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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 at Mount Sinai, to screen for four additional diseases that are lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs). Four New York City hospitals are participating and approximately 500 infants are being tested weekly in the pilot study.  The newest disorder to be tested is called Hurler syndrome.

The state Health Department's Wadsworth Centergraduated its second masters class on Wednesday. The two-year program blends traditional course study and an estimated 1,200 hours of work in Wadsworth's public laboratories. More of this article can be found at Albany Times Union.

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 Laboratory. Dr. Christina Egan described the laboratory’s capabilities to detect agents-of-concern in white powders, as well as other environmental samples, and the major push in the development and evaluation of new technologies since the anthrax attacks of 2001.

When new risks to public health increase, the Wadsworth Center finds new scientists to address them.

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 a Serious Threat. For these reasons, bacterial drug resistance is a primary research focus for the Wadsworth Center.

Dr. May Chu, assistant director of public health, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, gives the keynote address during the Wadsworth Center Master of Laboratory Science graduation ceremony. To read the entire article, see the Albany Times Union.

In the David Axelrod Institute just past the expanse of Albany Medical Center's campus, Erin Hughes works to improve screening techniques for cystic fibrosis. To read more of this article, go to Albany Times Union. Lab science program readies first graduates

In September 2012, the New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center launched a new cross-disciplinary Master of Science in Laboratory Science (MLS) program. More of this article can be found at APHL Lab Matters.  

The Newborn Screening Program at the Wadsworth Center has been awarded a two-year Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Screening Improvement Program (SIP) grant titled CF-GENES-II: Improving Genetic Counseling Access for Caregivers of Infants with Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screen-Positive, Inconclusive Diagnosis in New York State.The Wadsworth Center screens every infant born in New York State for cystic fibrosis (CF). Infants with positive screening results are referred to one of the state’s specialty care centers for diagnostic testing, clinical evaluation, treatment, and follow-up.

The Laboratory of Viral Diseases hosted a two-day enterovirus molecular characterization workshop on July 28th and 29th. The training was sponsored by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and included scientists from state public health laboratories in New Jersey, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, California, Massachusetts, and Nebraska.  

The Wadsworth Center has been awarded funding through the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Grant Program’s Antimicrobial Laboratory Network to support antimicrobial-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis activities from August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026.  Two state public health laboratories, including the Wadsworth Center’s Mycobacteriology Laboratory, were selected to conduct whole genome sequencing (WGS) for culture-positive tuberculosis (TB) cases within their states. 

The New York State Newborn Screening Program at the Wadsworth Center has been selected to participate in BEACONS (Building Evidence and Collaboration for GenOmics in Nationwide Newborn Screening), a national research study evaluating the use of optional, supplemental newborn genome sequencing within existing public health newborn screening systems. The goal of BEACONS is to assess how genome sequencing can be responsibly, equitably, and sustainably integrated into public health newborn screening programs across the United States.

The State Health Department's Wastewater Surveillance Program  is integral to advanced COVID-19 tracking and nation-leading polio detection efforts. The program is now testing for Influenza, RSV, Hepatitis A, Norovirus and antimicrobial-resistant genes.Read the New York State Department of Health's press release.

On July 15, 2025, Wadsworth Center’s Nuclear Chemistry Laboratory (NCL), within the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, onboarded their third Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) fellow in the past three years.  

A new episode of the Inspired to Heal podcast, hosted by Dr. William (Bill) Trick – retired in 2024 after a distinguished career as a clinician, researcher, and CDC epidemiologist – features Wadsworth Center’s Dr. Kimberlee Musser alongside Dr. Don Weiss of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.  

The Wadsworth Center’s Visiting Scholar Program continues to demonstrate strong international impact and scientific value. Two visiting scientists from Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, who completed their year-long training earlier this year, have provided highly positive reports of their experience in the laboratories of the Wadsworth Center.

The Navy Force Health Protection Command (FHPC) is establishing a new Core Genomics Laboratory in Florida to enhance pathogen detection and genomic surveillance capabilities for forward-deployed military and public health operations. The Navy laboratory’s mission will be to support Navy Medicine and global Force Health Protection through advanced molecular diagnostics, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and bioinformatics-based threat analysis.

The Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP) within the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, has regulatory oversight of laboratories testing environmental samples collected in New York State. These laboratories analyze for a wide range of contaminants, including mercury, lead, PCBs, and “forever chemicals” (PFAS). As part of its mandate, ELAP conducts on-site inspections to ensure laboratory compliance.  

In the September 2025 issue of Clinical Microbiology Newsletter, a new three-part collaborative series, “Laboratory Diagnosis of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria,” was published with Wadsworth Center’s Dr. Kimberlee Musser as a coauthor.  Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are increasingly recognized as significant pathogens responsible for lung and other infections, particularly among individuals with underlying lung disease or weakened immune systems. NTM are frequently associated with nosocomial outbreaks, often traced to contaminated water sources.