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In addition to UW–Madison —where
senior scientific staff have faculty
appointments that help bring in
research grants—notable WSLH partners
include the Wisconsin Public Health
Association, state hospital association
and large networks of clinical and local
health department laboratories.
“When we have been under threat,”
said Klawitter, “local health agencies
have advocated for us. They understand
that the state lab is there for the
whole public health system.”
Among other things, Klawitter credits
laboratory stakeholders with providing
the final push needed to eliminate a 2015
state budget provision that, if enacted,
would have moved the laboratory off
campus and trimmed its funding.
The WSLH may be the only state PHL
with a technical advisory group with
representatives from clinical labs
from throughout the jurisdiction. Erin
Bowles, MT(ASCP), who coordinates
that group (and oversees an impressive
range of technical assistance activities),
said Wisconsin’s clinical labs have
been “very agreeable” when there is a
need to supply specimens for disease
surveillance or “to contact legislators
and write letters.” The relationship, she
said, “is beneficial for both sides.”
As with other stakeholders, the WSLH’s
outreach to policymakers—including
occasional facility tours for legislators—
underscores the laboratory’s public health
mission and its technical expertise.
“One area where we have had some
involvement with policymakers is around
synthetic cannabinoids and opioids,”
said Klawitter. “When they’re drafting
legislation, we’re sometimes able to
get involved with the actual language
of the legislation, so it’s scientifically
more accurate. There’s not necessarily
more money coming in, but it shows
that we are a resource for them.”
Making PHL needs “among the
highest priorities”
Yet while virtually all governmental
laboratories engage in outreach, not
all have equal freedom to advocate
for specific needs. In fact, some state
14
LAB MATTERS Summer 2017
“I didn’t want it to sound like
complaining,” said Whelen. “I wanted
them to know that we had identified
some of our vulnerabilities and some
approaches to meet those challenges,
but to make it clear, we couldn’t do
it by ourselves. We needed help.”
How to Get Your Message Across
• Be simple, straightforward, relatable and
confident. Remember, you are the expert!
• Narrow your main point to one
sentence. Make it first, provide
supporting information, then repeat it.
• Limit yourself to three points.
• Explain why your audience
should care about your work,
without being condescending,
pedantic or overly technical.
• Limit data to the minimum.
• Avoid jargon and nonessential
technical terminology.
• Use analogies and
metaphors; tell stories.
• Use visuals, if possible.
• Be apolitical.
• Never say, No comment. But,
if appropriate, do say, I don’t
know or I’ll find out.
• Use APHL as a resource to help
hone your messaging and to help
you prepare for interviews when
a big story is about to break.
laboratories are prohibited from
contacting the state legislature directly.
Yet sometimes it is possible to advance
laboratory interests in creative ways. For
example, when the Hawaii PHL was facing
$700,000 budget deficits because of a spike
in the cost of electricity, Whelen decided
to “think like a legislator and how they
do outreach.” He and his senior staff—on
their own time—designed two postcards:
one describing “who we are and what we
do” and the other describing challenges.
The postcards were printed using money
raised through a bake sale and distributed
at the state capitol by laboratory
volunteers in their off duty hours.
Despite minor blowback from his bosses,
Whelen succeeded in spotlighting the
laboratory. And, yes, he got a $700,000
increase to his operating budget.
When, some time later, the PHL needed
money for a gas chromatography mass
spectrometer for pesticide analysis,
Hawaii’s CDC block grant coordinator
offered up $200,000. The lesson, said
Whelen, is that “you’ve got to convince
your leadership in the department of
health that [laboratory needs] rank among
the highest priorities for the department.”
Sometimes strategy and luck work
together. Such was the case when
Atchison was searching for money
to build out the SHL’s Center for the
Advancement of Laboratory Science
(CALS), which was, at the time, 5,000
square feet of unfinished space in
the basement of the SHL’s brand
new, $38 million Coralville facility.
“We had achieved a landmark
accomplishment,” said Atchison, “and
I’m standing in it wondering, How
do we find another $2.5 million?”
The answer presented itself when
Atchison had the good fortune to sit
next to the executive director of the Roy
J. Carver Charitable Trust at a meeting.
After some conversation, it became clear
that CALS’ educational mission synched
with the vision of the Trust, which
subsequently gave the laboratory $300,000
to build out a wet lab training room and
then $260,000 to outfit an auditorium,
with the hope that the SHL would raise
matching funds from other sources.
Touting the Trust’s support, Atchison
billed the enterprise as an economic
development project for the University
of Iowa Research Park (where the SHL
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