Petersen To Raise Awareness Of Scientists

William Petersen (Gil Grissom) will be using his high profile to promote the work of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and its members later this month.

Petersen is set to act as an ambassador for National Medical Laboratory Week, which runs between April 18-24. The event aims to honour the work of the United States' 280,000 pathologists and laboratory professionals. The actor will participate in a public service announcement for the ASCP, which will air on the CBS network, home of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

In the 15-second announcement, Petersen will pay tribute to the work of America's scientists and encourage enthusiastic young people to join their ranks. The text of the PSA is as follows: "It's National Medical Laboratory Week. I want to salute pathologists and laboratory professionals across the country. Every day, they use their skills and knowledge to save lives and solve crimes. Today, there is a shortage of such heroes. If you are interested in a career in laboratory sciences, check out ASCP.ORG."

When CSI premiered four years ago, most people hadn't even heard of a crime scene investigator or understood the roles of criminalists and lab techicians. The show has significantly raised the profile of America's lab technicians, but Dr. David Keren, president of the ASCP, said there is always more work to be done. "There aren't enough people going into the field to fill the positions that are available now, and we know that 50 percent of the current laboratory workforce will be eligible to retire in 2010," he said.

Further details about at National Medical Laboratory Week are available at this page. The original press release can be found here at PRNewswire.

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