#InternationalWomensDay

“Health research and development is an exciting field because we are always pushed to innovate, as shown during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Well-functioning laboratory network is critical for disease surveillance in a pandemic, so we had to innovate to expand COVID-19 laboratories across the country. At the start of the pandemic, the National Institute for Health Research and Development, as the national reference lab, developed a set of criteria for COVID‑19 laboratories that complies with biosafety standards. We mapped out laboratories across Indonesia that had been involved in surveillance for influenza and other diseases to be part of the COVID-19 laboratory network.

My team was working flat-out to keep up with the massive volume of specimens. I joined them at the lab to test the specimens and understand the workflow, to help me better manage my team. We mapped out our team members’ strengths and distributed the tasks so that everyone worked well and still managed to rest. The challenge was not only in the lab, but also on the data management front. We took the initiative to create a reporting mechanism that is now known as the All New Record.

Together with WHO, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Association of Public Health Laboratories, we trained staff of hundreds of laboratories across Indonesia on PCR testing, biosafety and security. One of my most memorable experiences was remotely leading the set-up of a COVID‑19 lab in North Maluku from a very basic condition to meet the COVID‑19 laboratory standards. This had been possible thanks to teamwork, the collaboration with the COVID‑19 Task Force, and local health facilities. The COVID‑19 laboratory network is now more organized but there is still a lot of work to be done. I thank my colleagues for the solid teamwork and my family for their continuous support. Health research is a fascinating field, and I hope more women will pursue this field for a healthier Indonesia. "