Day-to-day operations range from testing water and food, checking for toxins in soil, and investigating new strains of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 or Ebola.
Testing performed by public health laboratories is a critical link in the chain of detection to quickly identify the source of the outbreak and recall of unsafe products.
[citation needed] APHL supports laboratories by providing information and training to scientists to ensure they are utilizing the latest research and most efficient testing procedures.
[citation needed] APHL collaborates with partners at the CDC, the United States Department of Agriculture-Food Safety Inspection Service, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and related organizations.
Technical support includes:[citation needed] One effort by the Informatics program is PHLIP, the Public Health Laboratory Interoperability Project.
[citation needed] APHL monitors trends in public health laboratory diagnostics, personnel and infrastructure in order to create quality assurance standards.
By using these data points to benchmark individual labs against national norms, APHL is able to home in on key issues and help raise the standard of laboratory systems.
Member labs have access to research and survey data online, which enables them to leverage new information quickly to identify promising strategies and practices.
The LRN was formed in 1999 in a cooperative effort between APHL, the CDC and FBI to rapidly detect, and respond to public health emergencies.
APHL also disseminates research findings via issue briefs and communications with federal decision makers, health partners and the laboratory community.
[citation needed] In an effort to improve laboratory practice, APHL provides free resources, such as tools kits that explain how to:[citation needed] In addition to on-demand research and reports, APHL provides continuing education courses to help laboratory scientists keep up with emerging trends, and innovative testing techniques.
As of mid-2021, APHL offers seven fellowship programs in infectious diseases, bioinformatics, antimicrobial resistance, environmental public health and newborn screening.