Andy Schnaubelt, PhD, MS, MLS (ASCP)
Global Center for Health Security Scholar
Andy Schnaubelt recently served as an Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and is a Scholar of UNMC's Global Center for Health Security. Following closely on the heels of the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was detailed to support what is now the Emerging Pathogens Laboratory in the UNMC Department of Pathology and Microbiology. The Emerging Pathogens Laboratory was established, in part, to provide readily accessible and rapidly deployable, SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing solutions to community, underserved, and critical-functions partners.
His professional expertise spans clinical laboratory operations, human research protections, biosecurity, and biosafety. Andy is a former U.S. Army Infantryman and Clinical Laboratory Scientist. He has served as the U.S. Army Europe regional Director of Clinical Laboratory Operations and Senior Laboratory Consultant for medical laboratories across Germany, Belgium, and the Middle East. He has advised and consulted internationally in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East on issues of biosecurity and biosafety. He is a former human protections scientist, IRB board member, certified IRB professional, and earned designation as a clinical investigation and research regulatory oversight specialist for his work, which includes assignment as the Chief of Human Research Protections for Joint Operations Area Afghanistan. As the Clinical Laboratory Branch Chief at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School, Andy was the principal advisor and consultant for all matters related to hematology, immunohematology, and clinical laboratory operations. In that role, he also served as the principal instructor of graduate clinical laboratory medicine for the U.S. military Interservice Physician Assistant Program.
At UNMC, Andy’s professional focus and research activities are centered around the design, validation, and real-world implementation of laboratory diagnostic assays that benefit underserved and testing-hesitant populations and, by extension, improve clinical capabilities to diagnose, prevent, and treat disease. Of particular interest are high-risk, high-consequence pathogens that have broad implications for public health and safety.