Lauren Bates

Lauren Bates, Ph.D., currently serves as an Associate Professor at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College and works as a Medical Technologist specializing in Microbiology at St. Mary's Medical Center. Prior experience includes roles such as Laboratory Supervisor at West Virginia Laboratories, and Laboratory Scientist Supervisor at the West Virginia Office of Laboratory Services, where oversight included multiple public health microbiology units. Lauren also contributed to the CDC Foundation as a Microbiologist III during the pandemic, focusing on SARS-CoV-2 testing and sequencing. Academic expertise was developed through graduate research and teaching assistant positions at the Florida Institute of Technology, complemented by professional experience in various medical technology roles, including a research fellowship at Monash University. Educational credentials include a Ph.D. in Cell & Molecular Biology and a Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology from the Florida Institute of Technology.