Interview with Dr. Jessica Hoff, May 2, 2020

Partial Transcript: JOHN: We'll get some background questions first, where and when were you born?

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Hoff gives a brief background information about her life, talking about when she moved to Milwaukee and her family.

Keywords: Birth; Moving

Subjects: 2010s; Milwaukee, WI

Partial Transcript: JOHN: What is your profession?

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Hoff describes her job as a Technical Administrative Supervisor in the Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics Department at Wisconsin Diagnostics Lab. Her job consists of supervising staff who run the diagnostic tests for a variety of infections, with her focus being on the Molecular testing.

Keywords: Microbiology; Wisconsin Diagnostic Labs

Subjects: Profession

Partial Transcript: JOHN: So, it probably goes without saying that your, your job has changed during the pandemic. Yeah?

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Hoff explains how her job as a supervisor at a Microbiology and Molecular Testing Department has shifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She describes how they formulated the COVID testing, as she worked on the first test her lab performed, primarily on her own.

Keywords: COVID Response; COVID Testing; Pandemic; Pandemic Response; Private Lab

Subjects: 2020s; COVID-19; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: JOHN: So how many tests do you process a week right now?

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Hoff explains how her lab tests for COVID, and that her lab's daily testing has increased. She also discusses how the testing has changed since the test that she created in March of 2020, cutting the time it would take from nearly days to hours. She describes the testing process,

Keywords: COVID; COVID Testing; Flu Season; Influenza; Pandemic

Subjects: 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic

Partial Transcript: JOHN: So you're working, though, with these tests you're working with, basically live cultures of COVID-19, correct? HOFF: Not, not cultures.

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Hoff describes how COVID Tests go from the nasal swab to the lab in a stabilized sample form, then her lab takes that sample and tests its nucleic acid/rNa. She also goes through the precautions her lab took already when testing respiratory disease samples.

Keywords: COVID Testing; Contamination; Test

Subjects: 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic; Fear; Flu

Partial Transcript: JOHN: So what is the most challenging part of your job at this time, then?

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Hoff describes the most challenging part of her job in her opinion, which is the constant inconsistency/irregularity in samples and materials, as well as offering her opinion on her belief that the pandemic is far from over on May 1, 2020, although there have been positive efforts.

Keywords: COVID Testing; Personal Protective Equipment; Test

Subjects: 2020; 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic; Pandemic; Politics; Wisconsin

Partial Transcript: JOHN: So, you working in a laboratory and having the career and job that you do, uh, how has COVID-19 changed your family life?

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Hoff answers the question of how the nature of her job and the pandemic has affected her family life, claiming that she is largely isolated from her children, and that other people in her office are having difficulty. She notes that because of her job, her work has not slowed down like the rest of the world has, she works longer hours and weeks, putting extra strain on her home responsibilities. She also feels that isolation in that her family is "making memories" without her at work while the rest of her family is at home.

Keywords: Children; Family; Pandemic Response

Subjects: 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: JOHN: Um, so, last couple questions, what do you value most during this time?

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Hoff goes through her values during the pandemic, especially the feeling of "quiet" allowing her to reset, as well as the joy she feels when her children are excited to see her after a long day.

Keywords: Family; Pandemic Response; Values

Subjects: 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: JOHN: Sure, um, so as the Historical Society is going through, uh, starting this Oral History initiative we're also keeping our eye on the lookout for objects that tell the story of COVID-19 in Milwaukee.

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Hoff answers the question of if one object were to define her life during COVID-19, answering with a pipette, a disposable instrument her lab uses to test the samples.

Keywords: COVID Testing; Pandemic Response; Pipette

Subjects: 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic; Pandemic