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Analysis. Answers. Action.

Welcome to APHL

The Association of Public Health Laboratories proudly works to strengthen laboratory systems serving the public's health; our activities support laboratories in the US and around the world. Learn more about APHL.

Providing Analysis:

Recent Stories

APHL publishes a range of technical and standing publications to inform public health laboratory scientists and their partners. Publications include a magazine, news blog and multiple newsletters; recent articles includes:

Lab Matters article

The Vermont Department of Health Public Health Laboratory hosted its first Career Pathways in Public Health Laboratory Science fellow and things went better than they could have hoped.

Lab Matters article

The APHL Public Health Laboratory Ambassadors Program has sought to connect public health laboratory professionals with students and local community members to share the value of public health laboratory careers.

Lab Culture News article

Some of the most important returns in public health are written in the things that never got worse. It is important to communicate that to the public.

Lab Culture News article

In recognition of World Tuberculosis Day, we sat down with Kimberlee Musser, PhD, chief of bacterial disease, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health (NYDOH), and asked her six questions about tackling this ancient disease in a modern world.

Lab Matters article

The APHL-CDC NGS Quality Initiative Peer Network was established to improve next generation sequencing (NGS) quality management activities and to promote greater collaboration and expansion of sequencing capabilities in public health laboratories.

Lab Culture News article

Lab Matters article

APHL advisory committees being a powerful conduit for change was illustrated in 2025 through the Human and Animal Food Committee’s successful effort to streamline processes for state food chemistry data.

Lab Matters article

Public health laboratories play an increasingly critical role in protecting food safety through testing innovations and collaborations that can help detect foodborne threats to US consumers and stop outbreaks before they start.

Lab Matters article

The pandemic taught that rapid scale-up in response to emergencies is only sustainable when paired with a platform that can agilely connect public health systems and healthcare providers across the country. Enter the AIMS Platform.

Lab Culture News article

Today was the final full day of the conference and it was an award winning day loaded with spirit—literally!

Lab Culture News article

The 2026 APHL Annual Conference kicked off in Baltimore, MD! Check out these highlights.

Lab Culture News article

The second day of the 2026 APHL Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD was another eventful day! From the student STEM event to a candid plenary with the family of Henrietta Lacks, day two did not disappoint.

Lab Matters article

Public health laboratories are a foundational component of the nation’s public health emergency preparedness and response system. PHEP cooperative agreement funding plays a critical role in sustaining and strengthening their capacity.

Lab Culture News article

APHL is turning 75, and Carol Clark, the organization’s chief operating officer, has been with the organization for 29 of those years—years when APHL’s mission and membership have grown by leaps and bounds.

Lab Culture News article

In celebration of Lab Week 2026, we’re putting names and faces to some of the thousands of public health laboratory professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes protecting America’s health.

Lab Matters article

Reflecting on changes in APHL's membership over its 75-year history.

Lab Culture News article

In the first few months of 2023, six people in Washington State were sickened with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono), which can be found in food, water, soil and animals. Three people ultimately died from infection with the bacteria,

Lab Culture News article

In celebration of Lab Week 2026, we’re putting names and faces to some of the thousands of public health laboratory professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes protecting America’s health.

Lab Matters article

The Maryland Department of Health Laboratories Administration, the oldest continuous operating unit in the Maryland Department of Health, provides objective and unaffiliated information to medical professionals, public health partners and others.

Lab Culture News article

Between November 2025 and January 2026, seven people in seven states (as of this writing) became ill with an extensively drug-resistant strain of Salmonella Newport. All the illnesses were traced to certain lots of Rosabella-brand moringa powder.

Lab Culture News article

In celebration of PulseNet's milestone birthday, we rounded up stories we’ve published illustrating the tremendous impact the network’s had on disease surveillance and outbreak detection.

Lab Culture News article

The rules that once guided public health action—from leaning into the science to putting stock in responsible, unbiased news sources—are changing, said Joshua Sharfstein, MD, who delivered the keynote address at the 2026 APHL Annual Conference.

Lab Matters article

In 2024, APHL began work with CDC and the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to implement a laboratory mapping initiative. The project focused on developing a mapping tool to obtain data on the national public health laboratory system.

Lab Matters article

During the devastating wildfires that swept through Los Angeles in January 2025, the role of interagency environmental testing was paramount. Coordinated measurements demonstrated an optimized model for public health laboratory response.

Lab Matters article

Vaginitis remains a leading cause of gynecologic-related primary care visits in the United States, yet the approach to diagnosis and treatment continues to present significant challenges for clinicians and public health professionals.

Lab Matters article

As public health laboratories become increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure, comprehensive COOP planning has evolved from a recommended practice to an essential requirement for maintaining critical public health services when systems fail.

Public Health Preparedness and Response, Quality and Safety Systems, Laboratory Operations and Systems, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Data Management

Lab Culture News article

What’s behind this active flu season? Experts point to the emergence of a new variant of influenza A(H3N2) known as subclade K.

