Advancing Island Laboratory Standards - A Recap of the 2025 IATA TOT and 8th AUL Meeting | | Tumon, Guam - The 2025 International Air Transport Association (IATA) Training of Trainers (TOT) and the 8th Annual Association of USAPI Laboratories (AUL) Meeting, held from March 10-14, 2025, at the Holiday Resort in Guam, brought together laboratory professionals from across the Pacific to enhance their skills, share best practices, and strategize for the future of regional laboratory services. | | |
“I plan to apply what Iʻve learned from the IATA TOT training back in Yap to ensure that the current shippers are complying to the IATA regulations and to train the shippers who are not certified. Also, as part of the management team, we can do an annual report on how the documentation is going and if the shippers are complying and following the check list so we can avoid the errors in shipping.”
- Grace Lasaufmal, Laboratory Training Officer, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia
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Key Highlights
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IATA TOT Training: Participants underwent rigorous sessions covering the 66th edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), with hands-on exercises in shipment handling, classification, and documentation to ensure safe and compliant transport of laboratory specimens.
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Mask Fit-Testing TOT: Experts led an in-depth demonstration and practice sessions on proper mask fit-testing for N95 respirators, crucial for biosafety compliance in island laboratories.
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Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) and LIS Updates: Sessions included critical discussions on ISO 15189 requirements, lab information management systems (LIS), and regional workforce development initiatives to enhance laboratory operations and accreditation readiness.
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Enhancement of Data Exchange in the USAPI Labs: Global Scientific Solutions for Health (GSSH) was contracted to assist with the enhancement of lab data exchange in the USAPI. To spearhead this effort, GSSH reviewed the current state of laboratory information systems (LIS) in existence or in development at the Guam Public Health Lab (GPHL), Palau, RMI and American Samoa labs. The assessment was completed in February 2025, and the findings with recommendations for implementation improvements, identification of needs, priorities, gaps, and potential challenges were shared with the USAPI lab managers at the meeting.
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Quality System Essentials (QSE) Benchmarking: Participants worked on standardizing quality benchmarks for medical and public health laboratories, shaping a roadmap for regional lab improvement from 2025-2030.
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Draft AUL Resolution for Laboratory Strengthening and AMR: AUL members discussed and drafted a resolution calling for the development of a five-year plan to improve USAPI public health and clinical laboratories, with a particular focus on lab-based AMR surveillance. The draft resolution also calls for each lab to hire, at a minimum, a Quality Manager and a Microbiology Technician, to enhance local lab capabilities and support regional lab-based surveillance and reporting. The draft AUL resolution will be submitted to PIHOA leadership for review and endorsement at its upcoming 76th Executive Board Meeting in late March 2025.
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Certifications and Certificates of Completion: Attendees successfully completed and received certifications/certificates of completion for IATA Shipping of Infectious Substances and Mask Fit-Testing TOT, as well as an AUL Meeting Workshop Certificate recognizing attendeesʻ overall competency achievement in all the critical topics covered during the AUL meeting.
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“All the training sessions were very informative, and it shows how some of the stuff we are doing back home are quite lacking in terms of organization, documentation, marking, labeling, all for shipping. So, I want to go back home and address those kinds of mistakes. I want to make sure that we can 100% deliver the best quality for our people.”
- Bremity Lakjohn Jr., Medical Laboratory Technologist, Majuro, Marshall Islands
| | As we move forward, the collaboration and insights gained from this meeting will continue to strengthen laboratory networks across the Pacific. Stay tuned for further updates and upcoming training opportunities! | | |
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About the Pacific Islands Health Officers' Association
PIHOA's mission is to improve the health and well-being of the USAPIs by providing, through consensus, a unified, credible voice on health issues of regional significance. Established in 1986, PIHOA is governed by and represents the collective interests of the USAPI health leadership from American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.
PIHOA’s Secretariat, comprised of executive, administrative, and technical staff and consultants, provides support to the USAPI health agencies and leadership in the following priority areas: health workforce development; epidemiology and surveillance; health systems performance improvement; laboratory services; regional health leadership and policy advocacy; Pacific health security; and, partnership engagement and coordination. PIHOA has two offices in Honolulu, Hawai’i, and Hagåtña, Guam.
Media Contact
Billie Hiraishi
Communications Officer
billieh@pihoa.org
Dr. Vasiti Uluiviti
Regional Laboratory Strengthening Coordinator
vasitiu@pihoa.org
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