The Public Health Laboratory Competencies outline the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for public health laboratory professionals to deliver core services efficiently and effectively. Part of a two-year project co-sponsored by CDC and APHL, competencies for 15 domain areas were developed by a diverse group of over 170 experts representing state and local public health laboratories, clinical laboratories, academic institutions, laboratory professional organizations, CDC and APHL.

The complete version of the Public Health Laboratory Competencies document was published on May 15, 2015, in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). For a summary of the core competencies and implementation examples, read the Core Competencies Companion Document.