Sydney Tracey

Background

About Sydney Tracey

I am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology. I am currently working as a Laboratory Scientist at the Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory. During my time at UW-L, I worked in the Microbiology Lab Prep Room on campus as well as the local convenience store, Kwik Trip. In the prep room, I was tasked with preparing the various plate and tube media required by all the different lab courses in the Microbiology Department, in addition to any other reagents, tools, equipment, etc. they would need. That experience provided me a "behind the scenes" glimpse into the time and energy that goes into ensuring a smooth operation in the lab. My work at Kwik Trip primarily consisted of food preparation for customer consumption among other tasks including routine temperature checks, freezer stock inventory and ordering, kitchen organization and cleaning, and customer service. From that experience, I gained the ability to effectively time manage, multitask, work well under pressure, be self-sufficient, and work as a part of a team. Post-graduation, I began my APHL-CDC infectious disease fellowship at the Minnesota Department of Health. The goal of my fellowship was to achieve a high degree of competency in routine laboratory bench work in the microbiology lab, a high level of understanding of public health in general, and a working understanding of antibiotic resistance from an AR Lab Network regional lab perspective. During my time as a fellow, I studied resistance genes (specifically carbapenemases), their spread, and detection both in Minnesota and other states in the region. I also gained experience performing different methods of antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Most recently, I was trained on both conventional and real-time PCR methods of detection for carbapenemase genes as well as Candida auris colonization. At the conclusion of my fellowship, I was hired on full-time as a Laboratory Scientist 2 at the Minnesota Department of Health. In this new role, I continue to perform the same critically important work that helps keep the people of Minnesota safe.