Global Health Capabilities

​​APHL works with countries around the world to build strong and resilient national laboratory systems. We support and coordinate the US national public health laboratory system that serves all 50 states, as well as US territories. With over 50 years of experience managing public health laboratory programs, we apply our expertise to serve national laboratory systems across the globe. APHL provides technical assistance, trainings and workshops, policy development, strategic planning and more across the capabilities outlined below. 

​	​Biosafety and Biosecurity APHL supports coun​tries in improving laboratory biosafety and biosecurity through risk assessments, trainings, mentorships and supporting progra​​ms, such as the Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs) Certification Training Program which focuses on developing participant skills in the maintenance and certification of BSCs.
​	​Energy Access to clean, sustainable and affordable energy plays a crucial role in advancing health. Laboratory access to a reliable source of power is critical to healthcare service delivery and disease control and prevention. APHL supports the installation of various energ​y solutions—including solar energy systems— at laboratories, clinics and hospitals, and provides training for system maintenance.
​	Informatics and Data Modernization APHL supports countries in evaluation, design and implementation of laboratory information systems (LIS) for more efficient m​anagement of laboratory processes and reporting of laboratory data from public health and clinical laboratories while also addressing the data integration, interoperability, visualization, warehousing and standardizing needs for enabling effective utilization of laboratory data by surveillance and clinical programs.​
​​	​Laboratory Accreditation APHL assists countries to build their laboratory workforce and move toward accreditation through capacity building in quality manage​ment systems (QMS), laboratory leadership, internal and external quality assessment and specific diagnostic techniques related to priority disease testing for the country. APHL uses “train the trainer” programs to build laboratory workforces that can apply QMS toward accreditation and enhance the quality of a country’s laboratories.
​	​Next Generation Sequencing APHL works with countries to develop and optimize next generation sequencing (NGS) protocols and laboratory procedures in a pathogen-agnostic and pathogen-specific approach on Illumina, Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Ion Torrent sequencing pl​​atforms. APHL supports, trains and advises on laboratory capacity building for NGS, QMS, bioinformatics and genomic epidemiology to produce actionable genomic data for public health decision making.
​	Public Health Laboratory Network A National Public Health Laboratory Network is essential for countries to implement surveillance for priority diseases and prepare, detect and re​spond to the next outbreak. This includes providing guidance on government policy, establishing a laboratory-tiered network, and developing national strategic and operational plans that allow for a systematic and stepwise approach to building a national public health laboratory network.​
​	​Twinning The APHL Laboratory Twinning Initiative is an innovative, peer-to-peer approach to strengthening national public health laboratory systems in a sustainable, cost-effective and mutually beneficial manner. Twinning builds on APHL’s membership base of ​​US state public health laboratories and pairs them with international laboratories; it fosters long-term partnerships that build laboratory capacity and quality systems and provide ongoing learning and development opportunities. ​Learn Mor​e About Twinning
​	​Waste Management APHL supports the improvement of waste management systems in the laboratory through technical assistance. APHL supports ac​tivities such as: incinerator repair and installation, liquid waste disposal including guanidinium thiocyanate (GTC), development of waste management strategies and on-site training for laboratory personnel on appropriate waste management disposal methods.
​	Wastewater Surveillance APHL supports laboratory capac​ity building for collecting and testing wastewater samples for molecular and genomic surveillance using an NGS approach. This surveillance program is principally designed to test for SARS-CoV-2, but the number of pathogens being surveyed can be expanded based on a country’s need for pandemic preparedness.
​	Workforce Development APHL develops and implements cust​om workshops and curricula focused on eliminating immediate technical gaps while also comprehensively addressing a broad range of management and leadership skills to enhance workforce capacity and support laboratory system building. ​Learn Mor​e About Workforce Development Opportunities​ ​