A nursing professor with Washington State University became the first person with a nursing job to be appointed to a committee with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a press release.
Associate Professor Linda Ward with the college of nursing was tapped to serve on the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee. CLIAC consists of 20 leaders from healthcare sectors including laboratory medicine, pathology, public health and clinical practice.
"My interest focuses on how genetics and genomics will be integrated into health care so I based my application for nomination on three perspectives I have regarding CLIA – that of a laboratory scientist, an advance practice nurse overseeing a CLIA-waived lab, and a researcher in genome science," the precedent-setting nurse said.
The committee serves to ensure the safety of the more than 200,000 laboratories throughout the nation that fall under the purview of CLIA.
Under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC serves to protect the health and well being of people and their communities while also preparing for new health threats that rear.