Safeguarding through science: Center for Plant Health Science and Technology 2008 Accomplishments

The Center for Plant Health Science and Technology (CPHST) was designed and developed to support the regulatory decisions and operations of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program through methods development work, scientific investigation, analyses, and technology—all in an effort to safeguard U.S. agriculture and natural resources. This 2008 CPHST Annual Report is intended to offer an in-depth look at the status of its programs and the progress it has made toward the Center’s long-term strategic goals. One of CPHST’s most significant efforts in 2008 was to initiate efforts to improve the Center’s organizational transparency and overall responsiveness to the needs of its stakeholders. As a result of its focus in this area, CPHST is now developing a new workflow process that allows the customers to easily request and monitor projects and ensures that the highest priority projects are funded for successful delivery. This new system will allow CPHST to more dynamically identify the needs of the agency, more effectively allocate and utilize resources, and provide its customers timely information regarding a project’s status. Thus far, while still very much a work in progress, this new process is proving to be successful, and will continue to advance and expand the service to its customers and staff. The considerable and growing concern of homeland security and the management of critical issues drives CPHST to lead the methods development of science-based systems for prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. CPHST is recognized nationally and internationally for its leadership in scientific developments to battle plant pests and diseases.