Anthony R. Sambol, MA, SM (NRM), CBSP (ABSA), RO(FSAP)

Department Affiliations
Associate Professor
Biosafety and Biosecurity Officer, Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory, NPHL
Responsible Official, Select Agent Program

Interests
Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Biosafety and Biosecurity for BSL-3 Laboratories

Anthony Sambol received both a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master of Arts degree in Biology from the University of Nebraska. His duties have included that of Laboratory Program Advisor and Bioterrorism Laboratory Coordinator for the NPHL, and as such he was responsible for setting up and establishing the NPHL's testing capability for agents of bioterrorism laboratory and was involved in the establishment of a statewide laboratory network to improve the state's public health infrastructure. Anthony currently serves as the Responsible Official (RO) for UNMC's Select Agent Program and oversees Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Incident Response for UNMC's high containment BSL-3 laboratories.  Prior to joining the NPHL in the fall of 1999, Anthony was employed in a variety of positions. These included working as a medical technologist in diagnostic virology/chlamydiology and infectious disease serology, a research scientist for an animal vaccine laboratory, and as a teacher of science courses at local community colleges.
 
Education and Training
BA, in Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1979
MA, in Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1981
M (ASCP), Certified Microbiologist, American Society of Clinical Pathologists, 1988
RM (NRM), National Registry of Microbiologists, Registered Microbiologist-Clinical and Public Health, 1988
SV (ASCP), Specialist in Virology, 1999
I (ASCP), Certified Immunologist, 2000
SM (NRM), National Registry of Microbiologists, Specialist Microbiologist in Biological Safety
CBSP (ABSA) American Biological Safety Association International, 2022

National Activities
Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Laboratory Response Network Ad Hoc subcommittee
APHL and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Bioterrorism Laboratory Protocols Review Committee
APHL Emergency Preparedness & Response Committee
APHL Training and Education Committee
Nebraska Homeland Security Bioterrorism Preparedness Exercise Design Committee
Nebraska Health and Human Services System Bioterrorism Leadership Group
Nebraska Center for Preparedness Education Committee
Nebraska Homeland Security Group
West Nile Virus Intra-agency Working group
UNMC/UNO Institutional Biosafety Committee
Member, Omaha-Metropolitan Medical Response (MMRS) Laboratory sub-committee

Notable Publications
Comparison of FilmArray and Quantitative Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase PCR for Detection of Zaire Ebolavirus from Contrived and Clinical Specimens. Southern TR, Racsa LD, Albariño CG, Fey PD, Hinrichs SH, Murphy CN, Herrera VL, Sambol AR, Hill CE, Ryan EL, Kraft CS, Campbell S, Sealy TK, Schuh A, Ritchie JC, Lyon GM 3rd, Mehta AK, Varkey JB, Ribner BS, Brantly KP, Ströher U, Iwen PC, Burd EM. J Clin Microbiol. 2015 Sep;53(9):2956-60. doi: 10.1128/JCM.01317-15. Epub 2015 Jul 8. PMID:26157148

Safety considerations in the laboratory testing of specimens suspected or known to contain Ebola virus. Iwen PC, Smith PW, Hewlett AL, Kratochvil CJ, Lisco SJ, Sullivan JN, Gibbs SG, Lowe JJ, Fey PD, Herrera VL, Sambol AR, Wisecarver JL, Hinrichs SH. Am J Clin Pathol. 2015 Jan;143(1):4-5. doi: 10.1309/AJCP26MIFUIETBPL. No abstract available. PMID:25511134

Proportional mouse model for aerosol infection by influenza. McDonald RS, Sambol AR, Heimbuch BK, Brown TL, Hinrichs SH, Wander JD. J Appl Microbiol. 2012 Oct;113(4):767-78. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2012.05402.x. Epub 2012 Aug 21. PMID:22809111

Validation of the Cepheid Xpert Flu A real time RT-PCR detection panel for emergency use authorization. Sambol AR, Iwen PC, Pieretti M, Basu S, Levi MH, Gilonske KD, Moses KD, Marola JL, Ramamoorthy P.J Clin Virol. 2010 Aug;48(4):234-8. Epub 2010 Jun 26. PMID: 20580600

Seronegative naturally acquired West Nile virus encephalitis in a renal and pancreas transplant recipient. Koepsell SA, Freifeld AG, Sambol AR, McComb RD, Kazmi SA. Transpl Infect Dis. 2010 Oct;12(5):459-64. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3062.2010.00530.x. Review. PMID: 20576021

Use of rapid influenza diagnostic tests under field conditions as a screening tool during an outbreak of the 2009 novel influenza virus: practical considerations. Sambol AR, Abdalhamid B, Lyden ER, Aden TA, Noel RK, Hinrichs SH. J Clin Virol. 2010 Mar;47(3):229-33. Epub 2010 Jan 18. PMID: 20080438

Seroprevalence of West Nile virus infection in solid organ transplant recipients.
Freifeld AG, Meza J, Schweitzer B, Shafer L, Kalil AC, Sambol AR. Transpl Infect Dis. 2010 Apr;12(2):120-6. Epub 2009 Oct 22. PMID: 19874565

Antigenic and genetic characteristics of swine-origin 2009 A(H1N1) influenza viruses circulating in humans. Garten RJ, Davis CT, Russell CA, Shu B, Lindstrom S, Balish A, Sessions WM, Xu X, Skepner E, Deyde V, Okomo-Adhiambo M, Gubareva L, Barnes J, Smith CB, Emery SL, Hillman MJ, Rivailler P, Smagala J, de Graaf M, Burke DF, Fouchier RA, Pappas C, Alpuche-Aranda CM, López-Gatell H, Olivera H, López I, Myers CA, Faix D, Blair PJ, Yu C, Keene KM, Dotson PD Jr, Boxrud D, Sambol AR, Abid SH, St George K, Bannerman T, Moore AL, Stringer DJ, Blevins P, Demmler-Harrison GJ, Ginsberg M, Kriner P, Waterman S, Smole S, Guevara HF, Belongia EA, Clark PA, Beatrice ST, Donis R, Katz J, Finelli L, Bridges CB, Shaw M, Jernigan DB, Uyeki TM, Smith DJ, Klimov AI, Cox NJ. Science. 2009 Jul 10;325(5937):197-201. Epub 2009 May 22. PMID: 19465683

Evaluation of a new West Nile Virus lateral-flow rapid IgM assay. Sambol AR, Hinrichs SH. J Virol Methods. 2009 May;157(2):223-6. Epub 2009 Jan 10. PMID: 19138705

Designing a biocontainment unit to care for patients with serious communicable diseases: a consensus statement. Smith PW, Anderson AO, Christopher GW, Cieslak TJ, Devreede GJ, Fosdick GA, Greiner CB, Hauser JM, Hinrichs SH, Huebner KD, Iwen PC, Jourdan DR, Kortepeter MG, Landon VP, Lenaghan PA, Leopold RE, Marklund LA, Martin JW, Medcalf SJ, Mussack RJ, Neal RH, Ribner BS, Richmond JY, Rogge C, Daly LA, Roselle GA, Rupp ME, Sambol AR, Schaefer JE, Sibley J, Streifel AJ, Essen SG, Warfield KL. Biosecur Bioterror. 2006;4(4):351-65. PMID: 17238819

For a detailed list of publications, click here.