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.

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Pediatrics recently profiled Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Newborn Screening Director and Professor of Pediatrics Dr. Mei Baker.

In recounting Dr. Baker’s career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the article also traces the advancements of the Wisconsin Newborn Screening Laboratory. Article link

 

Assistant Professor Heather Barkholtz holds a unique joint appointment with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Forensic Toxicology section.

The UW-Madison Pharmacy School recently published an article detailing Dr. Barkholtz’s efforts “… to expand the limited research on drug impairment and develop better tools of detection for illegal substances. That would help both law enforcement and her colleagues at WSLH, the state’s public health laboratory that processes nearly 90 percent of samples from impaired drivers statewide.” Article link

 

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations for the Labor Day holiday.

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

 

CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen toured the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s Agriculture Drive facility on August 16th. The WSLH is the first state public health laboratory Dr. Cohen has visited since becoming CDC Director in July.

While at the WSLH Dr. Cohen learned more about the WSLH’s role in emergency response, PFAS testing, wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 and other pathogens, and the WSLH’s expansive role in communicable disease testing, surveillance and outbreak response.

Dr. Cohen was visiting the state as part of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ efforts to encourage childhood immunizations.

Here are some scenes from her visit – (Photo credit: Jeremy Gehler, WI Department of Health Services)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wisconsin Newborn Screening program will begin a newborn screening for X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) demonstration project on September 20, 2023.

Information for Primary Care Providers

Information for Parents

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s 2022-2023 annual report – Transforming Challenges, Finding Solutions – is now available.

The report traces the continuum of the WSLH’s COVID-19 pandemic response activities – past, present and future – including genomic sequencing of variants, tracking disease through wastewater, and helping businesses protect their workers. The WSLH’s PFAS activities – both routine testing and research – is explored, as well as our partnerships around opioid and drug abuse surveillance, newborn screening, soil science, and much more.

Read the annual report