ClinicalMicrobiologyNewsletter31:13,2009©2009Elsevier0196-4399/00(seefrontmatter)
95
Background
TheClinicalandLaboratoryStand-
ardsInstitute(CLSI)recognizesthat
healthisthemostimportantforeign
policyissueofourtime(1).Theneed
tocontinuethebattleagainstinfectious
diseasesmadethefrontcoverofmajor
journalsandmagazines,suchasTime
Magazine,Science,andtheLancet,in
2006.Preventable,treatable,andcurable
diseaseshavecontinuedtoincreaseand
resultinenormoussuffering(2).Asa
result,funds,tools,andcreativepro-
gramshaveincreasedandgainedsig-
nificantmomentum.
Inresponsetothecallforlaboratory
capacitybuilding,onbehalfoftheU.S.
President’sEmergencyPlanforAIDS
Relief(PEPFAR),CLSIhasdeveloped
itsGlobalHealthPartnerships(GHP)
activities.Workingwithitspartners,
CLSI,throughGHP,isimprovingthe
qualityofcarebyprovidinglaboratory
capacity-buildingassistanceinsupport
ofPEPFARinitiativestocombatHIV/
AIDS,tuberculosis(TB),andmalaria.
Using a two-pronged approach, CLSI’s
GHP activities deliver direct laboratory-
strengthening (LS) services and foster
partnerships and longer-term relation-
ships targeting the critical areas of need
in laboratories and laboratory systems,
particularly in resource-constrained
settings.
CLSI’s LS services provide assess-
ments of the laboratory, as well as train-
ing, education, and technical assistance
to improve its operational quality. Using
a standards-driven, harmonized approach,
this is especially useful to laboratories
that aspire to accreditation, as the doc-
uments are scalable and relevant to
various accreditation models.
CLSI History
CLSI, formerly known as the National
Committee for Clinical Laboratory
Standards (NCCLS), is a global, non-
profit, membership-driven organization
dedicated to developing standards and
guidelines for the health care and med-
ical testing community. CLSI is a
U.S.-based global organization whose
membership is comprised of organi-
zations within industry, government,
and the health professions. Established
40 years ago and accredited by the
American National Standards Institute,
CLSI’s unique consensus process that
CLSI: Building Laboratory Capacity in Africa
Karen McClure,
1
Judith Arbique,
2
Anne Rendell,
2
and Patricia Rizzo-Price,
31
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center, Houston, Texas,
2
Capital District Health Authority, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada,
3
Clinical and Laboratory Standards
Institute, Wayne, Pennsylvania
Abstract
The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) is a global, nonprofit, membership-driven organization dedicated to
developing standards and guidelines for the health care and medical testing community. CLSI’s mission is to develop best prac-
tices in clinical and laboratory testing and to promote their use throughout the world, using a consensus-driven process that bal-
ances the viewpoints of industry, government, and the health care professions. CLSI recognizes that health is the most important
foreign policy issue of our time. In response to the call for laboratory capacity building, and on behalf of the U.S. President’s
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, CLSI has developed the Global Health Partnerships (GHP) program. Working collaboratively,
the GHP program is improving the quality of care by providing laboratory capacity-building assistance to combat HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis, and malaria. An important first step in the fight against infectious disease is improving access to reliable, high-
quality laboratory testing.
Vol. 31, No. 13
www.cmnewsletter.com
July 1, 2009
This program was supported by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Cooper-
ative Agreement: 1U2GPS001298-01
Corresponding Author: Patricia A. Rizzo-
Price, MT, MS, Vice President, Global
Health Partnerships, Clinical and Laboratory
Standards Institute, 940 West Valley Rd.,
Suite 1400, Wayne, PA 19087. Tel.: 301-
865-8601, 610.688.0100 ext. 141. Fax:
301-865-3573. E-mail: pprice@clsi.org
Clinical
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