Dr. Elizabeth Forrester and Dr. Dawn Richards received NSDAR Community Service Award from DAR Community Service Award Chair Barbie Standefer and Chickamauga Chapter NSDAR Regent Gayle Burrows
Chattanooga’s Chickamauga Chapter DAR Community Service Award Chair, Barbie Standefer, along with Chapter Regent Gayle Burrows were honored to present the National Society’s Community Service Award recognition to Dr. Elizabeth Forrester and Dr. Dawn Richards for their work in developing local COVID testing when it was most needed early in the pandemic. The presentation took place at the December meeting of the Chickamauga Chapter NSDAR.
Scott Wilson, head of school, emeritus of Baylor School in his letter of recommendation for the award, outlined the specifics leading to the doctors’ recognition: “Drs. Forrester and Richards (both research scientists) established a COVID-19 testing protocol at the Baylor School Esoteric and Molecular Lab in March 2020 when even the CDC was struggling with the same. Thanks to their knowledge, ingenuity, persistence, and extraordinary commitment, these remarkable women created one of the most effective testing protocols in the nation. Further, with the help of local, state, and national public servants, they successfully navigated the process of the lab’s receiving CLIA certification, the highest possible research lab certification.”
Dr. Sanford Sharp, chief of Medical Staff, CHI Memorial Hospital in his recommendation said, “In the dark early days of the pandemic…testing resources were scarce, and labs overwhelmed. When test turnaround time was at 10 days hospitals were desperate for a solution. Dr. Richards and Dr. Forrester, stepped forward to say they had the equipment and background to perform the test for COVID. I’m confident that we would have lost more lives had these two doctors not so generously given their talents and time to the cause.”
It was not unusual for the two doctors to put in 80-plus hours per week during this critical time. Through their work, the Baylor Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory expanded into space at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute and with additional equipment their team increased testing from 65 tests in a 24-hour cycle to 600-900 tests in the same 24 hours.