Sheldon Campbell, MD, PhD
Cards
About
Titles
Professor of Laboratory Medicine
Director, Laboratories at VA CT Healthcare SystemBiography
I'm Professor of Laboratory Medicine at Yale School of Medicine and Director of Clinical Laboratories for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. My bachelor’s degree is in Biology from Rice University in Houston, Texas. I completed my M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine, also in Houston. I was a resident and post-doctoral fellow in Laboratory Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. I'm board certified in Clinical Pathology and Medical Microbiology by the American Board of Pathology. I'm medical director of microbiology, chemistry, and point-of-care testing for VA Connecticut, and have a role in the chemistry, urinalysis, and microbiology specialty areas for the New England Veteran’s Integrated Service Network laboratories. My research interests include education of pathology residents and medical students, point-of-care testing, ethics in laboratory medicine, biosafety, and outcomes related to utilization of laboratory testing. As part of my educational portfolio I compose and perform original songs on a wide variety of topics, many related to infectious diseases and laboratory medicine.
Appointments
Laboratory Medicine
ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Clinical Microbiology Laboratory
- Laboratory Medicine
- Laboratory Medicine - Education
- VA Connecticut Clinical Laboratories
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Fellow
- Yale School of Medicine (1992)
- Resident
- Yale School of Medicine (1992)
- MD
- Baylor College of Medicine (1988)
- PhD
- Baylor College of Medicine, Cell Biology (1987)
- PhD
- Baylor College of Medicine (1987)
Research
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
Sheldon Campbell, MD, PhD, director of Yale Medicine’s Clinical Microbiology Lab, helps ensure that tests designed to detect conditions like urinary tract infections, tuberculosis, or fungal diseases remain up-to-date and accurate. “I like to be involved in quality control and assurance of testing,” Dr. Campbell says. This means that he and his team in the lab constantly look for ways to improve testing procedures and how timely results get reported back to physicians, for example.
“We have a very comprehensive microbiology lab, where we conduct testing on esoteric diseases or infections,” Dr. Campbell says. His job becomes particularly challenging when a microorganism such as a bacterium, fungus, or virus cannot be identified through regular testing. “For instance, many unusual fungi are hard to identify microscopically,” he says. “We use DNA sequencing on those samples.”
As tests and testing methods continue to improve, Dr. Campbell expects that the clinical microbiology lab will play an even large role in diagnosing diseases and identifying the organisms that cause them. One quickly advancing area is diagnostic virology, which could help pinpoint a patient’s type of upper-respiratory infection.
As professor of laboratory medicine at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Campbell also teaches microbiology to medical students—using his guitar. Nicknamed “The Singing Microbiologist” by the American Society for Microbiology, Dr. Campbell regularly adapts well-known tunes to fit his topic of choice. During one session, he jammed out with “When the Ticks Go Marching In.”
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Parasitic Diseases
Learn More on Yale MedicineTuberculosis
Learn More on Yale MedicineLab Testing With Quick Results
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Medical Microbiology
- Certification Organization
- AB of Pathology
- Original Certification Date
- 1995
Clinical Pathology
- Certification Organization
- AB of Pathology
- Original Certification Date
- 1992
Yale Medicine News
Links & Media
Media
- Cyclospora cayatenensis oocysts
News
- August 10, 2021Source: Yale Medicine
Which COVID-19 Test Should You Use?
- April 24, 2020Source: Hartford Courant
Opinion: The Unsung Heroes of the Coronavirus Battle: Laboratory Technicians
- April 24, 2020Source: BBC
Opinion: Why are coronavirus tests so difficult to produce?
- March 05, 2020Source: Healthline
Think You Have the Coronavirus? Here’s What to Do Next