Jane Getchell

Jane Getchell is the Director of the Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health.  After receiving her BS degree in Medical Technology from the University of Massachusetts, Dr. Getchell began her career in the public health laboratory at the Texas Department of Health.  She worked as a microbiologist there for 11 years performing and eventually supervising and teaching bacteriology, food microbiology, serology and PKU testing.  Dr. Getchell then attended the University of North Carolina for post-graduate work.  After receiving her Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Public Health Laboratory Practice, she became a microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta Georgia.  Following four years in the Division of Viral Diseases at CDC, Dr. Getchell accepted a position as Associate Director of the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory.  In Iowa, Dr. Getchell’s duties included responsibility for the newborn screening laboratory.  She also served on the State’s Newborn Screening Advisory Committee and worked to incorporate North Dakota’s newborn screening into the Iowa program.  After 14 years in Iowa, Dr. Getchell accepted the position of Director of the Delaware Public Health Laboratory, her current position.  She is a past president of APHL and has served on the APHL Newborn Screening Committee.  In 2004 she was Chair of the Planning Committee for the National Newborn Screening and Genetics Testing Symposium.  Currently Dr. Getchell serves on the Delaware Newborn Screening Advisory Committee, the NYMAC Advisory Council and is APHL’s representative to the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children.