Phone: 609-984-2200
Fax: 609-292-9285

There are five major service areas in this Division. They are Clinical Laboratory Improvement Service, Public Health Laboratory Services, Environmental and Chemical Laboratory Services, Bioterrorism Laboratory and Molecular Detection Services and the Office of Policy, Planning and Regulatory Compliance.

1. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Services (CLIS)
   Dennis McDonough, Director

CLIS is one of the Department’s regulatory units. This program focuses on issues of compliance with Federal and State quality standards in the clinical laboratory community. This unit offers a CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) approved proficiency testing program, licensure and inspections of blood banks and clinical laboratories and educational updates for the blood bank and clinical laboratory communities including physician office laboratories.

2. Environmental and Chemical Laboratory Services (ECLS)
   Stephen Jenniss, Director

The ECLS maintains an environmental and food testing laboratory that analyzes inorganic, organic and radiochemical parameters. As a clinical laboratory, ECLS maintains a blood lead testing capability for monitoring lead toxicity in children and is licensed under the requirements of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments 1988.

The ECLS is a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Laboratory Response Network – Chemical, the US EPA Region 2 Emergency Laboratory Response Network and the US Food and Drug Administration’s Food Emergency Response Network. ECLS works closely with these Federal agencies to develop testing capabilities to respond to natural disasters and acts of terrorism.

3. Public Health Laboratory Services (PHLS)
   Michal P. Gerwel, MD, Director

The PHLS provides Virology, Bacteriology, Mycobacteriology, Clinical Laboratory Services and Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM) testing.

• Bacteriology testing includes testing in the areas of sexually transmitted diseases, antimicrobial drug resistant microorganisms, gastrointestinal illnesses and referred isolates of microorganisms, including N. meningitidis and H. influenzae and bacteria which are not readily identified by other laboratories.
• Virology testing includes HIV screening, special HIV studies, extensive testing for rabies, rubella, influenza and other viruses (including West Nile Virus).
• Mycobacteriology testing includes tuberculosis testing including multi-drug resistant TB and state-of-the-art rapid diagnostic testing.
• IEM testing includes the screening of all newborns in New Jersey for metabolic and genetic disorders that could cause mental retardation or death if not treated early in life.
• Clinical Services testing includes drugs of abuse, as well as a full array of tests for tick-borne diseases and legionellosis.

4. Bioterrorism Laboratory and Molecular Detection Services (BTMDS)
   Nelson Delgado, Ph.D., Director

• Bioterrorism Laboratory is a member of the Laboratory Response Network, and its primary responsibility is to apply microbiological and molecular technologies for rapid detection and identification of bioterrorism agents such as Bacillus anthracis (causative agent of anthrax).
• The Molecular Detection Services Laboratory is dedicated to the evaluation, application and integration of molecular pathogen detection and characterization methods. These technologies protect and enhance the health of New Jersey ’s citizens by increasing public health decision and response capability. In addition, the Molecular Detection Services program establishes partnerships with other public health laboratory programs in order to facilitate prompt and effective response against infectious disease threats.

5. Office of Policy, Planning and Regulatory Compliance (OPPRC)

The Laboratory Outreach Program (LOP), within the OPPRC, is responsible for enhancing and developing relationships with both internal and external partners through collaborative planning, educational program, training and other venues, to facilitate development of an integrated public health/private sector laboratory network. This program, in collaboration with the National Laboratory Training Network (NLTN), develops and coordinates training programs for clinical and public health laboratories on topics of medical, scientific and regulatory significance, which directly impact public health practice. Additionally, the LOP provides members of the New Jersey Laboratory Response Network (LRN), a statewide network of comprehensive microbiology laboratories, a mechanism for rapid exchange of information regarding their role in emergency preparedness.