Research Fellow Places in Best Poster Category at 2025 APHL Annual Conference 

Paola Alejandra Hernandez, an APHL-CDC Public Health Laboratory Fellow at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, earned third place in the Best Poster category at the 2025 Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Annual Conference, held May 5–8 in Portland, Oregon. 

Hernandez was recognized for her poster presentation titled “Ensuring Public Health Laboratories Reach the Medical Community, Brownsville, 2024–2025.” The project highlights targeted communication strategies aimed at bridging the gap between public health laboratories and the medical community in Cameron County, located in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. 

The poster outlines methods used to disseminate critical laboratory information, including disease trends and pathogen surveillance, to clinicians and healthcare providers. Key features include regional data visualizations, outcomes from viral pathogen monitoring, and summaries of stakeholder feedback. 

"Feedback has shown the impact of our program and the need for greater awareness of public health lab services,” the poster notes. Among the data points shared were insights from the Cameron County Viral Pathogen Watch and the CDC’s Clear Communication Index. 

Hernandez’s work was guided by faculty mentors and local partners and supported by the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI). The project emphasized the importance of culturally appropriate and accessible communication materials in a medically underserved area. 

The APHL Annual Conference is the largest gathering of public health laboratory professionals in the U.S., featuring more than 270 poster presentations and dozens of technical sessions on topics ranging from emerging pathogens to workforce development. 

This national recognition underscores the vital role that early-career fellows play in advancing public health practice. Hernandez’s commitment to improving laboratory-to-clinician communication serves as a model for how local initiatives can enhance public health infrastructure.