CMLF staff have tested and proven expertise in development and delivery of innovative competency-based training for building laboratory management, supervision and quality management skills within the Caribbean region and other resource limited environments.
As a result, CMLF is now well recognised as a key resource for building leadership and management capacity for preparing laboratory staff and stakeholders to develop and operate national and regional networks to support both communicable and non-communicable disease programmes.
In committing to promote and support the achievement of quality laboratory services within Caribbean countries:
- CMLF has focused on providing ongoing training for laboratory staff in CARICOM and OECS countries as well as those in the Caribbean’s British and Dutch Overseas Territories over the past decade.
- We have trained over one thousand Caribbean laboratory managers, staff and key stakeholders in Caribbean countries that stretch from Suriname and Guyana on the South American continent, to Bermuda at the Northern end of the Caribbean chain of countries and Belize in Central America.
- CMLF has addressed training needs of the medical and public health laboratory sector in the English, Dutch, French and Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
- We have responded to the mandate of significant regional developmental efforts such as the Caribbean Cooperation in Health (CCH) that provides a framework for CARICOM Member States to address common health challenges. One such challenge is the need to ensure that the health human resource is adequately prepared and competent to deliver services.
- We have also supported the achievement of requirements for laboratory services as included within International Health Regulations (IHR).
Our training over the past twelve years has:
- Addressed both technical and quality systems gaps in medical and public health Caribbean laboratories.
- Provided targeted training aimed at building laboratory capacity to effectively and reliably address the diagnosis of high impact communicable diseases.
- Aimed at the strengthening of laboratory quality systems and implementation of the ISO 15189 standard that underpins the quality of the laboratory information provided for both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
- Utilised a phased and customised approach specifically designed for the Caribbean laboratory sector – the Laboratory Quality Management System – Stepwise Improvement Process (LQMS-SIP).
Our training has traditionally been delivered using a face-to-face modality but as we continue to execute our mandate and commitment to improving regional laboratory capacity to respond to high impact diseases of public health significance such as HIV, syphilis, dengue, malaria, COVID-19, diabetes, cancers, heart disease and many others, CMLF will be initiating the delivery of online training. Using this modality, we will continue to develop and deliver quality systems training and aspects of technical training that are customer-driven, evidence-based, relevant, informative and responsive to the needs of the medical and public health laboratory sector. We will ensure that all online training delivered by CMLF, continues to carry our trademark stamps of reliability, intense participant engagement and competency building.
CMLF monitors outcomes of training and provides supportive interventions through establishment of critical structures and through ongoing communication to identify challenges and solutions.
Welcome to CMLF’s Online Training:
Training sessions conducted to end August 2020:
- Quality Management Systems for COVID 19 testing (2)
- Quality Management Systems for HIV VL testing
- HIV Prevention Services – Rapid Testing during COVID 19 Webinar
- HIV Self Testing Webinar
Training sessions scheduled for September – December 2020:
For participants in OECS Global Fund Continuation Grant for HIV and TB Elimination Programme (HTEP):
- Laboratory Quality Management Systems – Stepwise Improvement Process Training – starting September 2020
- HIV-Syphilis Rapid Test Training of Trainers – starting December 2020
For participants in OECS and PANCAP Global Fund HIV Grants:
HIV Self Testing Triage – starting November 2020