Lab Culture News article

In celebration of Lab Week 2026, we’re putting names and faces to some of the thousands of public health laboratory professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes protecting America’s health.

Lab Matters article

A message from APHL President Scott Shone on how far APHL has come in 75 years.

Lab Matters article

PulseNet International plays a crucial role in strengthening global capacity for genomic surveillance of antimicrobial resistant enteric pathogens through a robust program of training and collaboration activities.

Lab Matters article

As a member of the LRN-C, the North Dakota Public Health Laboratory has a strong operational foundation for emergency response. Its relationships with its public health partners proved invaluable during a recent radiation exposure incident.

Public Health Preparedness and Response, Biosafety and Biosecurity, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Laboratory Operations and Systems

Lab Matters article

In September 2025, APHL partnered with FDA to deliver a first-of-its-kind, in-person laboratory training on detecting Cronobacter spp. in powdered infant formula.

Lab Matters article

A message from APHL CEO Scott Becker on the importance of laboratory partnerships.

Lab Matters article

In September 2025, the NIH launched the Biosafety Modernization Initiative, an effort to modernize biosafety policies and practices. APHL Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee members share perspectives on how the initiative affects public health labs.

Lab Culture News article

In celebration of Lab Week 2026, we’re putting names and faces to some of the thousands of public health laboratory professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes protecting America’s health.

Lab Matters article

The Georgia Department of Agriculture Laboratory, comprised of an Atlanta branch and a Tifton branch, houses eight unique laboratory sections ranging from food safety microbiology to fuel and oil that cover all 159 counties in the state.

Lab Matters article

While zoonotic transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A virus to humans in the US has been limited, recent epidemiological trends in Cambodia underscore how quickly zoonotic risks can escalate.

Lab Matters article

One Health is a concept with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes for humans, animals, plants and the environment. From a public health perspective, One Health infuses the majority, if not all, of what laboratories do.

Quality Systems and Analytics, Advocacy, Laboratory Operations and Systems, Career Development, Workforce Development, Quality and Safety Systems

Lab Culture News article

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other international agencies, is responding to a multi-nation cluster of the Andes virus linked to travel on the cruise ship MV Hondius.

Lab Matters article

APHL's Data Modernization Subcommittee launched in January 2025 and sought to understand where public health laboratories are in their data modernization journeys. A nationwide survey of informatics personnel revealed challenges and opportunities.

Quality Systems and Analytics, Quality and Safety Systems, Laboratory Operations and Systems, Knowledge Management, Data Management

Lab Culture News article

Due to their small stature, developing systems and normal play behaviors, young children are particularly vulnerable to the health hazards caused by the heavy metals and toxic chemicals found in some consumer products and the environment.

Lab Matters article

APHL partnered with the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) and the Tennessee Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence to host a CIFOR Toolkit workshop designed to refine foodborne outbreak response across multiple KDPH program areas.

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Recent Training Resources

APHL offers a range of training resources, such as live and recorded webinars, on-demand courses, and other educational materials, guides and tools.

Narrated Training and Quiz on Laboratory Ethics and Data Integrity by the Houston Health Department for non-commercial use by Public Health Departments

APHL presented fundamentals of biosafety and biosecurity at a January 2016 webinar. The slides from the presenters (Michael Pentella and Andrew Cannons).

This course explores laboratory informatics by following a specimen as it moves through the laboratory and testing workflow. Topics include informatics personnel, data relationships, data quality and standards, and the generation and flow of information.

We will explore the rising incidence of pertussis, caused by Bordetella pertussis and the multifaceted public health response required to address this trend.

This eLearning course picks up where "Life of a Specime" leaves off and explores laboratory informatics by following a result as it moves through the laboratory and is communicated back to external partners.

This course provides an overview of the LIMS and other information systems that play a key role in laboratory informatics. Topics include LIMS functionality, interoperability, regulations and standards, and LIMS implementation.

The Public Health Interoperability Training Catalog is a curated set of training and education resources, tools, presentations and publications on public health and interoperability

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Join Us

Upcoming Events

APHL sponsors major conferences on newborn screening, infectious diseases, food safety and more, as well as smaller meetings and webinars.

View our Event Calendar

Sep

01

2026

Laboratory Response Network for Biological Threats (LRN-B) Technical Meeting

San Antonio, TX

The LRN-B Technical Meeting is a combination of science, policy, networking and partnerships with a focus on innovation, technologies and strengthening relationships within the network.

infant foot with bandage from newborn screening heel prick

Oct

11

2026

APHL 2026 Newborn Screening Symposium

New Orleans, LA

The Newborn Screening Symposium addresses state, national and international newborn screening, genetic testing and policy issues important to public health newborn screening systems.

our goal:

Bringing together the institution & the individual

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