Facilitating Independence, Skill and Competency

The beating heart of a laboratory is its people. Our focus on workforce development supports not only skills and competencies acquisition but also strategies to attract and retain quality laboratory staff. We do this by:

  • Implementing training and mentoring programs customized for the environment.
  • Developing or improving standardized operating procedures tailored to the lab.
  • Designing measurement and evaluation tools with a focus on improvement over time.
  • Collaborating with laboratory management on strategies for growing a culture of quality and continuous learning.

Stories and Partnerships

Global Health and Biosecurity

Human behavior is the biggest risk factor for biosafety. In biocontainment laboratories comprehensive biosafety training is especially critical to reduce the potential for human error.

ASM’s 52 Weeks of Biosafety Program delivers practical, in-person sessions and online workshops facilitated by an ASM biosecurity consultant, fostering behavioral and technical competencies that mitigate this risk.

Participants in the 52 Weeks of Biosafety Program practice with PPE in Cairo, Egypt.



Specimen Management

Specimen Management Video created by ASM in partnership with US Centers for Disease Control

We partner with funders and laboratories, in countries in Africa, South Asia and, most recently, the Americas, to build skills to properly manage specimens.

We recently coproduced 2 videos with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help laboratorians work with arbovirus specimens.




Global Health Mentoring

Our Microbiology Mentorship Package translates knowledge into practice, giving microbiologists the tools they need to apply complex decision-making techniques and technical skills in their laboratory practice. We have customized this 5-day workshop for more than a dozen countries.

ASM's Microbiology Mentoring Program in Pakistan



Distance Learning

We are a Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) partner, connecting laboratories in remote locations to one another, and to more centralized laboratory hubs.

  • Technological connection allows trainers to reach participants in their home laboratories.
  • Eliminates the need for travel.
  • ECHO curriculum incorporates case presentations, lively discussion and collaborative problem-solving.
  • Fosters human connection.

The program incubates and strengthens bonds among laboratories, creating a network of mutual learning and support that lasts long beyond the end of the program. 

Participants in an Ethiopia AMR ECHO session listen to a case study presentation.