In honor of Lab Professionals Week, we decided to spotlight our amazing and talented pasteurization laboratory staff. They all bring unique specialties to the table – literally! They posed for some snazzy pictures and answered three questions about their life inside and outside the milk bank:
- What are your specialties when working in the lab?
- What is your favorite hobby?
- Tell us one fun fact about yourself.
Rachel Karten, Director of Operations
Lab specialties: Managing lab operations.
Favorite hobby: Cooking!
Fun fact: My mom is a medical board member and my dad a volunteer, while I have worked at the milk bank for close to seven years!
Shantel Collins, Pasteurization Laboratory Technician
Lab specialties: I would say pasteurization and bottling.
Favorite hobby: I enjoy baking and reading non-fiction.
Fun fact: Outside the lab, I serve my community as a birth doula.
Paul Reischmann, Pasteurization Laboratory Technician
Lab specialties: Dance moves and multitasking.
Favorite hobby: I do a mean crossword, and in non-COVID times, I play water polo!
Fun fact: I once drove the full width of the United States but stopped 80 miles from the West Coast, and I’ve still never seen the Pacific Ocean.
Rachel Terlizzi, Pasteurization Laboratory Technician
Lab specialties: Pouring and DJing!
Favorite hobby: Reading and jigsaw puzzles.
Fun fact: My favorite show is The X-Files.
Angela Pouliot, Pasteurization Laboratory Technician
Lab specialties: Being silly!
Favorite hobby: Spending time with family.
Fun fact: Been to Disney over 25 times!
Almog Ankori, Laboratory Assistant
Lab specialties: I applaud myself on my agility and precision.
Favorite hobby: I like to trade stocks, for the most part long-term trading.
Fun fact: I am actually bilingual, I was born in Israel and I speak Hebrew and English fluently.
Addie Pates, Laboratory Assistant
Lab specialties: I’ve gotten very good at leveling the bottles quickly.My methods are top secret. (I do it standing up instead of sitting.) My other specialty is having five songs stuck in my head at once and annoying my coworkers with them.
Favorite hobby: Theatre – I miss being on stage but have been having fun with virtual performances.
Fun fact: I can speak backwards!
In addition to staff, we currently have one fantastic, fully-trained volunteer in the lab:
Nina, Laboratory Volunteer
Lab specialties: I wouldn’t claim a specialty. I do what everyone else does, except pasteurizing.
Favorite hobby: I particularly enjoy hiking and biking.
Fun fact: I can lick my elbow.
We are very thankful for each member of our pasteurization lab staff. Their hard work is essential to our mission to bring donor human milk to babies in need. We celebrate each of them and their contributions every day!
