91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ

Celebrate Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

Published: March 25, 2026

April 19-25, 2026

Lab Week 2026 Logo
Source: The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ is a supporter of Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (MLPW). MLPW provides the profession with a unique opportunity to increase public understanding of, and appreciation for, clinical laboratory personnel. There are approximately 300,000 practitioners of clinical laboratory science in the U.S. Since the development of this career group in the 1920s, the clinical laboratory science professional has played an increasingly vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease. Today, the medical laboratorian is a key member of a health care team.

To help celebrate and build awareness about the profession, here are some resources:

  • 91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ’s Clinical and Public Health Microbiology section with a variety of resources.
  • Information on careers in clincal and public health microbiology, including a PowerPoint template to help you promote the clinical and public health microbiology professions with an accompanying flyer.
  • A certificate program to help clinical laboratory scientist become ASCP certified.
  • Many webinars to stay up-to-date in clinical microbiology or to advance your laboratory career.
  • FAQs for laboratories that are testing for avian influenza A(H5N1), oropouche virus and more.
  • 91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ’s and , including the newly-launched , an open-access journal serving as a dedicated platform for clinical microbiology and infectious disease.
  • 91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ's , which includes CE-accredited webinars at $5 each, case studies, listservs, practice guidelines and more.
  • A video showing clinical microbiologists in a lab and the real life “who done it” scenarios they deal with every day.

Interested in learning more about what clinical microbiologists do? Take a tour of an automated lab, courtesy of the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Disclaimer: 91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ does not endorse any products mentioned or shown in this video.

As team members of one of the largest industries in the U.S., the dedicated efforts of laboratory professionals often go unnoticed by the general public, as well as by the very institutions employing their services. With the public now demanding the assurance of quality health care and professional accountability, organizations representing practitioners of this critical science have a responsibility to ensure that the public is well informed about clinical laboratory competency.

91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ's Lab Week 2026 Activities

Daily Facts and Anagram Games
During Lab Week, check out  or  for daily facts and daily anagram games about microbiology!

Daily Anagrams

  • April 19: ACINORDA
  • April 20: TETPPIE
  • April 21: ROEANBAE
  • April 22: SEAMANCEBAPER
  • April 23: TIDEROPHID
  • April 24: CYTOMECUREM
  • April 25: IMPERATASIA
Post your answers to X or Facebook to play along!

Caption Contest
91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ is bringing back the Lab Week caption contest in 2026! Submit a caption for the image below by April 25, 2026!

A winner for the contest will be announced by May 1, 2026. The winner will receive a $50 Visa gift card!
Caption Contest Illustration
Illustration provided by JR Caldera, Ph.D., D(ABMM), MLS(ASCP)CM, Associate Science Director, Infectious Disease, Quest Diagnostics.

Clinical Microbiology Crossword
Crossword to come!

CPEP Application Q&A Session

Thursday, April 23 at 2 p.m. ET—CPEP Program Application Tips

Please join us for the CPEP Lab Week Coffee Chat Q&A on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET. We will host a virtual coffee chat to answer all your CPEP questions. This is a chance to learn more about the CPEP program and get tips on how to improve your application.

Panel:

  • Morgan Pence, Ph.D., D(ABMM), Cook Children’s Medical Center, CPEP Chair.
  • Jennifer Dien Bard, Ph.D., D(ABMM), Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, CPEP Program Director.
  • Svetlana Dambaeva, Ph.D., D(ABMLI), Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, CPEP Program Director.
  • Shekina Gonzalez-Ferrer, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, Second Year CPEP Fellow.

Career Pathways in Clinical and Public Health Microbiology

Wednesday, April 22 at 10 a.m. ET—Explore Clinical and Public Health Microbiology Careers

Join us on April 22, from 10-11 a.m. ET, for a Career Pathways in Microbiology webinar to discover where a degree in microbiology can take you! Hear insights from panelists Lars Westblade, Ph.D., D(ABMM), associate professor & Director, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and Arthur H. Totten, Ph.D., F(CCM), D(ABMM), Deputy Chief, New York State Department of Health, on the skills and experience needed to launch your career in clinical and public health microbiology.

Register Now-Free to Attend!