The New York State SARS-CoV-2 Testing Consortium: Regional Communication in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

James M. Crawford MD, PhD; Maria E. Aguero-Rosenfeld MD; Ioannis Aifantis PhD; Evan M. Cadoff MD; Joan F. Cangiarella MD; Carlos Cordon-Cardo MD; Melissa Cushing MD; Aldolfo Firpo-Betancourt MD; Amy S. Fox MD; Yoko Furuya MD; Sean Hacking MD; Jeffrey Jhang MD; Debra G. B. Leonard MD, PhD; Jenny Libien MD, PhD; Massimo Loda MD; Damadora Rao Mendu MD; Mark J. Mulligan MD; Michel R. Nasr MD; Nicole D. Pecora MD; Melissa S. Pessin MD, PhD; Michael B. Prystowsky MD, PhD; Lakshmi V. Ramanathan PhD; Kathleen R. Rauch BSN, RN; Scott Riddell PhD; Karen Roach MPH; Kevin A. Roth MD, PhD; Kenneth R. Shroyer MD, PhD; Bruce R. Smoller MD; Steven L. Spitalnik MD, PhD; Eric D. Spitzer MD, PhD; John E. Tomaszewski MD; Susan Waltman Esq; Loretta Willis BSN, RN, CPHQ, CCM; Zeynep Sumer-King MS

doi:10.1177/23742895211006818

Academic Pathology (May 2021)

The New York State SARS-CoV-2 Testing Consortium: Regional Communication in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

James M. Crawford MD, PhD,
Maria E. Aguero-Rosenfeld MD,
Ioannis Aifantis PhD,
Evan M. Cadoff MD,
Joan F. Cangiarella MD,
Carlos Cordon-Cardo MD,
Melissa Cushing MD,
Aldolfo Firpo-Betancourt MD,
Amy S. Fox MD,
Yoko Furuya MD,
Sean Hacking MD,
Jeffrey Jhang MD,
Debra G. B. Leonard MD, PhD,
Jenny Libien MD, PhD,
Massimo Loda MD,
Damadora Rao Mendu MD,
Mark J. Mulligan MD,
Michel R. Nasr MD,
Nicole D. Pecora MD,
Melissa S. Pessin MD, PhD,
Michael B. Prystowsky MD, PhD,
Lakshmi V. Ramanathan PhD,
Kathleen R. Rauch BSN, RN,
Scott Riddell PhD,
Karen Roach MPH,
Kevin A. Roth MD, PhD,
Kenneth R. Shroyer MD, PhD,
Bruce R. Smoller MD,
Steven L. Spitalnik MD, PhD,
Eric D. Spitzer MD, PhD,
John E. Tomaszewski MD,
Susan Waltman Esq,
Loretta Willis BSN, RN, CPHQ, CCM,
Zeynep Sumer-King MS

Affiliations

James M. Crawford MD, PhD: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
Maria E. Aguero-Rosenfeld MD: Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Ioannis Aifantis PhD: Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Evan M. Cadoff MD: Department of Pathology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
Joan F. Cangiarella MD: Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Carlos Cordon-Cardo MD: Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, New York, NY, USA
Melissa Cushing MD: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Aldolfo Firpo-Betancourt MD: Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, New York, NY, USA
Amy S. Fox MD: Department of Pathology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
Yoko Furuya MD: Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Sean Hacking MD: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
Jeffrey Jhang MD: Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, New York, NY, USA
Debra G. B. Leonard MD, PhD: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Robert Larner MD College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
Jenny Libien MD, PhD: Department of Pathology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Massimo Loda MD: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Damadora Rao Mendu MD: Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, New York, NY, USA
Mark J. Mulligan MD: Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Michel R. Nasr MD: Department of Pathology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
Nicole D. Pecora MD: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Melissa S. Pessin MD, PhD: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
Michael B. Prystowsky MD, PhD: Department of Pathology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
Lakshmi V. Ramanathan PhD: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
Kathleen R. Rauch BSN, RN: Hospital Association of New York, Renssaeler, NY, USA
Scott Riddell PhD: Department of Pathology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
Karen Roach MPH: Hospital Association of New York, Renssaeler, NY, USA
Kevin A. Roth MD, PhD: Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Kenneth R. Shroyer MD, PhD: Department of Pathology, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
Bruce R. Smoller MD: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Steven L. Spitalnik MD, PhD: Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Eric D. Spitzer MD, PhD: Department of Pathology, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
John E. Tomaszewski MD: Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, in partnership with Kaleida Health Laboratories, Buffalo, NY, USA
Susan Waltman Esq: Greater New York Hospital Association, New York, NY, USA
Loretta Willis BSN, RN, CPHQ, CCM: Hospital Association of New York, Renssaeler, NY, USA
Zeynep Sumer-King MS: Greater New York Hospital Association, New York, NY, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/23742895211006818
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8

Abstract

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The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, created an unprecedented need for comprehensive laboratory testing of populations, in order to meet the needs of medical practice and to guide the management and functioning of our society. With the greater New York metropolitan area as an epicenter of this pandemic beginning in March 2020, a consortium of laboratory leaders from the assembled New York academic medical institutions was formed to help identify and solve the challenges of deploying testing. This report brings forward the experience of this consortium, based on the real-world challenges which we encountered in testing patients and in supporting the recovery effort to reestablish the health care workplace. In coordination with the Greater New York Hospital Association and with the public health laboratory of New York State, this consortium communicated with state leadership to help inform public decision-making addressing the crisis. Through the length of the pandemic, the consortium has been a critical mechanism for sharing experience and best practices in dealing with issues including the following: instrument platforms, sample sources, test performance, pre- and post-analytical issues, supply chain, institutional testing capacity, pooled testing, biospecimen science, and research. The consortium also has been a mechanism for staying abreast of state and municipal policies and initiatives, and their impact on institutional and laboratory operations. The experience of this consortium may be of value to current and future laboratory professionals and policy-makers alike, in dealing with major events that impact regional laboratory services.

Published in Academic Pathology

ISSN: 2374-2895 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Pathology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/academic-pathology

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