reproductive health.

In the area of diabetes, we are a reference laboratory for glucose and supported the natural glycohemoglobin standardization program for A1C. And this program actually was designed based on our cholesterol program.