Kristina Thornton

Kristina Thornton is a Public Health Laboratory Scientist II with the Kentucky Department for Public Health; Division of Laboratory Services located in Frankfort, KY. She obtained a B.S. in Biology and a B.S. in Chemistry from Eastern Kentucky University in 2022. Kristina has overseen the Carbapenmen Resistant Organisms bench for four years, working closely with the Antimicrobial Resistant Laboratory Network and Healthcare-Associated Infections programs, to detect and track Carbapenem antimicrobial resistant pathogens within the state and with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track trends nationally. Kristina represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky during a poster presentation at SCACM 2023 (South Central Association for Clinical Microbiology) to present the Kentucky Division of Laboratory Services testing algorithm and Carbapenem antimicrobial resistance trends in Kentucky. She is focused on developing her adaptive leadership and conflict resolution skills to foster a collaborative, resilient lab environment and gain additional leadership skills that will promote the transition from a bench scientist to laboratory management.