Dr. Denise Kay, Director of the Newborn Screening Program at the Wadsworth Center, attended a meeting of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Newborn Screening Molecular Subcommittee at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention in Atlanta. As Co-Chair of the subcommittee, Dr. Kay co-led the meeting.
The Molecular Subcommittee is composed of Newborn Screening Program experts from nine states, along with representatives from APHL and CDC. The group provides critical guidance to newborn screening programs nationwide, helping shape the future of molecular laboratory science, practice, and policy in public health.
The 1.5-day meeting, held April 14-15, addressed a range of key topics, including the current status of molecular testing in newborn screening across the United States, strategies for molecular proficiency testing, and best practices for quality assurance in next-generation sequencing data. Participants also discussed national newborn screening initiatives, including ongoing and upcoming genome sequencing projects. Strategic planning for the year ahead was a central focus, reinforcing the subcommittee’s leadership role in advancing innovation, standardization, and quality across newborn screening programs nationwide.