The Laboratory Workforce Challenge

Nationwide, laboratory science professionals and private and public health laboratories are acutely concerned about the laboratory staffing shortage. In May 2026, at the fourth annual Workforce Action Alliance Summit, in response to the imperative for collaboration, executives representing diverse organizations from across the country convened in Nashville, TN, to identify the next three priorities for action. The 3 priorities are:

#1 Strengthen the data (continuation from 2025); this group will work on researching the commonly used “70%” statistic regarding the laboratory’s role in medical decision-making.

#2 Next generation of laboratory scientists (continuation from 2025); this group will work on further building the virtual toolkit and gathering state-by-state resources regarding the laboratory workforce.

#3 Mentorship and career progression; this new group will focus on retention by developing a toolkit for laboratory mentors, targeting bench scientists who aspire to grow in their careers.

The 2025 workgroup on “Future skills and rewards” will sunset, but the project will live on via ASCP’s “Leading Laboratory” recognition expansion.

During the WAA Summit, the group outlined action plans for each priority and several Executives volunteered post-Summit to refine those action plans with practical steps, a timeline and metrics of success.  In May 2027, the Executive-level group will reconvene to evaluate its achievements and to establish a plan of action for the following year.

The 2026 WAA Summit Proceedings Document will be posted here this summer. The 2025 Summit Proceedings Document is available here. The 2024 Summit Proceedings Document is available here. The 2023 Summit Proceedings Document is available here.

If you are interested in participating in the Workforce Action Alliance, please email: waa@cola.org.

The 5th WAA Summit will occur adjacent to COLA’s 2027 Laboratory Enrichment Forum in Lexington, KY.

Organizations wishing to make a charitable donation in support of the 2027 Summit can email waa@cola.org to find out how to contribute.

Presentations From the 2026 WAA Summit