Molecular Microbiology Supervisor
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine / Cleveland Clinic
David Plunkett is the Lab Supervisor for Molecular Microbiology at The Cleveland Clinic, overseeing day-to-day operations across high-throughput molecular workflows and leading a multidisciplinary team. He coordinates assay validations and instrumentation rollouts, streamlines processes, and supports staff development through structured training and competency programs. He also helped bring up a SARS-CoV-2 next-generation sequencing assay, establishing end-to-end workflows for library prep, sequencing, analysis, and reporting to support variant characterization and public-health surveillance.
At AMP 2025, David presents “Description of the Performance of External Control Material as Part of Quality Monitoring Process in the Assessment of Quantitative Cytomegalovirus Testing,” sharing experience comparing Bio-Rad Exact Diagnostics materials with manufacturer controls on Roche cobas 8800 systems to support reliable quantitative CMV testing. He is focused on translating operational data and bench feedback into pragmatic improvements that enhance turnaround time, consistency, and clinical value for patients and providers.