Lab Matters Summer 2018 | Page 44

APHL 2018 Annual Meeting Poster Abstracts

Biosafety good rating). Publications, email blasts, My APHL and continuing education top the list of APHL products and services of which respondents were very satisfied or satisfied. With regards to APHL’ s intangible resources, the top three were communication / marketing of the value of public health laboratories( 88.4 %), professional collaboration with colleagues( 87.3 %) and legislative advocacy( 83.7 %). On the valuation of APHL and its role, most people strongly agreed or agreed with being proud to be a member of APHL, recognition that APHL strengthens public health laboratory effectiveness, APHL being the liaison with federal partners and the provision of valuable collaboration / networking opportunities. The qualitative analysis of open-ended questions yielded results that mirrored what was seen in the quantitative responses.

Conclusion: Although most responses were positive, the results of this survey have shown that additional promotional activities are required for those opportunities with lower levels of familiarity to the membership. In addition, the results also identified other areas of improvement that the Membership Department will address in the near future.

Acknowledgements: Deborah Kim, MPH, former director, APHL Institutional Research; Sara Woldehanna, MA, MS, manager, Program Evaluation, APHL Institutional Research; and Jacob Rosalez, manager, APHL Institutional Research for their contributions to the development, delivery and evaluation of the survey and its results.

Presenter: Linette Granen, MT( ASCP) DLM, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD, Phone: 240.485.2723, Email: linette. granen @ aphl. org

Biosafety

ABSA International Outreach— What Can We Do For You? M. Downing, ABSA International, Mundelein, IL

The 2015 Ebola outbreak highlighted the need for robust biorisk management programs in the public health sector and the importance of cooperation between various specialties and organizations. ABSA( The American Biological Safety Association) International and APHL continue to cooperate and communicate on biosafety and biosecurity topics. One critical area is attracting, training and maintaining qualified biosafety officers( BSOs). The poster concentrates on the relevance of a biorisk management program to public health laboratories, potential biosafety career paths and how to become a recognized expert in the biorisk management field. Many public health BSOs are nervous about job security relative to the Ebola Readiness grants; they need to know that trained BSOs are rare, credentials are available and there are many learning and job opportunities available to them. ABSA International provides programs to assist Biosafety Officers in their job and career, including educational opportunities, professional credentialing, laboratory accreditation, a public health list-serve open to all, mentoring, a job placement board, the infectious agent risk group database, educational / networking opportunities through ABSA regional affiliates and outreach and cooperative opportunities, among others. Brochures and information of all of these topics will be included in the poster presentation and a knowledgeable ABSA International representative will be available for questions.

Presenter: Marian Downing, ABSA International, Mundelein, IL, Phone: 866.425.1385, Email: mmdowning1 @ gmail. com

APHL Biosafety Officer Leadership Workshop M. Marsico, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD

In 2017 and 2018, the Public Health Preparedness and Response Program at APHL convened the Biosafety Leadership Workshop to facilitate the professional development of biosafety officers( officials)( BSOs) in state, local, territorial US Affiliated Pacific Island public health laboratories. In order to tackle the challenges of biosafety at its source, three APHL member laboratories graciously agreed to host these regional workshops: Hawaii State Laboratories Division, Arizona Department of Health Services and Florida Bureau of Public Health Laboratories, Tampa Branch. These four-day workshops convened BSOs by region and provided a forum that encouraged personal and professional growth with the overall goal to strengthen leadership skills. Participants gained an invaluable network and a broader skill set that directly benefits the individual, their laboratory and ultimately, the greater public health laboratory system. Due to an ever changing and increasingly complex environment, public health laboratories need biosafety leaders who embrace change, manage people and processes efficiently and anticipate future needs. Through skill development sessions on leadership, project management, public policy, communications including messaging and storytelling, building effective training programs and implementing evaluation measures, the workshop shaped BSOs into future leaders within the laboratory system. PACE credits and a certificate for completion of the program were given to the participants of the workshops. Overall, 37 attendees from 34 public health laboratories across the United States and US Affiliated Pacific Islands participated in these three workshops. The Biosafety Leadership Workshops have received positive reviews from attendees who plan to incorporate this training in their everyday roles as a BSO. APHL recognizes the evolutionary nature of these workshops and will continue to provide quality Biosafety and Biosecurity training opportunities to all its members.

Presenter: Michael Marsico, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD, Phone: 240.485.2710, Email: michael. marsico @ aphl. org

Biosafety Peer Network: Connecting the Dots in Biosafety

M. Marsico, C. Mangal and S. Page, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD

Recent lapses in institutional biosafety and the 2014 Ebola outbreak have demonstrated the necessity to fill gaps and deficiencies that remain in the nation’ s biosafety apparatus. In 2016, the Association of Public Health Laboratories( APHL) established the Biosafety Peer Network. The free program partners state, local and territorial public health laboratories( PHLs) with each other that are funded via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention( CDC) Domestic Ebola Supplement to the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases( ELC) Cooperative Agreement— Building and Strengthening Epidemiology, Laboratory and Health Information Systems Capacity in State and Local Health Departments( CK14-1401PPHFSUPP15). The PHLs partnered were based on their current strengths in specified areas of biosafety and biosecurity. In the programs first and second year since being created, applications were accepted from 24 PHLs