Nancy L. Wengenack

Nancy L. Wengenack, Ph.D. is a Professor of Microbiology and Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. She serves as a Consultant in the Division of Clinical Microbiology within the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Wengenack is a clinical microbiologist with specialized expertise in mycobacteriology and mycology, focusing on developing novel, rapid molecular methods for diagnosing infections caused by mycobacteria and fungi.

Dr. Wengenack's educational background includes a PhD in Biochemistry from Mayo Graduate School (2000), followed by a Post-doctoral Fellowship in Clinical Microbiology and residency training in Clinical Microbiology-PhD (2002). She also holds an MS in Chemistry from Rochester Institute of Technology and a BS in Chemistry from Hartwick College.

Her research focuses on developing rapid molecular diagnostic methods for mycobacterial and fungal infections, including techniques such as real-time PCR, DNA sequencing, nucleic acid hybridization probes, and mass spectrometry. She specializes in diagnostics for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, nontuberculous mycobacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi, with particular attention to antimycobacterial and antifungal drug susceptibility testing. Her work has been funded by the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics, Trek Diagnostics, bioMerieux, Advanced Analytical, and Siemens Healthcare.

Dr. Wengenack's research has significantly improved patient care by reducing the time required for accurate identification and drug susceptibility testing of mycobacteria and fungi, allowing physicians to select the most effective treatments more quickly, which leads to reduced hospital stays and improved patient outcomes.

• 2024: Outstanding Physician/Scientist Educator Award, Mayo School of Health Sciences
• 2017: Fellow, American Academy for Microbiology
• 2012: Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America
• 2006: Certified in Medical Microbiology by the American Board of Medical Microbiology

Dr. Wengenack holds numerous leadership positions in professional organizations, including serving as Chair of the Document Development Committee on Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacteria at the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (2025-2027), and as Chair of the Mycobacteria AST Working Group (2020-2028). She is also a member of the Nomenclature of Clinical Fungi Working Group of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (2024-2028) and serves on the Tuberculosis Subcommittee of the Clinical Laboratory Liaison Association of Public Health Laboratories (2023-2028).

Her laboratory performs comprehensive testing including phenotypic and rapid molecular diagnostics for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, nontuberculous mycobacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi, with antimycobacterial and antifungal drug susceptibility testing. She has contributed significantly to standardized testing protocols and nomenclature in the field through her extensive publication record and collaborative research efforts.