Emerging Viral Diseases: A 2025 Update for Laboratorians

 

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical laboratories continue to face new, challenging outbreaks. In this lecture we will explore some recently emerging (influenza A(H5) and mpox) and reemerging (measles and pertussis) pathogens that may be encountered in the clinical laboratory. Special emphasis will be placed on how these outbreaks originated and how lab testing contributes in helping control the spread. A practical discussion will focus on challenges in assay validation for newly emerging or reemerging pathogens and what steps your laboratory can take to be prepared for the next outbreak.

Lecture Presenter

Benjamin T. Bradley, MD, PhD

Benjamin T. Bradley, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor (Clinical)
University of Utah School of Medicine
Medical Director, High Consequence Pathogen Response, Virology, and Molecular Infectious Diseases
ARUP Laboratories

Dr. Benjamin Bradley is a medical director of high consequence pathogen response, virology, and molecular infectious disease at ARUP Laboratories, and an assistant professor (clinical) at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He received a medical degree and a doctorate degree from Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Washington Medical Center as well as a fellowship in clinical microbiology at the University of Utah and ARUP Laboratories. Dr. Bradley is certified by the American Board of Pathology in anatomic and clinical pathology. He received the Jacob Ambrose Storck prize in 2017, the Strandjord-Clayton award and the Paul Strandjord Young Investigator award in 2020. His research interests include development and clinical implementation of viral diagnostics, direct-from-tissue detection of infectious organisms, and infectious disease pathology education.

Objectives

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

  • List the environmental and societal causes that have led to the emergence and reemergence of infectious agents
  • Describe challenges encountered by laboratories that develop assays or perform testing for emerging and reemerging pathogens
  • Explore how clinical, commercial, and public health laboratories can work in unison to improve patient access to infectious disease testing

Sponsored by:

University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, and ARUP Laboratories