Dr. Janice Pata, Director of the Wadsworth Center’s Division of Scientific Cores, delivered a virtual seminar to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis on December 9, 2025.

For more than 25 years, the Environmental Proficiency Test and Validation Unit (EPTAVU), of the Wadsworth Center’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences (DEHS), produced a comprehensive suite of environmental proficiency testing (PT) samples for hundreds of laboratories accredited through the New York State Department of Health’s Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP).

The Wadsworth Center’s tuberculosis (TB) testing program for Mycobacterium tuberculosis is among the leading diagnostic programs in the United States and is internationally recognized for its scientific excellence and public health impact. Senior scientists from the program are regularly invited to participate in major international meetings, reflecting its global leadership in TB diagnostics and surveillance.

The Advanced Genomics Technology Cluster (AGTC) Core at the Wadsworth Center is continuing to expand its automation capabilities to support both research and clinical sequencing workflows. As part of this effort, hands-on, advanced technical training is essential to ensure the Center can independently maintain and optimize these high-throughput systems.

The Wadsworth Center’s Division of Infectious Disease was prominently represented at the 9th European Study Group for Legionella Infections (ESGLI) Meeting, held in Palermo, Italy, from November 12-14, 2025. Danielle Wroblewski, a scientist in the Food and Waterborne Unit of the Bacterial Diseases Laboratory, was invited to deliver two presentations showcasing research conducted at the Wadsworth Center to advance the detection of Legionella in both human and environmental samples.

On December 3–4, 2025, Dr. Joseph Orsini, PhD, of the Wadsworth Center, participated in the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ (APHL) annual Newborn Screening (NBS) Face-to-Face Committee Meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Orsini serves as Co-Chair of the national NBS Committee, which provides guidance, develops best practices, and addresses emerging challenges to ensure high-quality newborn screening programs across the United States.

The New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center and Division of Epidemiology have been selected to participate in a major multinational study evaluating the effectiveness of a pneumococcal vaccine currently licensed in Europe. The study fulfills a post-authorization requirement of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and brings together leading public health institutions from Europe, the Americas, and Israel. 

A research team at the Wadsworth Center has developed an innovative, environmentally friendly method for extracting trace metals from biological samples without the use of concentrated mineral acids. Led by Dr. George Donati, Deputy Director of the Laboratory of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, the study demonstrates a safer, greener alternative to conventional digestion techniques used in environmental, toxicological, and food safety testing. 

On November 14, 2025, representatives from the Wadsworth Center’s Newborn Screening Program joined faculty, a clinician, and students at the University at Albany’s College of Integrated Health Sciences (CIHS) for the College’s first interprofessional education (IPE) event. The session, titled “Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Newborn Screening,” brought together over 50 students from public health, nursing, and social welfare programs to explore how different professions collaborate to support newborn screening and follow-up care. 

Three senior pathology residents from Albany Medical Center participated in a two-day rotation in the Wadsworth Center’s Newborn Screening Program DNA Laboratory, where they observed workflows, gained hands-on experience, and learned about the genetic testing that supports New York State’s comprehensive newborn screening program.