APHL Honors 2026 Annual Award Winners
Baltimore, Maryland, May 6, 2026 – The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) is pleased to announce the winners of its annual awards for outstanding achievements in laboratory science, creative approaches to solving today’s public health challenges and exemplary support of laboratories serving the public’s health. Awardees were honored on May 6, 2026 at the APHL Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD. Congratulations to all award winners!
The following awards were presented:
Lifetime Achievement Award – This award recognizes individuals who have established a history of distinguished service to APHL, made significant contributions to the advancement of public health laboratory science or practice, exhibited leadership in the field of public health and/or positively influenced public health policy on a national or global level. This is not a retirement award, but a true Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Peter Iwen, director, Nebraska Public Health Laboratory
Gold Standard Award – The award is given to an APHL member who makes or has made significant contributions to the technical advancement of public health laboratory science and/or practice. This year there are two Gold Standard Award winners.
- Philip Lee, lead biological defense coordinator, Florida Department of Health Bureau of Public Health Laboratories - Jacksonville
- Carol Glaser, public health medical officer, Center for Laboratory Sciences, California Department of Public Health
Silver Award – This award honors a laboratorian with 10 to 15 years of service in a governmental public health laboratory. The honoree will be recognized as a leader both within their home laboratory as well as external to their laboratory.
- Eric Bind, manager, Biomonitoring and Exposure Program, Public Health and Environmental Laboratories, New Jersey Department of Health
Emerging Leader Award – The Emerging Leader Award honors an individual whose leadership has been instrumental in one or more advances in laboratory science, practice, management, policy or education early in their career.
- Arunachalam Ramaiah, director of bioinformatics, project director and principal investigator, Pathogen Genomics Center of Excellence at the Georgia Public Health Laboratory
Leadership in Biosafety and Biosecurity Award – This award honors a laboratorian with over 10 years of related service in the field of biosafety and biosecurity in a state and/or local public health laboratory. The honoree will be recognized as a leader both within their home laboratory as well as external to their laboratory (for example, by serving in a leadership role in committees/taskforces at the national level). This year there are two Leadership in Biosafety and Biosecurity Award winners.
- Eric Lundquist, biosafety coordinator, Public Health Laboratory, Minnesota Department of Health
- Crystal Fortune, biosafety officer, Montana State Public Health Laboratory
LEAD Award – This award, established in 2021, recognizes the legacy of Eva J. Perlman, APHL's first chief learning officer, who over three decades helped shape the public health laboratory workforce and represented the attributes of ‘serving those who have served.’ This award honors an individual who exhibits the attributes of a leader, encourager, advocate and developer, and who has 10 or more years of service in a state, local or territorial public health laboratory, or other public health laboratory partner.
- Jeremy Corrigan, director, San Diego County Public Health Laboratory
Presidential Award – The APHL Presidential Award winners were selected by Dr. Scott Shone during his Presidential year (2025-2026) for the significant contributions that were made to the association’s work to promote policies that strengthen public health laboratories. Dr. Shone chose two individuals for this year’s award.
- Daniel Jernigan, former director, Influenza Division and former director, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Denise Toney, director, Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, Virginia Department of General Services
Healthiest Laboratory Award – This award is given to an APHL member laboratory that is committed to safety, environmental process, environmental policy and employee health and wellness.
- State jurisdictional award winner: State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa
- Local jurisdictional award winner: Napa-Solano-Yolo-Marin County Public Health Laboratory
Award for Outstanding Contribution to Workforce, Training and Continuing Education – The Award for Outstanding Contribution to Workforce, Training and Continuing Education honors an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of workforce development and training in public health laboratory science and practice; worked to provide continuing education opportunities, programs, policies or practices internally and/or through outreach to public health partners; or demonstrated a history of service with APHL committees, taskforces or workgroups focused on workforce development, continuing education or training.
- Sinisa “Sin” Urban, division chief, Division of Environmental Sciences, Maryland Department of Health Laboratories Administration
Champion of the Public Health Laboratory Award – The Champion of the Public Health Laboratory Award honors federal, state and local elected officials or executive branch employees who have recognized the importance of state and local governmental laboratories that perform testing of public health significance either through support of legislation or federal agency decisions.
- Tom Cole, representative, 4th Congressional District of Oklahoma, US House of Representatives
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The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) works to strengthen laboratory systems serving the public’s health in the US and globally. APHL’s member laboratories protect the public’s health by monitoring and detecting infectious and foodborne diseases, environmental contaminants, terrorist agents, genetic disorders in newborns and other diverse health threats. Learn more at https://www.aphl.org/