Association of Public Health Laboratories website earns two w3 Awards and a Davey Award. Redesigned site serves laboratory scientists and a public with growing interest in public health labs. BALTIMORE, MD (October 22, 2026) - The Association of Public Health Laboratories' (APHL) redesigned website, aphl.org, has won two w3 Silver Awards, for Best User Experience and in the General Websites-Associations category. The awards were presented in the 2026 w3 Awards by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. The site also earned a Silver Davey Award in the General-Associations category of the 2026 Davey Awards, which honor big ideas regardless of team size. APHL is the national association representing state and local laboratories in the United States that serve the public's health by monitoring and detecting health threats to protect Americans. Their core members are laboratories - public health, environmental, agricultural science, chemical, food safety and other related laboratories - known collectively as "public health laboratories." APHL works domestically and globally with government partners such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and organizational partners to ensure strong laboratory systems and to execute effective responses to health threats. The COVID-19 pandemic put public health laboratories into public view more than ever before. The APHL website had to serve two very different groups: laboratory scientists looking for technical resources and training, and policymakers, reporters and members of the public trying to understand what labs do. "During the pandemic, people who had never heard of a public health lab suddenly needed to understand what we do. At the same time, our members needed fast access to the technical resources behind their work," said David Fouse, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at APHL. "The new site serves both. Lab staff can get to what they need, and the public can see how APHL member labs protect them." "This recognition reflects the work of our staff across APHL, who rethought how we share our science," Fouse said. "The w3 judges how well a site works, and the Davey judges the strength of the idea behind it. Winning both shows that a site built for laboratories spoke to practicality and innovation. Astriata grounded every decision in evidence, and that mattered to an organization of scientists and public health professionals." The redesign started with research. More than 190 APHL staff and external users responded to surveys, and 132 people tested the proposed navigation before it was built. Users said they look for information by topic first, then by purpose, then by type of content. The site's new navigation and resource hub are organized that way. Visitors can filter resources by topic, type and audience. The site launched in April 2026. Pages tested scored 100 on Google Lighthouse accessibility checks. "Scientists expect evidence. We held the website to the same standard," said Aline Lin, CEO of Astriata, the Baltimore-based digital experience agency that led the redesign. "We tested the new navigation with real users before we designed a single page. That's how we knew it would work for a lab director and a fellow alike. The Davey rewards the thinking behind the work. For us, the big idea was simple. Ask the people who use the site, then build for their behavior and needs." About APHL. The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) works to strengthen laboratory systems serving the public's health in the US and globally. APHL's member laboratories protect the public's health by monitoring and detecting infectious and foodborne diseases, environmental contaminants, terrorist agents, genetic disorders in newborns and other diverse health threats. Learn more at aphl.org. About Astriata. Astriata is a research-led digital experience agency serving associations, healthcare, nonprofit, higher education and government clients. It combines user research, including testing on its UserHappy(R) platform, with design, development and content strategy. Astriata is a Maryland-certified woman-owned and minority-owned small business with offices in Baltimore and Bethesda, Maryland.

HRSA selects APHL to convene national Newborn Screening stakeholder workgroup. Aug 11, 2026 Bethesda, MD * APHL * Newborn Screening and Genetics * Heritable Disorders * Policies and Regulations Bethesda, MD, August 11, 2026 - The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) is pleased to receive an award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to convene a national newborn screening stakeholder workgroup. The workgroup will develop findings, reports and recommendations to HRSA for review and consideration to continue to advance the national newborn screening system. "We're excited to partner with HRSA and the amazing newborn screening community to continue to foster collaboration, advance science and save lives," said Scott J. Becker, chief executive officer of APHL. "Screening newborns for harmful or potentially fatal conditions is essential work. We look forward to bringing expert voices from the community together to help guide the future direction of our newborn screening system and strengthen our nation's public health infrastructure." The national newborn screening stakeholder workgroup's findings and recommendations will be informed by independent evidence-based reviews. An updated process will help create a more efficient system that is responsive to scientific advances. APHL, which is home of the National Center for Newborn Screening System Excellence (NBS Excel), will soon announce a call for member nominations for the workgroup. Membership will include individuals from affected families, those with lived experience and relevant experts in the field, including the nation's public health laboratories, which screen nearly 4 million infants born in the US every year. More about this initiative will be shared soon and during the 2026 APHL Newborn Screening Symposium, October 11-15, 2026, in New Orleans, LA. About Newborn Screening and Public Health Laboratories. Newborn screening - recognized as the largest and most successful disease prevention system in the US - is the practice of testing every newborn for certain harmful or potentially fatal conditions that are not otherwise apparent at birth. Many of the disorders screened for are considered time-critical so early detection is crucial to prevent death or a lifetime of severe health problems. Public health laboratories screen nearly 4 million newborns born in the US each year, follow up on actionable results and refer infants to clinical care for diagnosis and treatment as necessary. They play a vital role in ensuring that every newborn's health is protected with timely, accurate screening. Learn more at https://aphl.org/NBS. About APHL. The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) works to strengthen laboratory systems serving the public's health in the US and globally. APHL's member laboratories protect the public's health by monitoring and detecting infectious and foodborne diseases, environmental contaminants, terrorist agents, genetic disorders in newborns and other diverse health threats. Learn more at www.aphl.org.