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Environmental Laboratory Science Committee

The Environmental Laboratory Science Committee (ELSC) works to expand the successes and address the challenges of state, territorial and local laboratories testing environmental substances found in the natural and built environment.

Questions?

Contact us: [email protected]

Our Purpose

About the Committee

Committee Charge

The ELSC works on issues related to testing the natural and built environment, including water, soil, air, biota, consumer products and other matrices by:     

  • ​Advising APHL about ways to drive government policy     
  • ​Providing technical assistance to environmental laboratories and programs    
  • ​Addressing emerging environmental issues and enhancing public awareness of the value of environmental laboratories. 

Priorities

  • Facilitate collaboration among environmental laboratory scientists to share knowledge and develop resources on key issues.   
  • Promote greater visibility and understanding of issues impacting environmental laboratories and available resources to address these issues.  
  • Explore and evaluate current environmental laboratory topics to determine new opportunities for chang
Our Work

Projects and Work Products

Current Projects

The ELSC is currently: 

  • Developing webinars and other resources to help laboratories determine whether and how they would test for contaminants of emerging concern such as 6PPD-quinone and other tire treadwear products.  
  • Developing a guidance document with the APHL Academic Partnerships Team to help laboratories enhance their work through academic partner connections.  
  • Updating the APHL Healthiest Lab Award application to include best currently available approaches for laboratories to integrate environmentally sustainable practices into their laboratory.

Recently Completed Work Products

The Committee was instrumental in producing the following materials: 

The ELSC also helped produce several toolkits, which can be found on the Environmental Health Resources page:  

  • Citizen Science Quality Assurance 
  • Environmental Health Laboratory Communications 
  • Environmental Health Laboratory Ethics  
Our Team

Meet the Committee

The ELSC Committee is comprised of environmental laboratory scientists from across the country. 

Enoma Omoregie, PhD
Committee Chair | New York City Public Health Laboratory 

Lori Pillsbury 
 Committee Vice-chair | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Laboratory

Kristin Dunaway
Tennessee Department of Health Division of Laboratory Services 

Nydea Espinoza 
New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory

Keri Fisher, MLS (ASCP)CM, ASQ CQPA, LSSGB
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Laboratories 

Pam Higgins, PhD
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Laboratory

Susan Jackson
South Carolina Bureau of Regional & Laboratory Services

Anita Keese
Texas Department of State Health Services Laboratory

Mui Koltunov, PhD
Department of Toxic Substances Control Laboratory

Dustin May, PhD
State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa

Scott Miles
Louisiana Department of Public Health Bureau of Laboratory Services 

Sin Urban, PhD
Maryland Department of Health Laboratories Administration

Eric Vaughn, DrPH, MPH
DC Department of Forensic Sciences - Public Health Laboratory 

Jeff Wagner, PhD
California Department of Health Laboratory

Yvette Wilson
Florida Bureau of Public Health Laboratories

Shane Wyatt
Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services  

Sarah Wright,  MS 
Committee Liaison

Nikita Kheni, MSPH
Committee Liaison