“History is a set of lies agreed upon.” Napoleon Bonaparte

 A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization  Almost 800 members from: ◦ State and local public health laboratories ◦ State environmental and agricultural laboratories ◦ Federal agencies ◦ Academic institutions  Advocates at the national level for critical laboratory issues and for increased support and resources for member laboratories  Provides training and best practices for public health laboratory testing and policy

Mission To promote the role of public health laboratories in shaping national and global health objectives, and to promote policies, programs, and technologies which assure continuous improvement in the quality of laboratory practice and health outcomes. APHL: Broad Picture

APHL Board of Directors (BOD) PHPR Committee Working Groups 1.LRN Joint Leadership Committee 2.LRN Partners Workgroup Subcommittees 1.LRN Operational Workgroup 2.Laboratory Preparedness Exercise Workgroup 3.Preparedness Guidance and Performance Measures Subcommittee 4.First Responder Partnerships and Outreach Subcommittee Task Forces 1.Testing Algorithm for Unknown Environmental Samples Task Force 2.LRN National Meeting Planning Committee 3.Emergency Management Taskforce

◦ Department of Health and Human Services  Centers for Disease Control & Prevention  Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections (DPEI)  Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR)  Food and Drug Administration  Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) ◦ Department of Justice  Federal Bureau of Investigation  Hazardous Materials Science Response Unit (HMSRU)  Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Sciences Unit (CBRNSU)  Hazardous Materials Response Technical Unit  Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD) ◦ Department of Homeland Security  Office of Health Affairs  Weapons of Mass Destruction and Biodefense Office/Early Detection  Science and Technology Directorate ◦ Department of Defense ◦ United States Department of Agriculture ◦ Environmental Protection Agency

 Participate in the Refinement and Development of Public Health Preparedness Guidance Documents and Performance Measures  Enhance and Maintain Sentinel Clinical Laboratory Partnerships and Outreach  Provide Technical Expertise to Enhance Laboratory Practice, Preparedness and Response  Develop and Promote Tools to Enhance Laboratory Preparedness, Planning and Response

 Expand First Responder Partnerships and Outreach  Respond to and Help Shape Active and Proposed Legislation of Significance to Public Health Preparedness

 Scientific Organizations ◦ American Society of Microbiology ◦ American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians  Department of Health and Human Services ◦ Centers for Disease Control & Prevention ◦ Food and Drug Administration  Department of Justice ◦ Federal Bureau of Investigation  Department of Homeland Security  Department of Defense  Environmental Protection Agency  United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases  United States Department of Agriculture  Environmental Protection Agency  Department of Agriculture  Environmental  Food Emergency Response Network  Environmental Laboratory Response Network  A forum for partners to discuss operational items across multiple laboratory networks.

 Composed of the original LRN founding partners: ◦ APHL ◦ CDC ◦ FBI  The LRN Joint Leadership Committee (JLC) was established in 2005 to discuss key planning and policy issues surrounding the LRN. This body provides input and guidance to LRN leadership on operational and policy issues.