In 1989, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the National Laboratory Training Network to improve laboratory training programs and communication among participants. It was established with the Association of State and Territorial Public Health Laboratory Directors in seven sites.

In 2000, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) published a white paper entitled “Core Functions and Capabilities of State Public Health Laboratories” (hereafter, Core Functions), which enumerated the 11 Core Functions that state public health laboratories (PHLs) provide or assure and described their expected capabilities in safeguarding the public’s health