About the Division of Laboratory Systems

Spotlight

Purpose

Vision

Exemplary laboratory practice and systems strengthen clinical care, public health, emergency response, and health equity.

Mission

Improve public health, patient outcomes, and health equity by advancing laboratory systems.

Priorities

Quality and safety

The Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS) advances the quality and safety of clinical and public health laboratory testing and services nationwide. DLS fosters the development of laboratory standards and guidelines and supports regulatory programs. DLS works in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by providing scientific and technical expertise for the CLIA program.

Informatics and data science

DLS enhances public health surveillance and response by strengthening the exchange of laboratory data between organizations and systems, and conducting analyses of large laboratory-based datasets.

Training and workforce development

DLS works to improve the knowledge, competency, reliability, and sustainability of the clinical and public health laboratory workforce nationwide. Specifically, DLS supports the clinical and public health laboratory workforce through the development of training products and resources and implementation of competency guidelines for public health laboratory professionals.