Keys to Laboratory Success in the Next Pandemic

LabMind

Three and a half years after the emergence of COVID-19 is a good time to reflect on the capabilities of U.S. laboratories to respond to future pandemics. In this interview, Dr. Marc Couturier, medical director of Emerging Public Health Crises at ARUP Laboratories, explains how the U.S. laboratory sector has improved in its ability to respond quickly to emerging and reemerging infections, but he emphasizes the need to go further. He specifically explains why testing can’t be rapidly scaled up unless there’s tight coordination between public health labs and clinical labs (particularly reference labs and large academic labs).