APHL strengthens public health laboratories' preparedness and response by:​​
- ​Supporting workforce development initiatives to ensure member laboratories can safely and effectively respond to all-hazard threats
- Collaborating with partners to evaluate new technologies, enhance electronic data exchange systems and share resources
- Facilitating communications and enhancing partnerships among member and clinical laboratories, first responders, corporate partners, non-governmental organizations and federal agencies
- Coordinating with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide leadership and support for the Laboratory Response Network (LRN)
- Serving as a crisis response coordination center to rapidly support members and key partners to help ensure continuity of essential public health services
- Shaping legislation and regulations and promoting policies that support laboratory preparedness and response​
APHL is committed to forging and maintaining collaborations among public health laboratories, sentinel clinical laboratories and the first responder community, through the development and distribution of training programs and tools aimed at enhancing preparedness. Additionally, the program actively engages in crisis management activities during emergency responses to ensure a coordinated and effective approach from our member laboratories.
Our Partners: 
- Sentinel Clinical Laboratories
- First Responders 
- College of American Pathologists (CAP)
- American Society for Microbiology (ASM) 
- National Institutes for Standards and Technology (NIST)
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
Read more about our partnerships and outreach initiatives.
APHL holds a key position in enhancing biosafety and biosecurity practices. To fortify biosafety practices in public health and clinical laboratories, we produce a range of resources—including risk assessments, checklists, fact sheets and guidance materials—and facilitate trainings and workshops for laboratory staff. We advocate for policies that enhance biosafety, maintain a Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee and collaborate with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Current APHL biosafety initiatives include: 
- BioSafe360 Program: Strengthening Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity
- ISO 35001: Biorisk management for laboratories and other related organizations
- APHL Biosafety Peer Network Program
Learn More About Our Biosafety and Biosecurity Activities
APHL collaborates with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide a range of laboratory fellowship programs, aiming to train and equip scientists for roles in public health laboratories and contribute to the advancement of public health initiatives.
Biosafety and Biosecurity Fellowship 
The Biosafety and Biosecurity Fellowship focus area will prepare fellows with a background in public health science for careers involving biosafety and biosecurity and public health laboratories (PHL) and will support initiatives aimed at enhancing biosafety and biosecurity practices. Learn More.
Emergency Preparedness and Response Fellowship 
The new Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Fellowship focus area will prepare fellows with a background in public health science for careers involving emergency management and public health laboratories (PHL) and will support initiatives related to strengthening laboratory preparedness and response for all-hazard threats. Learn More. 
