A site dedication ceremony for Guam's first Public Health Training and Biosafety Laboratory Facility took place on Tuesday, Oct. 29, in Mangilao, at the entrance of the University of Guam.
This biosafety laboratory is part of a broader effort to advance public health infrastructure and support research, education, and community healthcare protection, according to Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero. It will provide critical diagnostic and surveillance capabilities on-island, removing the need to send samples off-island aiming to significantly reduce response times during public health emergencies in Guam and the western pacific region. This $32 million, 16,000-square foot project was funded by a congressional appropriation to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation and is expected to be completed by June 2026. 
Leon Guerrero said, "I think that is such an amazing laboratory to have here in terms of the advancement of healthcare and the ability to get great results fast and quick so our providers can make decisions about the diagnosis of a patient. And how can we protect our public from viruses that may be even unknown, but we can use this laboratory to get results and information. That's how key this laboratory is."
"Its advanced biosecurity protocols meet the highest standards set by the CDC and WHO, ensuring that biological materials are handled with the utmost care to protect both the community and the environment,” Leon Guerrero said in a release. "This facility will deepen our commitment to education by enhancing UOG’s healthcare curriculum. Students here will gain hands-on training and develop into future healthcare leaders. Through partnerships with DPHSS, students will learn vital skills in biosafety, laboratory sciences, and clinical diagnostics, preparing a workforce ready to serve both our island and the broader Pacific.”
Vera Topasña, executive director of the Community Defense Liaison Office, outlined the extensive advocacy needed to secure the facility’s funding, a process begun in 2015 and significantly advanced during the pandemic. “Together with the Governor’s legal team, (Gov. Leon Guerrero) not only penned a letter to Congress…but we took the extra step of writing legislation,” Topasña said, acknowledging support from the Department of Defense and local stakeholders. The lab aligns with the Environmental Impact Statement for the U.S. Marine relocation to Guam.
Rear Adm. Brent DeVore, commander of Joint Region Marianas, highlighted the laboratory’s role in regional security and public health. He said, “This laboratory will eliminate the need to ship samples off-island, which will significantly reduce processing time. That means faster results and better impacts, directly helping us save lives.”
Anita Borja Enriquez, president of the University of Guam, celebrated the partnership between UOG and DPHSS. "Today marks a monumental milestone for all of us in this island’s public health history," she said. "We remain committed to supporting the training and the research involved in maintaining and sustaining a lab of this magnitude.” mbj