The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL), housed in the College’s Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, has recently received full accreditation for all species from the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD), an internationally recognized accrediting body.
“We are the only fully accredited full-service veterinary diagnostic lab in the New England states,” says Joan Smyth, director of the CVMDL. “Cornell has an accredited lab in New York. Nationwide, there are less than forty such fully accredited labs.”
To become accredited, a laboratory submits an application to the AAVLD accreditation committee demonstrating that it works to the AAVLD standard, has fully controlled procedures and has a rigorous and effective quality assurance program in place. If the lab’s paper and application appears to meet the AAVLD standard, the lab then undergoes a rigorous inspection process by a team of AAVLD auditors that includes detailed onsite inspections.
To maintain certification status, the lab team must continue to monitor adherence to the standard, including participation in nationally controlled proficiency tests, and a proper maintenance and certification program for all equipment and reagents used and for all personnel working in the lab.
The standards are required so that all testing offered by a laboratory follows AAVLD criteria to ensure reliable and accurate results for clients and to ensure eligibility for funding opportunities and for national laboratory network schemes such as those operated by the Food and Drug Administration Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network and USDA National Animal Health Laboratory Network. This year, the CVMDL performed well enough to be placed on a five-year accreditation cycle. The current cycle will end in 2018. Previously, the lab was awarded one-year certification status with conditions.
