Feature Story: Celebrate Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

There are heroes among us disguised in lab coats. Join CDC in celebrating Lab Week by spreading the word about the importance of laboratory professionals.

CDC’s Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS) is excited to celebrate Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (MLPW or Lab Week) from April 19–25. During this annual event, DLS seeks to raise awareness about the importance of laboratory professionals in clinical diagnostics, disease prevention, and public health surveillance. The exceptional efforts of laboratory professionals are essential to protecting public health and promoting patients’ health. DLS supports laboratories by working to advance clinical laboratory quality and safety, data and biorepository science, and workforce competency.

Laboratory Heroes Save Lives

Safety and quality in laboratory testing are imperative since doctors and patients rely on laboratories for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of diseases. Laboratory professionals safeguard patient and public health by reducing diagnostic errors and preparing for disease outbreaks and health threats. These laboratory heroes conduct approximately 14 billion laboratory tests annually, and 70 percent of medical decisions depend on laboratory tests—emphasizing the importance of clinical and public health laboratories in the healthcare system.

Real Life Laboratory Heroes

The Division of Laboratory Systems applauds these heroes among us disguised in lab coats. Laboratory professionals exemplify superhero-like qualities that often go unnoticed because they work in access-controlled spaces away from the public eye. Therefore, DLS was proud to launch a series of profiles in 2018 to reveal the skills, career highlights, and accomplishments of laboratory professionals in our communities. Learn how laboratory staff supports healthcare providers by applying insight, experience, and discipline to get accurate diagnoses for patients. Read how careers in laboratory sciences can lead people to new vocations or unexpected advances in disease detection. Find out how laboratory professionals play an important role in keeping communities at home and abroad safe from disease. Discover a real-life laboratory hero disguised in a lab coat, walking among us.

DLS League of Laboratory Superheroes

DLS launched The League of Laboratory Superheroes in 2018 to shine a spotlight on their extraordinary work.  These Heroes – the Luminary of Laboratory Excellence, the Safety Sentinel, the Workforce Wonder, the Ready Responder, Quantum Quality, and the Invincible Informatician introduce our real-life heroes. These superheroes recognize that quality, safety, preparedness, data science, and a well-trained workforce all pave the road toward laboratory excellence. They’re always on the lookout for new heroes among us, so stay tuned for more stories.

Spread the Word

Encourage others to spread the word about the importance of laboratory professionals. Retweet or repost CDC social media messages using #LabWeek on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.