Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving departments.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

The recent discontinuation of a key reagent in our Measles IgM assay has necessitated a temporary halt in Measles IgM testing at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene. We will continue to offer Measles PCR and Measles IgG testing as needed with no change in ordering or time to results. Please refer to the CDC Test recommendation for test guidance.

We are actively addressing this issue and are currently engaged in identifying a new test method that will meet the needs of our patients and providers. During this transition period, specimens submitted to WSLH for Measles IgM testing will be forwarded to another reputable reference laboratory for analysis. This arrangement ensures continued access to accurate testing. This change will not result in additional charges. There will also be no change to the test ordering and results reporting processes.

While every effort will be made to minimize the impact, please be aware that specimens may experience a delay in results as we manage this situation. We anticipate that Measles IgM results will be available within 4-7 days of submission.

Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service department at 1-800-862-1013, available Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm CST.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this temporary slowdown in turnaround time may cause and appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we navigate this transition. Thank you for your continued trust in the WSLH.

Measles IgM Test Change Announcement memo

In 2018, the U.S. State Department appointed WSLH Director and UW Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Jamie Schauer as a Science Envoy for Air Quality, highlighting American scientific strategies and technologies for mitigating poor air quality with a focus on South Asia.

In this talk to WSLH staff Schauer highlights how his work as a U.S. Science Envoy and his decades-long international research activities show how science can be used to bridge political differences to help people in communities all over the world.

Watch the recording

The University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics, in conjunction with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH), UW Health and Prevention Genetics, has produced a video highlighting the unique features of the Laboratory Genetics and Genomics Fellowship program in Wisconsin.

The ACGME-accredited laboratory genetics and genomics (LGG) fellowship prepares individuals with a doctoral degree (PhD, MD or DO) to function as a LGG laboratory director. At the end of the two year fellowship, fellows may complete the American Board of Medical Genetics’ General Genetics and LGG examinations.

This program is offered in collaboration with the UW Cytogenetic Service and Molecular Genetics Laboratory at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene; the UW Department of Pediatrics, UW Health, and PreventionGenetics, Inc. in Marshfield, Wisconsin. This unique relationship with the partner labs provides fellows with a broad range of clinical genetic testing experience, using state-of-the-art methods and in a variety of environments.

Watch the LGG Fellowship video

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought a film crew to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene in March 2023 for a video shoot in the Communicable Disease Division to create a series of videos about the national Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network, for which the WSLH serves as a regional laboratory. The videos were recently published to YouTube.

Your Partner for Pathogen Detection
Improve Testing Locally
Expanding Your Lab Capabilities
Closing the Gap

 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has appointed WSLH Newborn Screening Laboratory Director and UW Professor of Pediatrics Dr. Mei Baker to its ad hoc Committee on Newborn Screening: Current Landscape and Future Directions.

Dr. Baker’s appointment lasts through September 2025.

 

 

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday.

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving departments.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving department.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene will be closed on Thursday, November 23, 2023 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Our Specimen Receiving departments will observe the following hours of operation for the Thanksgiving holiday:

 

 

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

WISC-TV recently ran an in-depth story on wastewater surveillance testing at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene for COVID and other pathogens, as well as the partnership between the WSLH, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District and wastewater treatment facilities throughout Wisconsin. Article link

WSLH Senior Scientist and WSLH Wastewater Surveillance Team lead Dr. Martin Shafer also gave a brown bag talk at the WSLH about Wastewater Surveillance:  A 3-Year Retrospective & a Look to the Future.