People. Planning. Preparedness.

Hello, a couple of notes about the OneLab Summit before we begin. This and all other 
sessions are being recorded and will be posted to the OneLab Summit page at a later date. If 
you have any technical issues while attending the Summit, please e-mail the OneLab inbox for 
support at OneLab@cdc.gov.  
We're posting a link to live captions in the chat. Please be sure to keep the captions 
windows open if you use it in addition to this Zoom meeting. If you have questions throughout 
today's events, please insert them into the Q&A function below using the Q&A icon. We'll 
answer questions at the end of each session. And now I'll turn it over to our OneLab Network 
lead, Alicia Branch, to kick off the event and introduce today's theme. Alicia? 
Thank you, Blanche. Warm greetings to the 2024 CDC OneLab Virtual Summit and Happy 
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. I'm Alicia Branch. 
As Blanche said, I'm a health scientist and safety specialist in the CDC Division of 
Laboratory Systems, and the OneLab Network lead. The OneLab Summit was purposely 
scheduled for this week, the week we celebrate and honor laboratory professionals for skillfully 
adapting to today's evolving public health challenges — excuse me — public health challenges 
and providing patient care through reliable diagnostic — diagnostic testing and prevention with 
resilience and expertise. 
We are delighted to have you join us for the next three days of intensive exploration of 
the laboratory workforce. Your presence here is not just appreciated, it's essential. It's a 
collaborative space where we can collectively strategize, bridge training gaps, and enhance our 
skills to prepare for the future emerging public health threats. 
The theme of this year's Summit is Thrive: People. Planning. Preparedness. This 
emphasizes our commitment to connect clinical and public health laboratory professionals in 
real time to support a unified response to laboratory education and training needs. 
Each day sets the stage for a theme and a diverse range of speakers, each representing 
various laboratory related experiences, backgrounds, organizations, and institutions. Today's 
theme is People, and we have speakers bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Again, 
welcome. May this laboratory training summit empower you with new skills, ignite your 
laboratory passions, and lead to innovative solutions to future emergency public health 
challenges. 
We firmly believe that this Summit is not just an event, but a catalyst for your 
professional growth and advancing our collective knowledge. We genuinely appreciate your 
active participation today and over the next three days. Your presence and engagement makes 
this Summit a success. We extend our heartfelt thanks to being part of this community-driven 
event. 
So let's embark on this journey of learning and collaboration together. Next slide, 
please. 
I will read two disclaimers. First, it will be the, the CDC external presenter [disclaimer] 
and then second, the professional acknowledgement for continuing  education, which is 
P.A.C.E.® And then introduce our first speaker, Dr. Dana Powell Baker. Slide decks may contain 
presentation material from panelists not affiliated with CDC. Presentation content from 
external panelists may not necessarily reflect CDC's official position on the topics covered. 
Next slide, please. 
CDC, our planners, and our presenters wish to disclose that we have no financial interest 
or other relationships with the manufacturers of commercial products, suppliers of commercial 
services, or commercial supporters. 
Next slide.  
I'm excited to introduce our first speaker today, Dr. Dana Powell Baker. Dana is the 
manager for academic partnerships at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, or APHL. 
She is an American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science certified Medical Laboratory Scientist. 
Her areas of expertise include higher education, learning and development, laboratory 
operations, interprofessional education, and healthcare simulation. 
In addition to her professional responsibilities, she advocates for diversity, equity, and 
inclusion in the laboratory-medical workforce, and the and the public health sector. Our first 
presenter, Dr. Dana Powell Baker.