Kim Lewis studied Medical Technology in South Africa and gained experience working in both private and public clinical diagnostics. She went on to obtain an MSc in Medical Microbiology from the University of Surrey in the UK and later became the manager of the National HIV Surveillance Laboratory at the Central Public Health Laboratory in London. She then joined the Global AIDS Program at the CDC as a Laboratory Advisor and, since 2005, has worked as a consultant for APHL and global health partners including ASLM, FIND, and WHO.

With broad-based skills and expertise, she has contributed to the development of sustainable laboratory programs in developing countries since 2002. Her work has spanned technical, management, and quality systems training courses, program development and implementation, laboratory information system (LIS) implementation, SLMTA programs, SLIPTA WHO-AFRO assessments, strategic and operational planning, FLLM and GWU/APHL seminar workshops, curricula development, and long-term mentorship. She also collaborated with ASLM on the development of the Balanced Scorecard, which has since been implemented in multiple countries.

She is a SLMTA Master Trainer and a certified SLIPTA auditor, with additional expertise in leadership and laboratory systems strengthening. She developed GLLP training materials and delivered GLLP courses in Tanzania, Uganda, and Ukraine. Her most recent work includes leading the development of the RTCQI checklist and guidelines and conducting pilot audits in Kenya and Zambia.

Dr. Muthoni Junghae is a distinguished public health laboratory scientist with over 14 years of experience strengthening laboratory quality systems across Kenya. Currently serving in the Division of Global HIV/TB (DGHT), she leads laboratory support services and is recognized for spearheading the adaptation and national rollout of the Rapid Testing Continuous Quality Improvement (RTCQI) Program, now implemented across over 5,000 HIV testing sites nationwide. Her transformative achievements include revolutionizing HIV Proficiency Testing data management systems—reducing result turnaround time from over 30 days to just 7 days—while expanding proficiency testing participation from 4,000 to over 20,000 participants.

Dr. Junghae also collaborated with the National Public Health Laboratories to develop an integrated External Quality Assurance (EQA) framework that became embedded within the Kenya National External Quality Assurance Scheme (KNEQAS). Recognized as both a technical innovator and capacity-building leader, she is known for mentoring laboratory professionals and fostering sustainable quality improvements that strengthen health systems in Kenya.

Shannon L. Emery, MSPH, is a Senior Program Manager for Global Health at the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) with over 20 years of experience in public health laboratory systems, molecular diagnostics, and global capacity building. She has led international programs strengthening laboratory networks, quality management systems, biosafety and biosecurity, and information systems across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including developing and facilitating Quality Management Systems and Biorisk Assessment training in Indonesia, Oman, and Ghana, advancing ISO15189 accreditation in Ghana, and implementing the Global Laboratory Leadership Programme in multiple countries.

Previously, she served as a biologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she contributed to respiratory virus diagnostic assay development that included the original SARS-CoV 2003 diagnostic assay, influenza laboratory assessment, international laboratory training, surveillance, and outbreak response, including deployment during the West Africa Ebola epidemic.

Her service at CDC was recognized with multiple awards, including the Charles C. Shepard Science Award and commendations for excellence in emergency response and influenza epidemiology. Ms. Emery holds a Master of Science in Public Health in Epidemiology from Emory University and a B.Sc. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington, and she is widely published in peer-reviewed journals with contributions to influenza, SARS-CoV, and emerging pathogen diagnostics.

Renee Galloway has extensive laboratory experience in diagnostic testing and research of infectious diseases, including viruses, bacteria, zoonoses and select agents. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology in 1996 from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Public Health from Emory University in 2005.

She spent five years working as a bacteriologist with a state health department, followed by a 23-year career as a microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She earned multiple awards for her contribution to public health responses, including COVID-19, Zika virus, HINI, and leptospirosis. She has published numerous manuscripts in respected scientific journals, was the laboratory Subject Matter Expert (SME) for leptospirosis, and serves as President of the International Leptospirosis Society since 2022.

While at CDC, she attained the rank of Captain in the United States Public Health Service and served on multiple deployments to provide mobile health services, specifically to unaccompanied minors crossing the US/Mexico border, victims of Hurricane Katrina, and those displaced by Louisiana flooding, which resulted in compromised health services for at-risk populations.

After retiring from CDC, she accepted a position with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), Global Health, where she provides project management and technical support for a variety of laboratory activities in Thailand, Zambia, and Ukraine, as well as countries supported by PEPFAR.