The CDC has released a Morbidity and Mortaliity Weekly Report (MMWR) entitled, “National Assessment of Capacity in Public Health, Environmental, and Agricultural Laboratories — United States, 2011” available here. The purpose of this assessment is stated as:
“The main objectives of the National Laboratory Capacity Assessment were to count and characterize the public health, environmental, and agricultural laboratory workforce, measure laboratory program area capacity, and assess worker recruitment, retention, and retirement plans. Information was collected on laboratory type, overall equipment quality, and number of workers in nine different job classifications by degree type: aide/assistant, technician, scientist, scientist-supervisor, scientist-manager, developmental scientist, environmental or agricultural laboratory director/assistant director, public health laboratory assistant/deputy director, and public health laboratory director. Questions evaluated capacity in 13 technical/scientific program areas: agricultural chemistry, agricultural microbiology, bacteriology, clinical chemistry/hematology, environmental microbiology, environmental chemistry, molecular biology, mycology, newborn screening, parasitology, serology/immunology, and virology, and in six administrative program areas, including emergency preparedness and response, education and training, quality assurance, regulation and inspection, safety and/or security, and laboratory administration/operations. Additional questions focused on worker recruitment, retention, and planned releases, retirements, and resignations.”
Included are numerous tables and graphs illustrating numbers of scientists, their specialties, their degrees, and their titles. Feel free to share the info with all your scientist friends. Enjoy!
