Green Labs - The Intersection of Climate Change and the Clinical Laboratory

Explore the critical connection between climate change and clinical laboratory operations in this 36-minute podcast episode from the American Society for Microbiology's "Editors in Conversation" series. Discover how greenhouse gas emissions and resulting environmental changes—including shrinking glaciers, shifting plant and animal ranges, and extreme weather events like droughts, wildfires, and altered rainfall patterns—directly impact clinical laboratory practices and diagnostic procedures. Learn from expert guests Dr. Joseph Wiencek, Director of Clinical Chemistry and Associate Professor at VUMC, and Dr. Andrea Prinzi from bioMérieux, as they discuss the laboratory's role in addressing climate-related health challenges. Gain insights into diagnostic stewardship, molecular diagnostics programs, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing strategies that laboratories can implement to support both environmental sustainability and effective patient care. Understand how clinical microbiology laboratories can adapt their practices to meet the evolving challenges posed by our changing climate while maintaining high standards of diagnostic accuracy and patient safety.