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Digital Forum

May 2023: Infectious Disease Digital Forum

Join Today's Clinical Lab and our speakers on May 9 for our virtual Infectious Disease Digital Forum


Today's Clinical Lab Infectious Disease Forum

You're invited to the Today's Clinical Lab Infectious Disease Digital Forum! Join us and our special guest speakers on May 9, 2023, for a live virtual event.

The long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on screening, diagnostics, and patient care, as well as on the severity and occurrence of infectious diseases, remains unknown. At Today’s Clinical Lab’s 2023 Infectious Disease virtual event, our experts will help make sense of the chaos by discussing innovations in testing and offering a clear way forward in infectious disease testing. 

This one-day forum will also feature a bonus presentation centered on mentorship and career development.

During each live presentation, our experts will field questions from the audience. Register for free for updates and guidance on infectious disease testing from key clinical Thought Leaders.


Our Speakers

The Challenges of Studying Coinfections: How Syndromic Panel Multiplex PCR Testing Can Help

Photo portrait of Pallavi Upadhyay, PhD
Pallavi Upadhyay, PhD, is an infectious disease scientist and researcher, scientific and medical writer, and consultant. In her full-time role as the director of scientific and clinical affairs at HealthTrackRx, she oversees the development and implementation of new diagnostic assays and clinical studies. In this role, she also oversees the scientific publication initiatives in the company. Upadhyay holds a PhD in molecular biology from Texas Woman’s University. Her professional expertise and interests include molecular diagnostics and techniques, molecular microbiology, advanced data analytics, and scientific writing.

Presented by Pallavi Upadhyay, PhD

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm EDT

When COVID-19 restrictions were eased last winter, a new RSV outbreak soon emerged, as well as influenza, which quickly overwhelmed healthcare systems with increased hospitalizations and outpatient admissions. The pandemic and ensuing “tripledemic” highlighted the importance of studying coinfections of infectious diseases, as coinfections directly impact disease severity, decision-making related to patient care, and clinical outcomes.

In this webinar, infectious disease scientist and researcher Pallavi Upadhyay, PhD, will explore the importance of syndromic multiplex PCR testing, including point-of-care testing, for coinfections.

At the end of the presentation, you will learn

  • How coinfections directly affect patient care and clinical outcomes
  • How to detect coinfections via multiplex PCR assays
  • How more precise diagnoses of coinfections can help support antimicrobial stewardship efforts



Precision Metagenomics for Infectious Disease 

Presented by Steve Miller, MD, PhD

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT

Steve Miller, MD, PhD
Steve Miller, MD, PhD  is the senior director in Medical Affairs for Global Infectious Disease at Illumina, where he develops studies to investigate the potential of sequencing-based microbial analysis tools and guides product development. Prior to joining Illumina in 2022, Miller was a professor at UCSF, where he directed the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory for over 15 years, and he maintains a voluntary adjunct faculty at UCSF.

When it comes to infectious disease, quick and accurate pathogen detection could significantly improve patient outcomes. However, pathogen detection remains an ongoing challenge for clinical labs. This is where precision metagenomics can make a difference, by providing a one-stop, comprehensive analysis of the microbial environment.

Through metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), precision metagenomics enables you to expand your toolkit for the reliable detection of infectious disease pathogens.

Watch this webinar to understand how mNGS can enable comprehensive pathogen detection, including the following:

  • Introduction to mNGS and its applications for infectious disease
  • Methods to increase the sensitivity of mNGS for pathogen detection 
  • Approach to clinical interpretation of mNGS results
  • Future directions for use of mNGS technology in clinical areas



Bonus Professional Development Presentation

Global Mentorship within the Medical Laboratory Profession: Adult Learning Theories and Styles

Photo portrait of Maria Roussakis, MLT, MSc
Since graduating with a bachelor of health science in medical laboratory science from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in 2016, Maria Roussakis, MLT, MSc, has been working in Canadian and Australian clinical laboratories within the disciplines of clinical chemistry, hematology, and transfusion science. At the beginning of her medical laboratory career, Maria benefitted from the guidance of mentors that have helped her achieve her professional and academic goals. In 2021, she graduated with a master’s of science in health science education from McMaster University. Maria is also the content & research manager at MedLabScholar, an educational medical laboratory science website, and oversees its global mentorship program.

Presented by Maria Roussakis, MLT, MSc

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm EDT

In healthcare professions, mentorships exist where two individuals come together to engage in a collaborative and supportive professional relationship. Typically, a mentee first identifies their areas in need of professional growth, then a mentor advises them on how to achieve their goals. In the global medical laboratory profession, mentorships directly benefit laboratory professionals by helping them develop leadership skills, grow their network, and increase their access to support. 

No two mentoring relationships are the same, as they are influenced by the different backgrounds, skill levels, and motivations of the mentor and mentee. Adult learning theories can assist mentors to motivate their mentees, as they are self-directed in achieving their goals.

At the end of the presentation, you will be able to

  • List the roles and responsibilities of mentors and mentees, along with the benefits of maintaining a mentorship relationship
  • Discuss how global mentorship programs can benefit the medical laboratory profession
  • Apply the principles of adult learning theories and learning styles to help shape mentorship relationships


Sponsored by:


Molecular Designs
Molecular Designs