The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDU PHL) established in 1897, is the longest continuously serving public health laboratory in Australia. It is located within the Doherty Institute at the University of Melbourne and is primarily funded by the Victorian Department of Health.
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Sample Collection and Transport Guidelines
All samples must be labelled with:
- Minimum of two identifiers.
- Date of sample collection and sample source is essential.
- Samples must be sent as per NPAAC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PACKAGING AND TRANSPORT OF PATHOLOGY SPECIMENS AND ASSOCIATED MATERIALS (Fourth Edition 2013)
Who we are
MDU PHL undertakes reference microbiology testing for notifiable pathogens and organisms of public health significance, including surveillance of foodborne diseases, antimicrobial resistance, invasive bacterial pathogens, and sexually transmitted infections.
The team at MDU PHL comprises highly skilled scientists, medical microbiologists, bioinformaticians and genomic epidemiologists dedicated to developing best-practice approaches to public health microbiology. MDU PHL has capacity and expertise in pathogen genomics, providing leadership and guidance in the establishment of sequencing workflows, advice and capacity-building for bioinformatics, and assistance with the integration of genomic and epidemiological data to investigate local outbreaks.
MDU PHL is part of the University of Melbourne’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (the Doherty Institute), a joint venture between the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne
Quality Management and NATA Accreditation
MDU PHL is committed to delivering accurate, consistent, and timely services that support public health outcomes. We embed the principles of ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 15189 across all operations to drive continuous quality improvement.
Quality is a shared responsibility. All staff contribute to reviewing and refining our processes to maintain a high standard of service and legal integrity.
MDU PHL is accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) for a wide range of testing services, including:
- Human Pathology (ISO 15189)
- Animal Pathology (ISO/IEC 17025)
- Environmental, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical and Media Products (ISO/IEC 17025)
- Forensic Operations (ISO/IEC 17025)
These accreditations reflect our commitment to professionalism, reliability, and public health impact.
Our Strategic Plan
The inaugural Strategic Plan for MDU PHL looks to capture the opportunities and respond to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic within the organisation and with our key partners locally, nationally and internationally.
Our strategic plan incorporates an updated vision for MDU PHL:
MDU PHL leads infectious diseases policy and practice through public health excellence, research and innovation.
This vision highlights our intent to achieve and maintain global leadership of our key focus areas in public health microbiology. Our vision aligns with the strategy and mission of the Doherty Institute and the University of Melbourne, and we plan to further contribute to and enhance opportunities for collaborations as part of the Doherty Institute and the future Australian Institute for Infectious Diseases (AIID).
Director - Prof Ben Howden
Professor Ben Howden is a public health microbiologist, infectious diseases physician and molecular biologist. He is Director of the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDU PHL), Head of the Howden Research Group and is a co-lead of the Global Health cross-cutting discipline at the Doherty Institute. In his roles, Ben is responsible for the provision of public health laboratory services, national and global research activities in pathogen genomics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and capacity and capability building programs primarily focussed in the Asia Pacific region.
Deputy Director - A/Prof Norelle Sherry
A/Prof Norelle Sherry is a medical microbiologist and infectious diseases physician, and Deputy Director of the MDU Public Health Laboratory. She is the co-lead of the Laboratory and Surveillance Stream of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance at the Doherty Institute, and co-lead of the Doherty Antimicrobial Resistance Theme. She is also a clinician-researcher working in antimicrobial resistance, genomics implementation and public health microbiology in the Howden lab group.
Mathilda Wilmot
Our Teams
Our work is delivered by expert teams spanning reference microbiology, food and water testing, genomic surveillance, public health programs and sexual health diagnostics. Each team plays a vital role in supporting disease prevention, outbreak response and public health decision-making across Victoria, Australia, and the region.
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Feedback
Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory seeks your feedback as part of our ongoing commitment to quality and continuous improvement.
We encourage you to actively help us improve the delivery of our services to all our customers by submitting a message in the below form.