Josh Featherston
Unit Chief, Molecular Unit – State Public Health Laboratory
Department of Health and Senior Services
Joshua joined the Department of Health and Senior Services in 2012 and serves as the unit chief of the Molecular Unit at the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory (MSPHL). He oversees several laboratory testing programs that utilize cutting-edge technologies such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and whole genome sequencing to monitor disease-causing pathogens such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and organisms that cause foodborne outbreaks. In addition to routine disease monitoring, Joshua and his team are currently partnering with the University of Missouri’s Department of Biomedical Informatics, Biostatistics, and Medical Epidemiology to enhance next-generation sequencing capacity at the MSPHL, which will allow for an increased ability to track disease-causing pathogens across the state in real-time. Joshua is originally from Cape Girardeau and received his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Southeast Missouri State University.
