Stephanie Pietrzak Johnston
Suwanee
Summary
With over two decades of experience in public health science and capacity building, honed expertise in various areas such as infectious disease, laboratory testing, and partnership development. Skills extend to domestic and international training, development, implementation, and monitoring of cooperative agreements. Passion for workforce education and training, as well as mentoring and coaching staff to achieve their full potential. Demonstrated exceptional leadership abilities through supervisory positions and ability to oversee, coach, and mentor staff. Excels in managing logistics and both short-term and long-term projects. Strength lies in building capacity and forging strong partnerships to drive success in the field of public health.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Supervisory Research Microbiologist (Team Lead)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
12.2014 - Current
- Team Lead/Supervisor of four microbiologists/health scientists that serve to strengthen tuberculosis testing in U.S. public health laboratories
- Detail-oriented individual specializing in financial management, leadership, strategic planning, oversight and execution of projects, cooperative agreements, capacity and partnership building, and workforce development, and evaluation.
- Develops short and long-term strategies and projects based on mission priorities of strengthening capacity of the public health workforce.
- Oversight and liaison, point of contact, and technical management of the laboratory component of the CDC Tuberculosis Elimination Cooperative Agreement providing approximately $7 million in funding each year to support 58 U.S state, local, and territorial public health laboratories.
- Leads Laboratory Branch efforts for the development of laboratory component language for notice of funding opportunities, performance indicators and Cooperative Agreement laboratory funding using workload volume data analyses to examine funding strategies and the potential impact on low, medium, and high-volume laboratories.
- Serves as one of four LCT Laboratory Consultants that provides technical consultation, monitoring of PHL workload volume and turnaround time performance indicator data and yearly activity progress, analysis of aggregate data and outcomes/impact associated with strategies/activities performed by cooperative agreement awardees, and oversees and contributes to site visits emphasizing communication and collaboration to strengthen relationships with partners.
- Project lead for multiple LCT projects: CDC False-Positive Investigation Toolkit and online case study module, CDC TB Continuity of Operations Plan Toolkit and publication, APHL/CDC Understanding TB Laboratory Testing for Public Health Nurses, Landscape and Language of Molecular Diagnostics for TB Drug Resistance, and Molecular Detection of Drug Resistance online modules, multiple editions of CDC Tuberculosis Laboratory Aggregate Report (published on the CDC website), 2015 to present CDC Diagnostic Mycobacteriology Annual Workshops, and the Model Performance Evaluation Program (MPEP).
- Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets, and adjusts short-term priorities, prepares timelines for completion of work, and manages LCT spend plans including travel for site visits while collaboratively working with both the branch chief and deputy branch chief.
- Actively mentors and seeks professional development opportunities for staff and serves as an advocate for use of branch resources to support team's continued development
- Collaborates internally and maintains partnerships within CDC, NCHHSTP, and DTBE as well as externally with organizations such as the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), the National Tuberculosis Coalition (NTCA), and state, local, and territorial public health laboratories.
- Provided technical assistance and support as part of several TB specific responses: CDC Puerto Rico response post Hurricane Maria, CDC’s Hurricane Crisis cooperative agreements, U.S Operation Welcome Allies and Uniting for Ukraine.
- Designs and develops evaluation strategies for projects such as MPEP and TB Laboratory Aggregate Reports by completing project determinations and submitting CDC OMB packages for assessment approval.
- Communicates in writing internally and externally to through written summary reports, guidance documents, executive summaries, bullets, and publications.
- Communicates knowledge and expertise to various audiences orally through presentations at domestic and international meetings and conferences.
- Accomplishments: Leadership growth, capacity and partnership building, evaluation strategies and plans, multiple TB Laboratory Aggregate Reports published, published toolkits on Continuity of Operations Plans for the Mycobacteriology Laboratory and False-Positive Investigations, many Model Performance Evaluation Program reports published, developed several web-based courses for United States TB Laboratorians as well as courses for TB programs, nurses, and clinicians, oversight of laboratory component of the DTBE Tuberculosis Elimination Cooperative Agreement, conducted many virtual and in-person site visits with US TB Laboratory cooperative agreement awardees, manuscript review for staff members, collaboration with partners internally and externally to CDC for TB laboratory strengthening, and development of team members through coaching/mentoring
Acting Deputy Branch Chief
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
01.2023 - 04.2023
- Maintained LB budget
- Approved procurement purchases
- Strategized and monitored with Branch Chief on branch priorities and activities
- Collaborated with Branch Chief on meetings
Science Deputy to the Data, Analytics and Modeling Task Force
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
06.2022 - 07.2022
- Coordinated data use and access across the COVID-19 response
- Provided rapid responses to data requests
- Provided scientific and technical knowledge to Task Force Leadership
- Reviewed Incident Manager update slides produced by Task Force sections
Lead Health Scientist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
06.2012 - 12.2014
- Led and managed/supervised multi-disciplinary employees (Course Designers) and project teams who collaborate with CDC subject matter experts and other public health institutions to analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate (ADDIE) training activities significant to state and local public health that result in improvements in public health laboratory testing policies and practices.
- Project lead and manager of multiple National Laboratory Training Network (NLTN) and Laboratory Training Branch (LTB) training workshops, e-Learning courses, and other training activities.
- Provided technical training consults, instructional design guidance, evaluation methods and measures (including logic model development) to CDC and other state and federal laboratory SMEs throughout course design and development processes.
- Designs innovative ideas and approaches for quality training activities to address timely scientific issues or gaps in science related to processes and procedures for public health laboratorians.
- Develops, conducts, and analyzes public health training needs assessments and evaluation strategies for future recommendations of need and/or improvements.
- Communicates knowledge and information to various audiences orally through presentations at meetings and conferences (domestic and international) and in writing to management, APHL/NLTN, subject matter experts, project teams, and external partners.
- Trains and mentors’ new employees on design and evaluation approaches for training programs to ultimately meet LTB and CDC goals.
- Accomplishments: Collaborations across the agency on strengthening laboratory capacity for public health laboratories across the United States, Methods for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Educational Resource (MASTER)(5 courses), Basic Microbiology Curriculum (6 courses), Oversight of training workshops conducted in the Building 18 CDC Training Laboratory with Fellow CDC centers/divisions.
Education
B.Sc. - Biology
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville, FloridaM.Sc. - Biology
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GeorgiaSkills
- Project Coordination & Management Expertise
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Partnership Building
- Strategic Decision-Making
- Strong Leadership Skills
- Capacity Building
- Program Evaluation
- Workforce Development
Accomplishments
- Collaborated with internal staff and partners in the development of a Continuity of Operations Planning Toolkit for Public Health Mycobacteriology Laboratories.
- Documented and educated public health laboratorians on false-positive investigations which led to decreased cross-contamination issues.
- Achieved improvement in performance metrics by conversing and educating partners on monitoring of laboratory-specific data to improve laboratory testing quality and turnaround time metrics
- Supervised team of 4 staff members.
- Achieved collaborative and dedicated staff through effective leadership
Timeline
Acting Deputy Branch Chief
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
01.2023 - 04.2023
Science Deputy to the Data, Analytics and Modeling Task Force
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
06.2022 - 07.2022
Supervisory Research Microbiologist (Team Lead)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
12.2014 - Current
Lead Health Scientist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
06.2012 - 12.2014
M.Sc. - Biology
Georgia Southern University
B.Sc. - Biology
Jacksonville University
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