CARPHA strengthens laboratory coordination, networking at workshop in Guyana

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), through its Caribbean Public Health Laboratory Network (CariPHLN), has successfully concluded a strategic and energising three-day workshop in Georgetown, Guyana.
According to CARPHA, this high-level event brought together laboratory directors, senior laboratory professionals, and public health officials from 21 CARPHA Member States, united by a shared commitment to strengthening laboratory capacity and regional coordination.
As the Caribbean’s primary mechanism for laboratory networking and collaboration, CariPHLN continues to inspire a new era of public health resilience. The workshop served as a powerful reminder of the importance of laboratory networking—not only in emergency response, but in the continuous exchange of expertise, innovation, and solidarity that underpins effective public health systems.
Participants reaffirmed their dedication to working together as a consolidated and unique network, capable of delivering timely, high-quality laboratory services to better serve the region, the CARPHA press release said.
The workshop was made possible through funding from The Pandemic Fund Grant, with CARPHA serving as the Executing Agency and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as the Implementing Entity.
CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund Project aims to mitigate the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by enhancing early warning systems, laboratory networks, workforce capacity, and regional coordination, it added.
Over the course of the workshop, participants developed strategic plans to activate CariPHLN’s Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs), confirmed TAG Chairs to serve on the CariPHLN Executive, and endorsed updated Terms of Reference to reflect the region’s evolving needs. Discussions addressed improvements to early warning systems, formalisation of laboratory referral mechanisms and safe sample transport, as well as CARPHA’s expanded suite of laboratory services supporting diagnostics and surveillance across Member States, CARPHA informed.
The group also reviewed the implementation of the regional Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Programme, including the requirements and benefits of participation in the established AMR hubs. A tabletop simulation exercise tested the operational readiness and interconnectivity of the CariPHLN network.
The workshop yielded several tangible and forward-looking outcomes. Participants agreed to implement a standardised self-evaluation checklist and survey across all laboratories in the region within the next three months. They also committed to the launch of a quarterly CariPHLN newsletter to enhance communication and knowledge sharing, and to pursue internal capacity building through consolidated procurement processes and tailored training alternatives.
Importantly, CariPHLN will now provide critical counselling and advisory services to all CARPHA Member States, reinforcing its role as a strategic partner in regional health security. “This is more than a network—it’s a movement,” said Dr Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA. “Through CariPHLN, we are strengthening regional laboratory networking, communication and coordination for the rapid detection and response to public health threats. This is what regional preparedness looks like, and it is the kind of collaboration that will keep our communities safe.”
“We are enhancing our collective ability to act decisively and collaboratively. The plans developed over the past three days are practical, measurable and designed to make a lasting impact on how laboratories across the region work together throughout the year,” Dr Gabriel Escobar, Head of CARPHA’s Medical Microbiology Laboratory, added,
This workshop is one of several key activities under CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund Project, aimed at bolstering health security across the Caribbean through proactive planning, technical leadership, and coordinated action.