CARPHA strengthens regional laboratory coordination and networking at CariPHLN workshop in Guyana

Jul 28, 2025 News

CARPHA’s Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar is flanked by CariPHLN Workshop Participants at the end of the three-day workshop in Georgetown, Guyana

Dr. Lisa Indar delivers remarks at the CariPHLN Workshop, Georgetown, Guyana

Kaieteur News – 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.

This high-level event brought together Laboratory Directors, senior laboratory professionals, and public health officials from twenty-one (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 agency said in a press release. 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.

This 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.

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. 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.

(L-R) CARPHA Staff Contingent at CariPHLN; Ms. Kerena Jhilmit, Administrative Assistant, CARPHA Medical Microbiology Laboratory (CMML), Mr. Mohamed Elsherbiny, Senior Technical Advisor, Ms. Hazel Ann Bobb Maxime, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, Mr. Carlos K. Rampersad, Biorisk Manager, CMML, Dr. SueMin Nathaniel, Laboratory Manager, CMML, Dr. Gabriel Gonzalez Escobar, Head, CMML, Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director, CARPHA, Dr. Sastee Kissoondan, Senior Technical Officer, Ms. Tamara Barnard, One Health Foodborne and Zoonotic Disease Coordinator, Pandemic Fund Execution Unit and Ms. Zalika Edwards, Logistics Specialist.

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.”

Dr. Gabriel Escobar, Head of CARPHA’s Medical Microbiology Laboratory, added, “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.” 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.

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