The State Hygienic Laboratory (SHL) was recognized by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, at its recent meeting for its heroic handling of statewide testing for the coronavirus.

At the board’s July 29 meeting, the board signed a resolution lauding the work of its three schools for their response following Iowa Gov. Kim Reynold’s declaration of a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency in March.

“The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, expresses its deep gratitude to all those at Iowa’s Regent Universities who have worked so hard on the challenges presented during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the resolution said. “The countless hours that these selfless and dedicated faculty, staff and students have put forth to keep our universities operating as safely as possible during these unprecedented times will always be remembered and appreciated.”

The resolution draws special attention to UI Hospitals & Clinics and SHL.

SHL, the board said, “has done remarkable work, conducting more than 200,000 COVID-19 tests, and as the state’s public health and environmental health laboratory, continues to provide disease detection and numerous other critical services to citizens from all of Iowa’s 99 counties.”

UI Vice President for Research Marty Scholtz said the recognition is well deserved.

“Under the stellar leadership of Director Mike Pentella, the State Hygienic Lab has done an heroic job of responding to this unprecedented public health crisis with professionalism, ingenuity, and commitment to keeping Iowans safe,” Scholtz said.

The State Hygienic Laboratory is part of the Office of the Vice President for Research, which provides researchers and scholars with resources, guidance, and inspiration to secure funding, collaborate, innovate, and forge frontiers of discovery that benefit everyone. More at http://research.uiowa.edu, and on Twitter: @DaretoDiscover