Bridgetown, Barbados. September 15th, 2026. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) concluded the 11th Annual Caribbean Public Health Laboratory Network (CariPHLN) Workshop, held from 8–10 September 2026 in Bridgetown, Barbados funded by CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund grant. The three-day hybrid workshop aimed at strengthening laboratory networking, preparedness, surveillance, diagnostic coordination and public health response across the Caribbean; brought together twenty-six (26) laboratory directors, alongside public health laboratory professionals, CARPHA staff and regional partners
CariPHLN is CARPHA’s regional mechanism for connecting national laboratory leaders, strengthening laboratory capacity, improving access to referral and specialised testing, advancing quality standards and supporting coordinated action across Member States. Eleven laboratory directors attended in person, representing Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Curaçao, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. A further fifteen laboratory directors participated virtually, with representation from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Grenada, Haiti, Montserrat, the Netherlands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sint Maarten, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Staff of the CARPHA Medical Microbiology Laboratory (CMML) from CARPHA’s three campuses also participated.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar underscored the central role of laboratories in protecting the region. “Public health laboratories remain one of the most critical foundations of regional health security. The ability to rapidly detect a pathogen, confirm an outbreak, identify antimicrobial resistance, share reliable data, and refer specimens safely can determine how effectively we protect our populations,” Dr. Indar underscored.
Dr. Gabriel M. Gonzalez Escobar, Assistant Director, Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control (SDPC) and Head of the CMML, highlighted the importance of sustained regional cooperation. “The CariPHLN meeting provides a critical opportunity for laboratories and public health professionals from across the Caribbean to come together, share experiences, and strengthen the regional systems that protect our populations. As health threats continue to evolve, collaboration, timely data sharing, and laboratory excellence remain essential to safeguarding the health security of our Member States.”
A major focus of the workshop was strengthening the link between laboratory data and timely public health action. Participants examined ways to improve information on laboratory capacity, specimen submission and transportation, and data-sharing mechanisms. The workshop also increased awareness of CARPHA’s Regional Integrated Early Warning Surveillance and Response System (RIEWSS), which brings together multiple surveillance data streams to support earlier detection and coordinated response, and SENAITE, the webbased Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) used to support laboratory workflows, data management and information exchange. Discussions also focused on priority areas for regional health security, including antimicrobial resistance (AMR), tuberculosis surveillance and testing, preparedness for measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, biorisk management, specimen referral and transportation, laboratory information systems, and the use of laboratory data for surveillance and public health decisionmaking. Participants also shared country experiences in outbreak response and capacity building and identified practical actions to advance through the regional network.
The 2026 meeting built on progress made since the previous CariPHLN Workshop, including strengthened governance through regular CariPHLN Executive meetings, renewed activity across Technical Advisory Groups, the establishment of the AMR Technical Advisory Group, expansion of regional diagnostic capacity, strengthened preparedness, laboratory capacity building, technical harmonisation and specimen referral systems, and data sharing and enhanced communication among Member States.
Through CariPHLN, CARPHA will continue to support Member States in strengthening resilient laboratory systems, improving regional laboratory connectivity and ensuring that high-quality laboratory information contributes to earlier detection, faster response and stronger health security across the Caribbean.
About the Pandemic Fund Project
CARPHA is the Executing Agency for the PF Project, with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as the Implementing Entity. The goal of this Project, which spans from 2024 to 2026, is to Reduce the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPR). The objective is to support the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic PPR surveillance and early warning systems, laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and at country levels. This will reduce the transboundary spread of infectious diseases and improve regional and global health security. CARPHA is the beneficiary of the PF project and CARPHA Member States are the participants. Learn more via CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund webpage.
Photo Captions:
Photo Caption: Group photo of facilitators and participants at the recently concluded 11th Annual CariPHLN Workshop, held from 8–10 September 2026 in Bridgetown, Barbados funded by CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund grant.
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