Global Laboratory Leadership Programme

The GLLP is a unique workforce development initiative led by six organizations (the GLLP Partners) working globally in the human, animal and environmental health sectors. The goal of the GLLP is to foster and mentor current and emerging laboratory leaders to build, strengthen and sustain national laboratory systems. The GLLP combines didactic learning with mentorship, practical experience and a community of practice to support individual learning and laboratory systems strengthening.

The GLLP was founded and developed by six partners:

Watch the video below to hear from GLLP participants and participating country leaders about their experiences and the impact of the Programme:

GLLP is a learning program designed to foster and mentor current and emerging laboratory leaders to build, strengthen and sustain national laboratory systems to fill the gaps in advanced leadership learning opportunities in low- and middle-income countries. 

International experts agree that laboratory leaders need certain core competencies to meet national, regional and global disease prevention and control objectives. To further this goal, the partners developed the Laboratory Leadership Competency Framework.

The Framework outlines nine competencies that encompass human, animal and environmental health for a One Health approach to laboratory leadership:

• Laboratory
• Leadership
• Management
• Communication
• Quality
• Biosafety and Biosecurity
• Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Investigation
• Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery
• Research

The Framework can be used for:

• Workforce Development: as a standardized reference for laboratory workforce development applicable across human, animal, environmental and other relevant health sectors.

• Programme Development: as a foundation for laboratory leadership learning programmes.

• Specific Job Descriptions: as guidance in writing standardized job descriptions.

• Needs Assessments: as guidance in developing a tool for self-assessment, observer assessment or a combination of both to identify individual or group needs and guide staff development planning.

• Self-assessments: as guidance for individuals in assessing their current level of knowledge, skills and abilities, identifying areas in need of improvement and planning for achieving higher levels of proficiency.

The GLLP Learning Package includes four sections (Introduction, Laboratory Management, Laboratory Leadership, and Laboratory Systems) comprising 13 units and 43 modules, with over 200 contact hours' worth of materials, all with a strong One Health focus. This curriculum provides the materials necessary to implement programmes in any country or educational institution in the world and includes: 

• Course materials including in-person and virtual slide decks, instructors guides with detailed facilitator notes, participant guides, learning assessments and supporting material
• GLLP Planning and Implementation Guide
• GLLP Mentorship Guide
• GLLP Project Guide
• Monitoring and Evaluation framework
• eLearning courses to support program implementation and didactic learning
• Training of Trainers and Mentors curriculum

Materials are hosted on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Security Learning Platform and have been reviewed by subject matter experts from human, animal and environmental health laboratories.

Check out the resources below to learn more about GLLP: 

• GLLP Brochure
• Critical gaps in laboratory leadership to meet global health security goals
• Supporting the development of strong laboratory leaders for global health security

Find additional information and resources about the Programme—including frequently asked questions, implementation status and testimonials—on the WHO website.

Visit the WHO GLLP Website