Twelve Years of Strengthening Environmental Laboratories – What is the Impact?

Poster-Other
Poster Presentation

Prepared by S. Wright1, L. Mapp2
1 - Association of Public Health Laboratories, 8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 800, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, United States
2 - US EPA, , , United States


Contact Information: [email protected]; 240.485.2730


ABSTRACT

Starting in 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) funded the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) through two cooperative agreements to provide technical assistance and support that helps environmental laboratories to build capability and capacity to better respond to emergencies. During the first four-year cooperative agreement, funds were used for a variety of activities, including annual environmental laboratory conferences, laboratory standardization and method development workgroups, various trainings, and communications to connect environmental laboratories. The second cooperative agreement was awarded in 2011 and concluded November 30, 2017. During this time, APHL continued to play a leadership role by serving as an environmental laboratory sector liaison, organizing conferences, task forces and work group meetings, disseminating and sharing information and providing technical assistance through training opportunities. This poster will explore the quantitative and qualitative measures of this nearly twelve-year partnership between US EPA and APHL, as well as its ultimate effect on strengthening environmental laboratories.