FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                       Connecticut Department of Public Health

July 1, 2011                                                                        Contact: William Gerrish

Hartford - At a recent ceremony, Jack Bennett, chief of Environmental Chemistry for the Department of Public Health (DPH), received a prestigious leadership award from the national association representing public health laboratories.

The Emerging Leader Award is presented annually by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) to an individual whose leadership has been instrumental in advancing laboratory science, practice, management or policy within the first five to ten years of his or her career.

“Jack’s contributions as a public health laboratorian make him well-deserving of this recognition as an APHL Emerging Leader,” stated DPH Commissioner Dr. Jewel Mullen. “At both a state and national level, Jack is considered a leader in environmental health.”  

As chair of APHL’s Environmental Laboratory subcommittee, Bennett led the development of several position statements to raise awareness of the important service, research and teaching activities provided by state environmental public health laboratories. He coordinated and compiled member comments associated with pending environmental regulations for both APHL and the Connecticut Public Health Laboratory. He also helped develop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Region 1 Laboratory Response Plan as well as the short and long-term priorities for the US EPA Water Laboratory Alliance.

Bennett, a Woodbridge resident, has served on agency-wide task forces and committees to address ethics policies and workforce development. He has served on workgroups designing Connecticut’s new state laboratory facility and also in specification development, purchase and implementation of a new laboratory information system.

The award was presented at a ceremony on June 7, 2011 during APHL’s Annual Meeting and 5th State Environmental Laboratory Conference in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is the state’s leader in public health policy and advocacy with a mission to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of our state.  To contact the Department, please visit its website at www.ct.gov/dph or call (860) 509-7270.

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