As demonstrated by recent outbreaks, it is essential that public health laboratories have the capacity to work safely and securely with high consequence and emerging pathogens and to provide appropriate guidance to clinical laboratories.
APHL’s Role in Biosafety and Biosecurity
APHL aims to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity programs through initiatives, which result in enhancing biosafety and biosecurity practices within clinical laboratories. These initiative include:
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Serving as subject matter expert to assist public health laboratories with strengthening biosafety and biosecurity capacity. This encompasses developing and providing guidance and tools including biosafety training to public health laboratories, and maintaining a community of practice for public health biosafety professionals.
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Improving laboratory coordination and outreach to ensure a more robust public health system capable of safely responding to all threats. This encompasses providing tools to assist public health laboratories with outreach to clinical laboratories and direct engagement of key clinical partners.
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Promoting policies to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity. This encompasses educating key policy makers and implementing the position statement, Improving Biosafety in Our Nation’s Laboratories.
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Maintaining the APHL Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee with representatives from public health laboratories, private clinical laboratories and partner organizations, and other biosafety experts.
See the Biosafety and Biosecurity Resources sidepage for biosafety and biosecurity resources developed or compiled by APHL.
APHL Biosafety and Biosecurity Resources
APHL, working in partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers tools and resources to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity practices in public health and clinical laboratories. These resources include:
- Risk Assessments
- Checklists
- Factsheets
- Trainings
- Survey Data
- Competency Resources
- Community of Practice
APHL Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee
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Collaborates with the CDC to evaluate and assist public health laboratories
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Develops and promotes a culture of safety within public health and clinical laboratories
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Develops tools and collaborates with APHL to host them within an online repository
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Designs and delivers a biosafety and biosecurity training curriculum
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Promotes a community of practice to generate collaboration among biosafety officers
For more information, contact Michael Marsico, MS, Manager, Biosafety and Biosecurity at
michael.marsico@aphl.org or
240.485.2710.