Amanda Bartling has had one employer since college, UNMC, but has had several different roles.
The Council Bluffs native earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Dana College and landed a part-time research job in the department, working with Drs. Steve Hinrichs and Marilynn Larson. She quickly moved to full-time status as a research technologist and stayed there nine years while earning her master’s degree in microbiology and pathology before being recruited to the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory as a laboratory technologist. A few years ago, she was promoted to supervisor, and last year she became the laboratory manager.
“This year will be my 20th year at UNMC—my whole career has been here,” she said. Bartling said being a manager has been an adjustment. “It’s definitely changed from more of a hands-on role,” she said, to more of making sure everybody in the lab can do their best work. “Now I see the full picture more. I like having different experiences and learning new things, and then just being in a position where I can improve things and improve our processes. Sometimes you see oh, I didn’t realize there was a gap here. Let’s see how we can fix that, or how can we make this more efficient, or how can I save techs time on doing this process or make the paperwork less of a burden, that type of stuff,” she said.
Her contributions haven’t gone unnoticed. NPHL Director Emily McCutchen, MS, said: “Amanda has been instrumental to NPHL’s success through multiple major public health responses, including the COVID-19 pandemic, mpox, avian influenza, Lassa fever, and most recently, the Andes hantavirus response. Her expertise, experience, and steady leadership help ensure that NPHL operates efficiently every day, while her thoughtful perspective consistently drives innovation and progress.
“Beyond her professional accomplishments, Amanda continually impresses us with her incredible artistic talent,” McCutchen said. “Whether she’s solving complex challenges or creating beautiful artwork, she brings creativity, dedication, and excellence to everything she does. Amanda is truly a remarkable talent, and we’re fortunate to have her as part of the NPHL team.”
Bartling said: “I have very supportive leadership around me, so if I’m like hey, can we change this, can we improve this, they’re like yes, absolutely, let’s do it. There are no hindrances; we don’t have political games we have to play here. Everybody is very much ‘let’s make this better for everybody,’ so it’s a great place to work.”
She said much of her focus as manager has been on the switch to Beaker, the new laboratory information system. “I was really involved with making sure our side of that all is set up properly and functioning, and it’s an ongoing process. It will be for a while.”
When not at work, Bartling can often be found doing arts and crafts, particularly woodcarving and pyrography, or wood burning. “You make pictures on wood, essentially,” she said, using a heated metal tool. “I have a few classes where I teach other people how to do that.” Bartling said she started crocheting and knitting when she was growing up, and her mother got her into sewing, while her father taught her woodcarving. “Basically, if it’s something arty or crafty, I tend to like it.”
She also dotes on two dogs at home, Rogue and Ramona. “They are both rescue dogs—they’re both mutts. They’re sweet.”